Abstract
Background: - Land degradation is one of the major challenges in agricultural production Ethiopia. To combat the problem different Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) measures were introduced. Methods: - This research was conducted in the Masha Deniba micro-watershed, Dawuro Zone, Southern Ethiopia aimed to assess impact of stone bund conservation on soil properties. This study compared the effects of stone bund age along landscape positions. Surface soil sample from 17 farms were collected and analyzed for soil bulk density (BD), organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soil. Result:- Results showed that farms treated with stone bunds showed improvement in soil chemical properties. For most parameters, the peak was obtained from stone bunds having 10 years age. The non- conserved plots had the lowest soil nutrients contents. Lower topographic position had shown higher nutrients contents than farms in upper topographic position. Overall, OC, TN, S and B contents were low in the watershed. Conclusion: - From the finding we can conclude that stone bunds improved soil nutrient when compared to non-treated farm with the respect of age and landscape position. But constructing physical structures alone does not restore the soil fertility to the level that the crop is demanding. Thus, integration of physical conservation with agronomic and biological measures is highly recommended.
Identification and Prioritization of Major Agricultural Production and Productivity Constraints in the Case of Basketo Special District of Southern Ethiopia
