Abstract:
The Ethiopian economy has its foundation in the agricultural sector. However, the sector continues
to be undermined by land degradation. The objective of this study was to examine the major
features of land degradation and management practices. A total of 329 sample households for
questionnaire and 6 key informants and 9 participants for FGD were used. Satellite images of
1985, 2000 and 2017 were also used to generate data on land/use cover changes. The case was
investigated through mixed method particularly triangulation approach while utilizing both
qualitative and quantitative data types generated from both primary and secondary sources. The
overall collected data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics: cross tabs,
figures and chi-square. The change in land use/cover shows that from the total land use/cover
conversions 20,069 ha of land was converted of these; settlement and farm lands gain 6,643 ha
and13,424 ha respectively. Grass land, wood , shrub lands and forest land were losses of 3,073 ha
,13,496 ha and 3,473 ha within the study time planned. The study further identifies major land
management practices in the study area: terracing. crop rotation, manure use(compost) ; cover
cropping, strip cropping, agro-forestry and rehabilitation of gullies through traditional terraces,
traditional contour ploughing and check dams. Results of Correlation and regression Coefficient
shows that land management practices have a significant association with parts of sociodemographic
variables of population such as: age, sex, marital status and educational level of the
household heads. The study also reveals that as population number increases the land management
practices farmer’s uses also increases in quantity. Therefore any environmental rehabilitation and
land management options should take considerations of population socio-economic factors.
