Impact of Improved Physical Structures on Rural Farmers’ Annual Crop Yield: The Case of Wonago District, South Ethiopia

<i>Background:</i> Ethiopia is the largest among the horn of African countries which has suffered from deforestation, land degradation, soil erosion, weak land management, low standard of constructed physical structures, unskilled human power and insufficient agricultural productivity problems caused due to anthropogenic activities.. Even though the government of Ethiopia launched an ambitious program of soil and water conservation efforts supported by donors since the 1973, the results of the effort are not as expected, the reaction undertaken to overcome has remained too weak, local communities are still under food insecurity and the problems are continued as a critical constraint for the country. <i>Objective:</i> This study, therefore, aims to examine the impact of improved physical structures on crop yield and household’s annual income based on the data of 2023 and 2024 harvest years. <i>Method: </i>The data was collected from a survey of 252 total household head farmers of which 132 were improved soil and water conservation structure users while 130 were non-users. Household head respondents were selected using simple random sampling techniques. The statistical data were analyzed using chi-square, t-test and SPSS 20 software. Focus group discussion, key informant interview and personal observation were also held to gather qualitative data. <i>The key finding:</i> The finding showed that adoption of improved physical structures has a significant contribution in crop yield and farmers’ annual income. About 66.6% of the implemented physical structures were found to be below the recommended standard. <i>Conclusion:</i> overall, the study concludes that adoption of improved physical soil and water conservation structures should be expanded and continued in the study area.