Soil and Water Conservation Nexus Agricultural Productivity in Ethiopia

Abstract

Soil and water conservation practices contribute to long-term agricultural sustainability and sustainable agriculture. This review examines the primary agronomic practices and their role in soil and water conservation. The review revealed that Ethiopia's significant agronomic soil and water conservation practices are strip cropping, mixed cropping, intercropping, fallowing, mulching, contour plowing, crop rotation, preservation of tillage, and agroforestry. A significant difference was found between conserved and nonconserved land in terms of soil chemical and physical properties, soil organic matter, total N, available phosphorous (P), bulk density, infiltration rate, and soil texture. The non-conserved land had lower soil organic matter, total N, and infiltration rate with higher bulk density, clay content, and available P. Soil organic matter content positively correlated with infiltration rate and total N, and it negatively correlated with soil bulk density. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) positively correlated with soil pH and available P. The undulating lands were moderately suitable for rain fed agriculture. The plant canopies, litter, and mulching intercept rain by decreasing the amount, intensity, and spatial distribution of the precipitation reaching the soil surface, protecting the soil surface from the direct impact of raindrops that can cause splash and sheet erosion. In soil and water conservation, this practice is higher than others because crops and leguminous woody perennials improve and enrich soil conditions through atmospheric nitrogen fixation, organic matter through litterfall and dead and decaying roots, nutrient cycles, modification of soil porosity, and contribution to infiltration rates. It also relieves and maintains salinity, alkalinity, acid, and water retention problems. To increase the water table and increase soil moisture, water conservation is based on trapping as much of this water as possible and storing it on the surface (intanks) or allowing it to sink into the soil. Even where storage pans are dug, they are small and cannot keep the premises afloat when the drought lasts for days, as they have done recently. It is strongly recommended that the productivity of soil and water conservation measures is promoted through an integrated approach in which farmers are intensively involved in every implementation stage.