Land Preservation Uptakes in the Escarpments of North-Eastern Ethiopia: Drivers, Sustainability, and Constraints

Bichaye Tesfaye, Monica Lengoiboni, Jaap Zevenbergen and Belay Simane
Additional contact information
Bichaye Tesfaye: Center for Food Security Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1176, Ethiopia
Monica Lengoiboni: Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management, University of Twente, 7514 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
Jaap Zevenbergen: Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management, University of Twente, 7514 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
Belay Simane: Center for Environment and Sustainable Development, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1176, Ethiopia

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-27

Abstract: Agricultural land is an indispensable resource for agrarian communities worldwide. There is a growing awareness that the world’s arable land supplies are limited and finite. For the last five decades, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and other development organisations have carried out land preservation uptakes intended to curb the effects of land degradation and improve agricultural productivity through various soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs). The study assessed the sustainability, drivers, and constraints of SWCPs in Dessie Zuria and Kutaber Woredas of South Wollo. We used the exploratory case study approach, involving qualitative and quantitative methods. Catastrophic weather conditions, the presence of the soil and water conservation program, and declining soil fertility were the top drivers influencing the program’s implementation. Based on the identified farm-level indicators and views of the respondents, physical measures were more sustainable than biological and mixed methods. The prominent factors hurdling the intervention were lack of tenure security, risk of rodent infestation, and losing a sense of ownership. Training community members on the importance of land preservation, amending the existing rigid land tenure policy, incorporating indigenous SWCPs, broadening the scale and extent of community participation, and enforcing laws and bylaws are recommended for the upcoming interventions. The finding has implications for land preservation and food security actors working to scale up evidence-based sustainable land management practices to the broader area.

Keywords: land preservation; sustainability; drivers; constraints; tenure security; Dessie Zurai; Kutaber; community participation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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