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Soil erosion assessment in Ethiopia: A review

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/12036/
https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2022.00002
 
Title Soil erosion assessment in Ethiopia: A review
 
Creator Tamene, L
Abera, W
Demissie, B
Desta, G
Woldearegay, K
Mekonnen, K
 
Subject Soil
Ethiopia
 
Description Soil erosion is a critical problem affecting rural livelihoods in Ethiopia. Large
numbers of studies have been undertaken to identify critical areas of soil loss and prioritize
conservation options. With the advancement of geospatial analysis techniques, the use of spatially
distributed soil erosion assessment options has become increasingly common. The lack
of database and documentation related to soil erosion assessment undermines coordination
leading to duplication of efforts and in some instances generating contradictory results. The
purpose of this study is to (1) review existing knowledge related to the extent and spatial
distribution of soil erosion, (2) document the associated methods employed to assess soil erosion,
and (3) assess the spatio-temporal dynamics of soil erosion and the determinant factors
in Ethiopia. The review shows that there are about 170 peer-reviewed papers published in
scientific journals related to soil erosion in Ethiopia. In those scientific articles, 15 different
approaches were used to assess soil loss and sediment yield at different scales. Considering
the data set, soil loss rate in Ethiopia varies between 0 and 220 t ha–1 y–1, and sediment yield
ranges between 2 and 70 t ha–1 y–1. Based on the database, the national average gross soil erosion
rate is estimated to be 38 t ha–1 y–1, while the net sediment yield is about 26 t ha–1 y–1.
Generally, the observed gross soil loss is slightly lower than the mean value from cultivated
lands reported in previous estimates (42 t ha–1 y–1) by Hurni (1993). The estimate made using
the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation gives the highest soil loss (51 t ha–1 y–1), while that
based on field-survey approaches gives the lowest (20 t ha–1 y–1). The highest average net soil
loss rate (40 t ha–1 y–1) is obtained using plot-level measurements, while the lowest (18 t ha–1
y–1) is obtained using the AGricultural Non-Point Source pollution model. The highest average
soil erosion rate is observed in the moist agro-ecological zone (57 ± 7.8 t ha–1 y–1), while
the lowest is obtained in the submoist (23.6 ± 2.7 t ha–1 y–1) following the arid zone (28.8
± 6.5 t ha–1 y–1). The wide range of soil erosion estimates imply spatio-temporal dynamics of
soil erosion in the country, which is mainly a reflection of heterogeneity of the various sites,
mainly associated with different values of cover and management factors. Such knowledge
can enable making informed conservation decisions by focusing on critical hotspots.
 
Publisher Soil Water Conservation Society
 
Date 2022-03
 
Type Article
NonPeerReviewed
 
Identifier Tamene, L and Abera, W and Demissie, B and Desta, G and Woldearegay, K and Mekonnen, K (2022) Soil erosion assessment in Ethiopia: A review. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 77 (2). pp. 144-157. ISSN 1941-3300