The Implications of Changes in Population, Land Use, and Land Management for Surface Runoff in the Upper Nile Basin Area of Ethiopia

Hurni, Hans; Tato, Kebede; Zeleke, Gete

doi:10.1659/0276-4741(2005)025[0147:tiocip]2.0.co;2

Cited by 306 publications

(232 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Shiferaw [72] stated the reasons for changes in land use/cover were natural factors such as drought and climate change as well as human driving factors such as population growth, over intensification of farm sizes [76], and land tenure policies [77,78]. Zeleke et al [12] indicated an age-old tradition of clearing increasingly steeper land for cultivation and lack of appropriate land use policies, as reasons land use changes threatening soil degradation in North western Ethiopian highlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics in the Koga Catchment, Ethiopia, from Multi-Scale Data, and Implications for Environmental Change

Yeshaneh

Wagner

Exner-Kittridge

et al. 2013

IJGI

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This study analyzed more than 50 years of land cover and land use changes in the 260 km 2 Koga catchment in North Western Ethiopia. The data used includes 1:50,000 scale aerial photographs, Landsat MSS, TM and ETM images, and ASTER images together with ground truth data collected through field surveys and community elders' interviews. Aerial photographs have high spatial resolution but provide lower spectral resolution than satellite data. While most land use/cover change studies compare changes from different spatial scales, this study applied land use/cover classification techniques to bring the data to a relatively similar scale. The data revealed that woody vegetation decreased from 5,576 ha to 3,012 ha from the 1950s to 2010. Most of the deforestation took place between the 1970s and 1980s, but there is an increasing trend since then. No significant changes were observed in the area used for agriculture that comprises the pastures and crop fields since the 1950s, while there is an enormous increase in the area used for settlement, due to a tremendous increase in population from one point in time to another. The bare lands that used to exist in previous years were found to be totally covered with other land cover/use classes and no bare lands were observed in the study area in the year 2010. Population pressure and land use policies were found to be reasons for the changes in land use/cover while soil degradation,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics in the Koga Catchment, Ethiopia, from Multi-Scale Data, and Implications for Environmental Change

Yeshaneh

Wagner

Exner-Kittridge

et al. 2013

IJGI

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“…Sustainable agricultural practices are challenged by severe soil erosion, as it reduces on-farm soil productivity and causes food insecurity (Sonneveld et al, 2003;Moges and Holden, 2006;Bewket, 2007). In most developing countries, including Ethiopia, anthropogenic activities trigger soil erosion (Belyaev et al, 2004;Hurni et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating soil erosion risk and evaluating erosion control measures for soil conservation planning at Koga watershed in the highlands of Ethiopia

Molla¹,

Sisheber²

2017

Solid Earth

140

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Abstract. Soil erosion is one of the major factors affecting sustainability of agricultural production in Ethiopia. The objective of this paper is to estimate soil erosion using the universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model and to evaluate soil conservation practices in a data-scarce watershed region. For this purpose, soil data, rainfall, erosion control practices, satellite images and topographic maps were collected to determine the RUSLE factors. In addition, measurements of randomly selected soil and water conservation structures were done at three sub-watersheds (Asanat, Debreyakob and Rim). This study was conducted in Koga watershed at upper part of the Blue Nile basin which is affected by high soil erosion rates. The area is characterized by undulating topography caused by intensive agricultural practices with poor soil conservation practices. The soil loss rates were determined and conservation strategies have been evaluated under different slope classes and land uses. The results showed that the watershed is affected by high soil erosion rates (on average 42 t ha −1 yr −1 ), greater than the maximum tolerable soil loss (18 t ha −1 yr −1 ). The highest soil loss (456 t ha −1 yr −1 ) estimated from the upper watershed occurred on cultivated lands of steep slopes. As a result, soil erosion is mainly aggravated by land-use conflicts and topographic factors and the rugged topographic land forms of the area. The study also demonstrated that the contribution of existing soil conservation structures to erosion control is very small due to incorrect design and poor management. About 35 % out of the existing structures can reduce soil loss significantly since they were constructed correctly. Most of the existing structures were demolished due to the sediment overload, vulnerability to livestock damage and intense rainfall. Therefore, appropriate and standardized soil and water conservation measures for different erosion-prone land uses and land forms need to be implemented in Koga watershed.

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“…1), the basin covers an area of 199,812 km 2 with significant contribution of runoff and fertile highland soil to Sudan and Egypt in the downstream. Biophysical and anthropogenic factors combined with torrential runoffs in the rugged highlands in the basin are causing considerable land degradation and soil erosion in the upstream, whereas deforestation is a major concern in the mid/low lands of the basin (Hurni et al 2005;Gebrehiwot et al 2014). Torrential runoff washing off the rugged terrains, poor land-use management has been reported as a cause for gully formation, soil erosion and land degradation threaten the livelihood of subsistence farmers Yalew et al 2012;Tekleab et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land suitability analysis for agriculture in the Abbay basin using remote sensing, GIS and AHP techniques

Yalew

Griensven

Mul

et al. 2016

Model. Earth Syst. Environ.

140

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To meet growing population demands for food and other agricultural commodities, agricultural land-use intensification and extensification seems to be increasing in the Abbay (Upper Blue Nile) basin in Ethiopia. However, the amount, location and degree of suitability of the basin for agriculture seem not well studied and/or documented. From global data sources, literature review and field investigation, a number of agricultural land suitability evaluation criteria were identified. These criteria were preprocessed as raster layers on a GIS platform and weights of criteria raster layers in determining suitability were computed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A weighted overlay analysis method was used to compute categories of highly suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable and unsuitable lands for agriculture in the basin. It was found out that 53.8 % of the basin's land coverage was highly suitable for agriculture and 23.2 % was moderately suitable. The marginally suitable and the unsuitable lands were at 11 and 12 % respectively. From the analysis, regions of the basin with high suitability as well as those with higher susceptibility for land degradation and soil erosion were identified.

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The Implications of Changes in Population, Land Use, and Land Management for Surface Runoff in the Upper Nile Basin Area of Ethiopia

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 306 publications

References 5 publications

Identifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics in the Koga Catchment, Ethiopia, from Multi-Scale Data, and Implications for Environmental Change

Identifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics in the Koga Catchment, Ethiopia, from Multi-Scale Data, and Implications for Environmental Change

Estimating soil erosion risk and evaluating erosion control measures for soil conservation planning at Koga watershed in the highlands of Ethiopia

Land suitability analysis for agriculture in the Abbay basin using remote sensing, GIS and AHP techniques

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