Farmers’ preferences and physical effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in the east african highlands
| dc.contributor.author | Tenge, A.J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Sterk, G. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Okoba, B. O. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-30T06:25:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-30T06:25:54Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2011 | |
| dc.description | Full text article, Also available at URL: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Geert-Sterk/publication/284514792_Farmers'_preferences_and_physical_effectiveness_of_soil_and_water_conservation_measures_in_the_East_African_Highlands/links/57e5070508ae22a8914cb99f/Farmers-preferences-and-physical-effectiveness-of-soil-and-water-conservation-measures-in-the-East-African-Highlands.pdf | |
| dc.description.abstract | Soil erosion by water is a serious threat to sustainable agricultural production in the East African Highlands. Despite the severity of the soil erosion problem, there is not much quantitative information on the effectiveness of the recommended soil and water conservation (SWC) measures, rendering their planning and adoption difficult. This study was conducted in Kwalei catchment Tanzania to assess the physical effectiveness of bench terraces, grass strips and fanya juu terraces, which are the most important SWC measures used in the East African Highlands. Additional information was collected from Gikuuri catchment in Kenya. Trench ditches (at Gikuuri) and runoff plots (at Kwalei) were used to assess the physical effectiveness, while interviews and group discussions were used to obtain farmers' reasons for preferences of certain SWC measures. The results obtained showed significant effects of the tested SWC measures. Surface runoff and soil loss generally decreased, while soil moisture retention and crop yields improved due to the SWC measures. Fanya juu terraces are the most effective measure in reducing soil and water losses followed by bench terraces and grass strips. However, bench terraces retained more soil moisture and increased maize and bean yields than fanya juu and grass strips. Apart from bio-physical criteria to evaluate SWC measures, farmers have other criteria, which depend on their social and economic situations. Important farmers’ criteria are provision of fodder, fertility improvement and low costs for implementation. To facilitate adoption of SWC measures there is a need for consideration and integration of farmers’ criteria into the planning and design of SWC measures, and implementation of SWC activities. Further research work is recommended for identifying economically feasible SWC measures under different biophysical and socio-economic conditions. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Tenge, A. J., Sterk, G., & Okoba, B. O. (2011). Farmers’ preferences and physical effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in the East African Highlands. Journal of Social Sciences, 2(1), 84-100. | |
| dc.identifier.other | URL: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Geert-Sterk/publication/284514792_Farmers'_preferences_and_physical_effectiveness_of_soil_and_water_conservation_measures_in_the_East_African_Highlands/links/57e5070508ae22a8914cb99f/Farmers-preferences-and-physical-effectiveness-of-soil-and-water-conservation-measures-in-the-East-African-Highlands.pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://repository.udom.ac.tz/handle/20.500.12661/4503 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | JSS | |
| dc.subject | Soil erosion | |
| dc.subject | soil and water conservation | |
| dc.subject | physical effectiveness | |
| dc.subject | farmer preference | |
| dc.subject | East African highland | |
| dc.subject | Kenya | |
| dc.subject | Tanzania | |
| dc.subject | Agriculture production | |
| dc.subject | Soil conservation | |
| dc.subject | Water conservation | |
| dc.title | Farmers’ preferences and physical effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in the east african highlands | |
| dc.type | Article |