Assessment of watershed management practices in Anisa Chokare watershed of Southern Ethiopia

Watershed management initiatives in Ethiopia were launched in the 1970s to improve soil and water conservation through institutional action. However, persistent inconsistencies between implementation and established standards have hampered these efforts. Therefore, this study asses the current status of watershed managements using a mixed-methods approach. Random Sampling was employed for household survey while purposive sampling guided the selection of study sites, key informants, and focus group participants. Data were collected through field observation, interviews and discussions, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, qualitative analysis and binary logit model. This finding revealed varied perceptions of effectiveness; 40% of respondents considered the intervention effective, 28% viewed them as ineffective and 32% were uncertain. Community engagement in planning and management activities showed inconsistent participation levels, reflecting a gap in local knowledge integration. Monitoring practice were generally weak, despite some satisfaction with periodic evaluation. Structural assessments indicated that 33% of conservation structures were below the standard, 31% met the standard and 46% exceeded it. The binary logit analysis identified several significant factors influencing participation in watershed management, including age, technology use, frequency of participation, family size, education level, farm size and water quality (p < 0.05). In contrast, variable such as stakeholder preferences, institutional communication credit access, land tenure security, and gender were not statistically significant. Therefore, policy efforts should prioritize improving structural monitoring systems, institutionalizing inclusive community participation, and designing targeted engagement strategies based on the key drivers of participation to enhance the sustainability and impact of watershed management programs in Ethiopia.