LAND DEGRADATION AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN HARARGHE HIGHLANDS : A CASE STUDY OF KERSA WOREDA, EAST HARARGHE ZONE , OROMIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

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.