Role of Soil Conservation Measures on Soil and Crop Productivity

Soil erosion is a critical problem in Ethiopia and leave larger area of lands severely degraded. Erosion causes deterioration in soil chemical and physical properties making the land very less productive. Physical soil and water conservation structures that are implemented as a counter measure for erosion hazard are subjected to frequent damage requiring regular maintenance to sustain them on field for extended periods. Destruction to the physical structures is mostly due to wrong engineering design and construction, trampling by animals, and damage by plowing implements during cultivation. Overcoming these frequent damage demands the stabilization of the soil conservation structures with vegetative measures. The vegetative measures on soil bund serve as barriers to retard soil erosion and help to stabilize the structures and improve the soil fertility condition ultimately enhancing land's productivity. This book investigates the role of soil and water conservation structures that are stabilized with vegetative measures on soil properties and crop yield and thus is of great value for college and university students, researchers and development workers in the field of agriculture.