ASESSMENT OF EXISTING ALONG THE SLOPE PLOUGHING PRACTICE AND ITs IMPACTS ON SOIL EROSION AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY, THE CASE OF GUANGUA DISTRICT, AWI ZONE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess along the slope ploughing practices and its impacts on soil erosion and crop productivity. Until recently, traditional up and down ploughing and row planting farming practice problems for soil erosion and crop productivity have no attention by concerned bodies. Primary and secondary data collection technique was used. The sampling technique employed in this study was simple random sampling and purposively sampling to select 138 household heads and three sample kebeles. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Among the most common traditional farming practices in the study area this thesis focused on along the slope ploughing, row planting and land residue laid line on cultivated farm plots. The study showed that factors such as; slope of the farm, education status of households, scattered land plots, frequency of ploughing, perception of farmers on along the slope farming, DA and SWC expert extension service provision, lack of awareness, etc; are influence the practices of traditional inappropriate farming techniques. The findings of the study suggest that for appropriate farming practices inter-household farming practices should be considered in giving attention regarding the appropriate farming practices. Thus, the recommendations which are found to be of most important from the finding of the study include: Intensive appropriate farming training and promotion of farmers training should be given due to attention to strengthen its institutional capacity: integrating the promotion of yield enhancing inputs together with contour farming practices: any concerned body Should disseminate education to the whole farmers about the introduced traditional important farming techniques: the district agricultural and other sector officers, local administrative leaders and farmers should drown rules and regulations that govern farmers to ignore inappropriate farming practice.