Land degradation and its impact in the highlands of Ethiopia: Case study in Kutaber wereda, South wollo,Ethiopia

摘要

In Ethiopia, more than 85% of the populations are dependent on the agricultural economy. However, the productivity of that economy is being seriously eroded by unsustainable land management practices especially, the highland part of the country was highly exposed to erosion risk due to population booming, overgrazing and deforestation. This study aimed to characterize the nature and extent of land degradation and its impact on the highlands of Ethiopia specifically Kutaber woreda. Three kebeles werepurposefully selected from the Kutaber woreda. From these kebeles, 150 households were randomly selected and interviewed. All data that generated from the respondents of the selected kebeles (Haroye, Barkana and Beshilo) were analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics such both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study result showed that the average farm size of the sample households was 2.00 hectares. There was positive and statistically significant relation between family size and farmland holding significance level of 5% at and correlation coefficient of 0.280. Based on the finding of this study, it was estimated that about 250 million tons of soil was lost from the the wereda every year.