Abstract
This study deals with the spontaneous spreading of stone bunds in the central Ethiopian highlands, i.e., the adoption and implementation of stone bunds by farmers on their own initiative. The study tests the hypothesis that spontaneously implemented stone bunds, as compared to stone bunds implemented by mass mobilization campaigns, are more integrated with other land management practices and lead to higher yields. Data are collected in the Girar Jarso woreda through field observations and household surveys. Descriptive statistics are used to analyze and test the data at 1% and 5% probability levels. Results show that stone bunds are spontaneously implemented mainly on farmlands located nearby the homesteads where farmers perceive severe erosion, poor soil fertility and steep slope gradients. Compared to stone bunds implemented by mass mobilization, spontaneously implemented stone bunds are perceived as better maintained, more frequently modified to fit the farming system and better integrated with soil fertility management practices, such as applying fertilizer, compost and manure. Particularly, this better integration with other practices is very important, because it makes stone bunds more effective in reducing erosion, leading to beneficial effects on soil moisture and soil productivity, as perceived by farmers. The study, therefore, suggests that the mass mobilization campaign should use a more participatory and integrated approach, in which there is ample space for awareness raising and learning concerning the benefits of integrated farm management, and in which farmers themselves have a leading role in the decision on where to construct stone bunds. Such a strategy will lead to more sustainable impact on soil fertility and food security than the current top-down intervention approach.
Highlights
Subsistence agriculture is the main source of livelihood for more than 85% of Ethiopia’s population [1]
This study provides insights into how stone bunds have spontaneously spread in the Girar Jarso woreda, the central highlands of Ethiopia, as such contributing to the understanding of the process of spontaneous spreading
The central aim of this study was to provide insights into how stone bunds have spontaneously spread in the central highlands of Ethiopia, thereby contributing to the understanding of the process of spontaneous spreading
Summary
Subsistence agriculture is the main source of livelihood for more than 85% of Ethiopia’s population [1]. In Ethiopia, land degradation in the form of soil erosion and nutrient depletion seriously threatens agricultural productivity and is a major cause of food insecurity [4,5]. The problem is persistent in the highlands of Ethiopia, where the majority of the country’s population lives and depends on farming. Soil characteristics, topography and the cropping pattern (dominated by cereals) make the Ethiopian highlands vulnerable to soil erosion [7]. In this regard, it has been estimated that 42 ton/ha [2,8] to 179 ton/ha [9] of soil is eroded from cultivated land every year. We can infer that the fate of Ethiopian smallholder agriculture relies on the quest for Sustainable Land Management (SLM)
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