Abstract:
Soil erosion is one of the major factors leading to land degradation that affect the
sustainability of agricultural production in Ethiopia. The study was done in Ginaberet
watershed located in Basonawerana district, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. The purpose of the
study was to analyze the dynamics of soil physical properties through erosion and
conservation processes in selected relatively conserved and non-conserved areas with three replications. Besides, farmers’ perception towards erosion problems and conservation were
analyzed. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) under ArcGIS environment was
used to predict the spatial soil loss rate. Maps of the five parameters in RUSLE, i.e., rainfall
erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), Land use/cover (C), topography (LS) and conservation
practices (P) were overlaid. Armour layer measurement was also used to estimate annual soil
loss and the result was compared with the RUSLE. Based on the RUSLE analysis, the mean
annual soil loss potential of the conserved area was 25.59 tons/ha/yr and the non-conserved
area was 30.92 tons/ha/yr. The mean value obtained from armour layer measurement method
was 44.9tons/ha/yr on conserved site and 58.98 tons/ha/yr on non-conserved areas. Farmers'
perception was positive towards the problem and solutions of erosion matching with the
estimated soil losses. Soil physical properties were analyzed by ANOVA using SAS (9.4
version) software and comparing with LSD, but there was no statistically significant
difference in the two treatments. This result is attributed to the relatively shorter (5-7 years)
duration of erosion and conservation response. The study indicated that the soil loss in both
treatments cannot be tolerated. Therefore, critical effort to reduce soil erosion is mandatory.
Moreover, researchers should focus on the extent of years of conservation and erosion that
can significantly affect the changes in the physical properties of soils.
