Understanding farmers’ participation and power dynamics in watershed development: Evidence from northwest Ethiopia

This study examines participation and power dynamics in Ethiopia's watershed development initiatives, addressing challenges such as population growth, land degradation, and resource scarcity. Focusing on six watersheds in the Amhara region, it compares community-led and project-supported approaches using a mixed-methods design, including surveys of 417 respondents, key informant interviews, and focus groups. Data analysis combined descriptive statistics, a participation index, and a probit model to assess participation levels, decision-making power, and socio-economic influences. The participation index revealed 20.1 % low (0.11–0.33), 52.3 % medium (0.34–0.67), and 20.6 % high (0.68–1.0) engagement, with significant variation across sites (χ 2 = 413.04, p ≤ 0.001). Qualitative findings indicated largely passive participation. Decision-making power was predominantly low (32 %) or medium (42.7 %), varying significantly across sites (χ 2 = 171.24, p ≤ 0.001). Project-supported watersheds followed a top-down approach emphasizing technical implementation, while community-led initiatives showed slight improvements in participation and local ownership. However, centralized decision-making remained prevalent in both cases. Key factors influencing participation included household characteristics, training access, perceptions of watershed development, proximity to training centers, market access, extension visits, and watershed administration type. The study recommends strengthening participatory approaches, local empowerment, and capacity-building programs to promote decentralized decision-making, equitable participation, and rural resilience. • Most respondents exhibited medium levels of passive participation in watershed development, while a smaller portion showed medium to high engagement. • Despite varying participation, decision-making in both community and project-supported watersheds remained centralized, with farmers having minimal influence. • Systemic issues such as top-down approaches, weak stakeholder linkages, and limited community ownership hinder active participation, especially for marginalized groups. • Foster accountability and equity to support active community involvement across watershed sites to achieve sustainable watershed development.