Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: A, , course: Soil and water conservation, language: English, abstract: The review focuses on the importance of soil and water conservation practices on soil properties in Ethiopia. The study conducted in various parts of the country showed that the implemented soil bund reduced annual runoff and soil loss at different rates. Soil and water conservation have improved the soil physicochemical properties on conserved cropland (BD, SMC, infiltration rate, clay content, pH, CEC, av. K, av. P, SOC and TN) than in the adjacent cropland without soil and water conservation measures. Soil and water conservation, reduce the removal of fertile topsoil and improves soil moisture, which favors crop growth as a result grain yield of the crops were increased at various rates based on agro ecology, crop type and local management practices. In general, the effect of constructed soil and water conservation had clearly showed positive impact on soil physicochemical properties and crop yields. Therefore, to reduce soil erosion sustainably, different soil and water conservation options should be introduced and used considering agro ecology, socio-economic profile and climatic condition of the intervention area. Soil erosion is one of the several major deteriorative processes which results in soil degradation and declining agricultural productivity in Ethiopia due to dense population, high livestock density and intensive crop production in the area. Soil and water conservation practice is one the mechanism used to reduce soil and associated nutrient loss; thus, reduce the risk of production. Efforts were started through soil and water conservation strategy at a large scale on farmland since the mid-1970 and 1980’s. However, soil erosion still persists and become major threats of the Ethiopian region.

To this day, the agricultural sector is pivotal to the Ethiopian economy. Smallholders constitute the foundation of Ethiopian agriculture. The Ethiopian subsistence agriculture is almost entirely rain-fed and with generally low yields. Soil erosion by water is a major threat to food security, environmental sustainability and prospects for rural development in the country. The desired impact of soil and water conservation measures is to eliminate or at least to reduce the effects of land degradation. The profitability of soil and water conservation (SWC) measures is an essential precondition for their adoption. Other factors are pushed to the back as long as a technology is not profitable. The objective of this research was to determine the economic efficiency of three different types of SWC technologies (soil bund, stone bund and Fanya Juu) in the watersheds of Debre Mewi and Anjenie in the Amhara regional state in North-Western Ethiopia. A farm household survey was carried out among 60 farmers in both watersheds. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was used to assess erosion risk on farmers’ fields. A Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) was carried out to determine profitability of the measures. Field observations and measurements as well as farmers’ estimates indicate that the actual implementation of SWC line interventions in Debre Mewi and Anjenie watersheds differs from official design recommendations. Erosion estimates of farmers’ fields suggest that adapted SWC structures were successful in reducing soil erosion. Apart from reducing the cultivable area, SWC measures require high initial labor investments. Under the current production system in Debre Mewi and Anjenie SWC line interventions seem not or hardly profitable for farmers unless farmers further intensify their production. Further adaptations to agricultural practices and SWC design and implementation might help to improve profitability of SWC measures and farm household incomes.