Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology

Soil erosion is another menace that has continued to threaten agricultural sustainability in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. This research evaluated the perceptions of the farmers toward the soil erosion, reported the availability of the locally available biological soil and water conservation (SWC) resources, and measured their availability and suitability within agro-ecologies in Western Tigray. An integrated design was used that used 382 household surveys, six focus group discussions, and key informant interviews in six kebeles in the highland (Tsegedye), the midland (Welkait) and the lowland (Kafta Humera) districts. Findings showed that gully erosion (36.65) and sheet/rill erosion (33.2) were the leading erosions with cultivated lands being main victims (67.8%). There was great awareness (94.2) and adoption (87.4) to biological SWC practices by farmers. They sampled 15 grass species and 21 tree / shrub species that were of high to medium SWC potential. Analysis of statistical tests (ANOVA, LSD, CV%), revealed the significant difference (p<0.05) in the availability of species across agro-ecologies. Topaz/Gurswo (4.8+-0.12), Tehag (4.6+-0.15), and Ambelay (4.5+-0.14) were the high-priority grasses and Sagla (Ficus sycomorus, 4.5+-0.13) and Kenteb (Acacia senegal, 4.6+-0.14) were key trees. The reasons why adoption was limited were planting materials (78.3) and rivalry with crops (65.4). Findings support the concept of agro-ecology promotion of specific species that incorporate the knowledge of the natives in managing the land.