A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling
Soil and water conservation have been traditionally part of farming practices for thousands of years. Despite massive efforts to implement modern soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) in the Ethiopian Highlands, soil erosion increased after the 1970s when social and political events led to a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132480 |
| _version_ | 1855516620491849728 |
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| author | Fenta, H. M. Aynalem, D. W. Malmquist, L. Haileslassie, Amare Tilahun, Seifu A. Barron, Jennie Adem, Anwar A. Adimassu, Zenebe Zimale, Fasikaw A. Steenhuis, T. S. |
| author_browse | Adem, Anwar A. Adimassu, Zenebe Aynalem, D. W. Barron, Jennie Fenta, H. M. Haileslassie, Amare Malmquist, L. Steenhuis, T. S. Tilahun, Seifu A. Zimale, Fasikaw A. |
| author_facet | Fenta, H. M. Aynalem, D. W. Malmquist, L. Haileslassie, Amare Tilahun, Seifu A. Barron, Jennie Adem, Anwar A. Adimassu, Zenebe Zimale, Fasikaw A. Steenhuis, T. S. |
| author_sort | Fenta, H. M. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Soil and water conservation have been traditionally part of farming practices for thousands of years. Despite massive efforts to implement modern soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) in the Ethiopian Highlands, soil erosion increased after the 1970s when social and political events led to a remarkable change in land use. This review aims to critically analyze the impact of conservation practices on soil loss and crop yield and highlight research and modeling gaps. In doing so, 120 published articles on experimental and simulated soil losses in the Ethiopian Highlands were retrieved from the refereed literature. We found that most published experimental studies evaluating SWCPs lasted less than five years in areas of less than 100 ha. Most modeling studies were over short periods, too; some models simulated soil loss over large areas. The literature analysis for these short-term experimental studies showed that SWCP decreased soil loss on individual sites and increased crop yield in semi-arid regions. Simulated sediment concentration increased as a function of watershed size, while observed soil losses did not follow this trend. Moreover, the decrease in soil loss due to the soil and water conservation practices on small plots was also greatly overestimated. Consequently, past research and current modeling techniques are inconclusive on the effectiveness of SWCPs in large catchments over periods exceeding five years and those with active gullies. Additional long-term experimental studies in catchments are required to evaluate whether SWCPs can decrease sediment loads. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace132480 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1324802025-12-08T10:11:39Z A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling Fenta, H. M. Aynalem, D. W. Malmquist, L. Haileslassie, Amare Tilahun, Seifu A. Barron, Jennie Adem, Anwar A. Adimassu, Zenebe Zimale, Fasikaw A. Steenhuis, T. S. soil conservation water conservation highlands soil loss erosion sediment ecosystem services environmental monitoring land use crop yield modelling Soil and water conservation have been traditionally part of farming practices for thousands of years. Despite massive efforts to implement modern soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) in the Ethiopian Highlands, soil erosion increased after the 1970s when social and political events led to a remarkable change in land use. This review aims to critically analyze the impact of conservation practices on soil loss and crop yield and highlight research and modeling gaps. In doing so, 120 published articles on experimental and simulated soil losses in the Ethiopian Highlands were retrieved from the refereed literature. We found that most published experimental studies evaluating SWCPs lasted less than five years in areas of less than 100 ha. Most modeling studies were over short periods, too; some models simulated soil loss over large areas. The literature analysis for these short-term experimental studies showed that SWCP decreased soil loss on individual sites and increased crop yield in semi-arid regions. Simulated sediment concentration increased as a function of watershed size, while observed soil losses did not follow this trend. Moreover, the decrease in soil loss due to the soil and water conservation practices on small plots was also greatly overestimated. Consequently, past research and current modeling techniques are inconclusive on the effectiveness of SWCPs in large catchments over periods exceeding five years and those with active gullies. Additional long-term experimental studies in catchments are required to evaluate whether SWCPs can decrease sediment loads. 2024-01 2023-10-26T10:50:19Z 2023-10-26T10:50:19Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132480 en Limited Access Elsevier Fenta, H. M.; Aynalem, D. W.; Malmquist, L.; Haileslassie, Amare; Tilahun, Seifu A.; Barron, J.; Adem, A. A.; Adimassu, Z.; Zimale, F. A.; Steenhuis, T. S. 2024. A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling. Catena, 234:107539. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107539] |
| spellingShingle | soil conservation water conservation highlands soil loss erosion sediment ecosystem services environmental monitoring land use crop yield modelling Fenta, H. M. Aynalem, D. W. Malmquist, L. Haileslassie, Amare Tilahun, Seifu A. Barron, Jennie Adem, Anwar A. Adimassu, Zenebe Zimale, Fasikaw A. Steenhuis, T. S. A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling |
| title | A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling |
| title_full | A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling |
| title_fullStr | A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed | A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling |
| title_short | A critical analysis of soil (and water) conservation practices in the Ethiopian Highlands: implications for future research and modeling |
| title_sort | critical analysis of soil and water conservation practices in the ethiopian highlands implications for future research and modeling |
| topic | soil conservation water conservation highlands soil loss erosion sediment ecosystem services environmental monitoring land use crop yield modelling |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132480 |
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