A participatory soil quality assessment in Northern Ethiopia's Mai-Negus catchment

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

TESFAHUNEGN, G.B.

Center for Development Research (ZEF), Univ., Bonn, Allemagne

Fac. of Agriculture and Rural Development, Univ., Aksum, Ethiopie

TAMENE, L.

International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, Lilongwe, Malawi

VLEK, P.L.G.

Center for Development Research (ZEF), Univ., Bonn, Allemagne

Description :
This paper presents experiences of local communities in diagnosis of soil quality (SQ) and assesses the contribution of local knowledge as a strategy for sustainable development decision making within the Mai-Negus catchment of northern Ethiopia. Participatory transect-walks, group discussions and field observation which complemented by household interview were used to acquire data. Farmers identified SQ indicators e.g., crop yield, soil depth, erosion and sedimentation as their basis of categorizing the soils into high, medium and low SQ. They were also able to identify severely degraded areas (hotspots) and underlying causes. Local farmers involved in this study demonstrated their capability to suggest appropriate land management solutions for specific problems.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2011, vol. 86, n°. 1, p. 1-13, nombre de pages : 13, Références bibliographiques : 39 ref.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena

Langue :
Anglais