Evaluation of physical soil and water conservation measures on technical standards in different agroecologies of central Gondar, Ethiopia

Ethiopian highlands have been identified as the most vulnerable areas to soil erosion. To curb the ongoing erosion of the soil, various conservation practices have been implemented through public mobilization. However, their technical standards have not been sufficiently studied according to national guidelines. This research aims to evaluate the technical standards of physical soil and water conservation (SWC) practices implemented in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. The study watersheds were purposively selected based on the presence of newly constructed SWC measures. Data were collected by field observations and direct measurements of SWC structures. The paired t-test was applied to compare whether the means of the measured and standard values are different or not. The results of the measured height (0.62–0.69 m) of the stone-faced soil bunds were significantly lower compared to the recommended height (0.85 m). Similarly, the ditch depth and width were significantly lower compared to the standards. While the check dam implemented in all studied watersheds was not applied according to the working guidelines, except for spacing. The depth of micro trenches (0.26–0.36 m) implemented in the studied watersheds was significantly shallower compared to the recommended dimension (0.50 m). The vertical interval of the hillside terrace was significantly wider (6.46 m) and was not applied according to the working guidelines (2.5 m). Generally, the results showed that many of the structural dimensions were not applied according to the recommended standards. Therefore, erosion control measures could be implemented according to the recommended specifications outlined in national working guidelines.