Vol. 119 No. 2 (2025)
Research Papers

The impact of community-mobilized watershed management interventions on the spatiotemporal erosion patterns and implications: Community Engagement for Erosion Control and Sustainable Watershed Management

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  • Hailu Kendie Addis,
  • Temesegen Mulualem,
  • Beyene Belay,
  • Simegnew Tamir,
  • Shigdaf Mekuriaw,
  • Tadesse Birehanu,
  • Anteneh Tilahun,
  • Tilaye Teklewold,
  • Almaz Giziew Adugna,
  • Belete Anteneh,
  • Yismaw Wuletaw,
  • Esmelalem Mhiret,
  • Likawent Yeheyis,
  • Hailemariam Kefyalew,
  • Tesfaye Feyisa,
  • Menale Wondie,
  • Asmare Dejen
Hailu Kendie Addis
Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box. 527, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Temesegen Mulualem
Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture, PO Box. 437, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Beyene Belay
Bahir Dar University, Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Simegnew Tamir
Andassa Livestock Research Centre, Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Shigdaf Mekuriaw
Andassa Livestock Research Centre, Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Tadesse Birehanu
Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture, PO Box. 437, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Anteneh Tilahun
Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute, Amhara Region Agricultural Transformation Office, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Tilaye Teklewold
Stichting Wageningen Research (SWR) Ethiopia, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Addis Ababa, P. O. Box 88, Ethiopia
Almaz Giziew Adugna
Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture, PO Box. 437, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Belete Anteneh
Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute, Amhara Region Agricultural Transformation Office, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Yismaw Wuletaw
Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture, PO Box. 437, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Likawent Yeheyis
Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box. 527, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Hailemariam Kefyalew
Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture, PO Box. 437, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Tesfaye Feyisa
Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box. 527, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Menale Wondie
Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box. 527, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
Asmare Dejen
Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box. 527, Bahir Dar Ethiopia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/jaeid-17264

Published 2025-12-30

Keywords

  • Agroecology,
  • Amhara region,
  • soil and waters conservation,
  • slope class,
  • soil type

How to Cite

Addis, H. K., Mulualem, T., Belay, B., Tamir, S., Mekuriaw, S., Birehanu, T., Tilahun, A., Teklewold, T., Adugna, A. G., Anteneh, B., Wuletaw, Y., Mhiret, E., Yeheyis, L., Kefyalew, H., Feyisa, T., Wondie, M., & Dejen, A. (2025). The impact of community-mobilized watershed management interventions on the spatiotemporal erosion patterns and implications: Community Engagement for Erosion Control and Sustainable Watershed Management . Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development (JAEID), 119(2), 59–96. https://doi.org/10.36253/jaeid-17264

Copyright (c) 2025 Hailu Kendie Addis, Temesegen Mulualem, Beyene Belay, Simegnew Tamir, Shigdaf Mekuriaw, Tadesse Birehanu, Anteneh Tilahun, Tilaye Teklewold, Almaz Giziew Adugna, Belete Anteneh, Yismaw Wuletaw, Esmelalem Mhiret, Likawent Yeheyis, Hailemariam Kefyalew, Tesfaye Feyisa, Menale Wondie, Asmare Dejen

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

In the Amhara region of Ethiopia, severe soil erosion problems have been a persistent issue due to long-term human-related activities, intense rainfall events, and erosion-sensitive landscapes. The regional government initiated a campaign-based soil and water conservation (SWC) program in response to this pressing issue. A comprehensive soil erosion modeling study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. The findings show the positive impact of implementing community-based watershed management practices for combating erosion in the region. Specifically, the findings revealed a decline in soil loss from 22.67 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in 2014 to 20.75 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in 2022, indicating a reduction of 1.92 Mg ha-1 yr-1. This decline in soil loss in the region can be directly related to the successful implementation of community-mobilized SWC measures that have been in place since 2011. Despite this progress, it is still alarming to note that a significant 68.61% of the region is classified as high-risk, highlighting the pressing need for immediate action to address soil erosion. Upon examination of the distribution of soil loss across the region, it is evident that cropland, which makes up 39.73% of the total area, is responsible for a substantial 52.04% of the estimated soil loss. Among the 14 agroecology, the warm moist lowlands, tepid sub-moist mid-highlands, and tepid moist mid-highlands cover 48.65% of the total area and contribute a staggering 73.33% of the overall soil loss, underscoring the need for location-specific conservation efforts in these areas to mitigate further degradation.

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