Assessment, Characterization, Identification and Prioritization of Major Constraints and Potentials of Three Selected Community Watersheds of Agarfa District, Bale Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

The severity of land degradation due to different socioeconomic and biophysical pressures is a key problem encountered in watersheds. In addition, the lack of research-based references to a given community watershed, particularly with regard to socioeconomic and biophysical aspects, leads to the failure of the interventions. This study aimed to assess and characterize the socioeconomic and biophysical conditions of three selected (Oda Chefo, Wabe Seada, and Oda Nagelle) Community Watersheds of the Agarfa District of Bale Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. Furthermore, it identifies and prioritizes constraints and opportunities for scientists, planners, intervention, impact analysis, and project performance evaluation. Communities' watersheds were selected and delineated, followed by household interviews, focus group discussions, and biophysical characterization to generate data. The study used a random sampling technique and a total of 121 sample sizes for socioeconomic data, watershed delineation, slope classification, soil type, and LULC classification map developed based on the preliminary outlet identified with the help of GPS reading and ArcGIS 10.5 software. The socioeconomic parameters were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. The result of the baseline survey identified key constraints such as soil erosion, soil fertility decline, deforestation and climate change, feed and fodder shortage, livestock disease, human disease, unemployment, food insecurity, water shortage, lack of credit access, market, road, cooperatives, high input price, pest and disease, yield decline and lack of irrigation access. The results revealed that the availability of the labor force, local market accessibility, transport services, informal farmer cooperatives, livestock clinics, youth and women associations, and informal intuitions are the main opportunities in selected community watersheds. In conclusion, baseline surveying before any watershed management practice intervention plays ....