Indigenous soil and water conservation techniques in smallholder farms in Africa.
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Date
2007
Authors
Danga, B. O.
Ben-Hur, M.
Wakindiki, I.I.C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Runoff and soil erosion are responsible for about 83% of the land degradation worldwide. Many smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid areas of Africa often use inexpensive indigenous soil and water conservation (ISWC) techniques to control runoff and erosion. This paper is a review of the ISWC methods and categorizes them into three: those suitable for semi-arid areas, those suitable for wet areas and those suitable for both semi-arid and wet areas. The usefulness of ISWC is generally appreciated but literature on the subject is scarce. A case study that investigated effects of 2-m spaced trash lines on runoff, erosion and crop yield in a cowpea – maize rotation is presented. Trash lines reduced runoff and soil loss and increased crop biomass yield three-fold. We conclude that ISWC like close-spaced trash lines are beneficial soil and water conservation methods and should be incorporated in future land resource conservation programmes
Description
Keywords
Land husbandry,, soil degradation, land rehabilitation, arid soils, Africa