Systematic review and evidence synthesis on adoption challenges of physical soil and water conservation measures in Ethiopia

Land management such as physical soil and water conservation (PSWC) is meant to improve and sustain environmental quality, crop yield and biomass production. In Ethiopia, soil/stone bunds, fanya juu , and terraces are implemented on cultivated lands across the country through Government-led schemes. Management of these measures is fundamental to enhance effectiveness and sustainable use, particularly in the face of severe erosion and changing climate. This systematic review has synthesized results of 108 studies that focused on perception, participation, adoption, willingness to pay and sustainable use of PSWC measures in Ethiopia. On average, in Ethiopia, about 83% of farmers’ perceived moderate-severe soil erosion. On the other hand, the low adoption and participation implied that perception of severe soil erosion may not necessarily drive farmers’ participation and adoption of PSWC measure. Among 35 determinant factors reviewed in the studies, majority are non-significantly associated to adoption. In several watersheds, since PSWC measures are introduced through incentivized schemes or public campaigns, willingness to pay, particularly in terms of money, is limited. This might be associated to economic status of smallholders, low immediate benefit of the PSWC measures, and farmers’ dependency mind-set. Accordingly, in areas where implementations of the PSWC measures are based on incentives, repairing of the already implemented PSWC measure and the construction of new ones using households’ labor is inadequate. Thus, to bring the PSWC measure into integral part of the farming system, institution and policy backings are critical.