Articles | Volume 10, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-637-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-637-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Gully rehabilitation in southern Ethiopia – value and impacts for farmers
Wolde Mekuria
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Nile Basin and East Africa Office, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Euan Phimister
Business School, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
Stellenbosch Business School, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Getahun Yakob
Southern Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 6, Hawassa, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State, Ethiopia
Desalegn Tegegne
International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Nile Basin and East Africa Office, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Awdenegest Moges
Agricultural engineering, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 5, Hawassa, Ethiopia
Yitna Tesfaye
Agricultural engineering, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 5, Hawassa, Ethiopia
Dagmawi Melaku
International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Nile Basin and East Africa Office, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Charlene Gerber
Stellenbosch Business School, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Paul D. Hallett
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
Jo U. Smith
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
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Planting trees on farmlands is now considered as one of the potential solutions to climate change. Trees can suck CO2 out of our atmosphere and store it in their trunks and in the soil beneath them. They can promote biodiversity, protect against soil erosion and drought. They can even help reduce flood risk for downstream communities. But we need models that can tell us the likely impact of trees at different locations and scales. Our study provides such a model.
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Short summary
In Ethiopia, we studied (a) the effectiveness of low-cost gully rehabilitation measures in reducing soil loss and upward expansion of gully heads and (b) how farmers and communities view gully interventions. The tested low-cost gully rehabilitation measures were effective in mitigating the upward expansion of gully heads and in reducing soil loss. Farmers also perceive success, but scaling-out can be constrained by diverse challenges.
In Ethiopia, we studied (a) the effectiveness of low-cost gully rehabilitation measures in...