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Assignment 01

This document summarizes a review of watershed management challenges and solutions in Ethiopia. It outlines that watersheds are socio-political-ecological units that support livelihoods, and degradation is a serious risk to Ethiopia's agrarian economy. Major causes of degradation include weather, population pressure, poverty, and lack of awareness. Consequences include loss of water resources, livestock production, unemployment, rural-urban migration, and food insecurity. Ethiopia has implemented measures like community-based conservation, afforestation, and irrigation projects. Participatory watershed management is yielding positive results through new policies and long-term community involvement, which can improve living conditions.

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Praful N K
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45 views

Assignment 01

This document summarizes a review of watershed management challenges and solutions in Ethiopia. It outlines that watersheds are socio-political-ecological units that support livelihoods, and degradation is a serious risk to Ethiopia's agrarian economy. Major causes of degradation include weather, population pressure, poverty, and lack of awareness. Consequences include loss of water resources, livestock production, unemployment, rural-urban migration, and food insecurity. Ethiopia has implemented measures like community-based conservation, afforestation, and irrigation projects. Participatory watershed management is yielding positive results through new policies and long-term community involvement, which can improve living conditions.

Uploaded by

Praful N K
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ASSIGNMENT 01

COURSE: Modelling Watershed Processes for Water Resource


Management

NAME OF PARTICIPANT: PRAFUL N K


Watershed Management in Highlands of Ethiopia: A Review
Watershed is not only the hydrological unit it is also socio-political-ecological entity which
plays a decisive role in determining socio-economic security and it helps to support the
livelihood of the community. Since the economy of Ethiopia is agrarian in nature, the decline
in agricultural productivity adversely affects the economic growth of the country. Literatures
reveal that Ethiopian highlands are seriously eroded and becoming unsuitable to cultivation.
The objective of this study is to review the problems and solution of watershed in Ethiopia to
ameliorate the situation. The participatory watershed management approach started yielding
positive result when some of the shortcoming was removed through the instrument of new
policies. The long-term community based participatory watershed management could be an
appropriate vehicle for improvement of living conditions of rural communities

In recent years Ethiopia has had severe land degradation, soil erosion, and deforestation of
natural resources, desertification is a new normal in the country. The highlands constituting the
majority of land is currently under stress due to rising population pressure and their
conservative socioeconomic practices. Average soil loss from cultivated land varied from 21
to 42 t/ha/year. The magnitude soil loss in Ethiopian highland from different categories of land
use is estimated to be 1863.6 mt/year. Of this enormous soil loss, about 90% is deposited in the
valley and the remaining 10% is transported with water to Egypt.
The degradation of agricultural land in high mountains is a serious risk to food production
in Ethiopia. The following are the major reason for Land degradation: a] Weather Condition,
b] Population pressure, c] Poor infrastructure d] Poverty and e] Lack of awareness.

Consequence of Natural Resource Degradation:


Loss in water resource: The decrease in forest resources resulted in increased surface runoff
that silted up different water storage structures. As a result, there is shortage water even for
drinking by animal and human
Loss of livestock production: Natural resource degradation has aggravated both the quality
and quantity of livestock production due to shortage of fodder.
Unemployment and rural-urban migration: In the degraded areas, production of crop and
livestock is drastically reduced and the area is unable to support the population. The reduced
farm activities reduce the opportunity of farm employment therefore migration of rural people
to urban areas is increased.
Food insecurity and incidence of drought: More than 85% of Population is dependent on
agriculture. Degraded watersheds are unable to support the rural population causing food
insecurity under recurring drought situations.

Measures Taken to Control Degradation in Ethiopia


Starting from the 1970s and onward, huge areas have been taken under soil and water
conservation activities, and millions of indigenous tree species were planted, through
community participation covering huge areas by trees, forest and community woodlots. The
Food for work project funded by the World Food Program was implemented with the objectives
to employ a labour force of the farmers to participate into the plantation, soil and water
conservation activities in lieu of food grain and edible oil. In 1980-90, the government
implemented rehabilitation of natural resources in Ethiopia through watershed development
and management on pilot basis with the support of FAO. The project used the sub-watershed
as the unit area for planning and management involving the participation of local people. This
was the initial stage in the evolution of the participatory planning approach to watershed
development.
In 1991, the Ethiopian government designed a new economic policy based on Agricultural
Development-Led Industrialization. Natural resource conservation-based agriculture
development became the primary objectives of industries. Industries gave impetus to
improved watershed management adopting, different soil and water conservation practices,
and rehabilitation of watershed through afforestation, community woodlots development and
construction of micro and small scale irrigation projects. The Land tenure certification
encourages farmers to invest in long-term soil and water conservation activities, to obtain
credits, to adopt intensive farming practices and to make sustainable use of watershed lands
and manage soil erosion in fields.
The watershed management practices also played a crucial role in arresting runoff and helping
to reduce erosion hazard. In view of that at the pilot watershed level a total of 297 km hillside,
27,783 trenches, 446 m3 Gabion, 3167 m3 stone check dam, and 854 m3 sediment storage, 586
m3 gully rehabilitation/re-vegetation, 80 ha bund stabilization, 25 km construction of recharge
pits have been constructed over the degraded hillsides. Due to the positive impact of watershed
management practice, recently there are attitudinal changes within the community. And it is
facilitating role of the community-based watershed management organization, community
participate 30 - 40 percent free labour for watershed management practice in the country

Conclusion:
The participatory watershed management approach started yielding positive results. The
shortcoming was removed through the instrument of new policies and long-term community
based participatory watershed management could be an appropriate vehicle for improvement
of living conditions of rural communities.

References:
[1] T.Worku , S.Tripathi Bekele-Tesemma, “Watershed Management in Highlands of Ethiopia:
A Review”. OALib , Vol. 02(06), Pg.1-11, 2015.

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