IMPACTS OF LAND DEGRADATION ON CROP PRODUCTION: A CASE OF CHILGA WOREDA, CENTRAL GONDAR ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE, AMHARA REGION

Abstract

In our country, Ethiopia land degradation is a great problem that threatens the life of the people in rural areas. In fact, this study was aimed to investigate the impact of land degradation on the crop production of rural communities in Chilga Woreda. The study Woreda was selected purposively based on the researcher’s prior knowledge, and simple random sampling technique in the selection of sample households with a total of 4,034 households. The selection of the sample kebele was done based on agro ecological zones Kola (Kushayna kebele) and Woina Dega (Mirt Amba and Laza Shumgie kebele). On the other hand, the secondary data concerning the long term recorded temperature and precipitation for 25 years was obtained from Amhara meteorological station in addition to land sat satellite imageries. It was analyzed using descriptive statistics mainly percentage, frequency, binary logistic regression, ranking index and rule model was employed. The result of soil degradation showed that annual soil loss of 0 to 191.14 t ha_1 y_1 with average annual soil loss for the study area was estimated at 39 t ha_1 y_1, and the Severe soil erosion covers only 22.68 % of the entire Woreda whereas severity very high and high soil erosion severity also accounts about 3.12% and 12.16 respectively from the entire Woreda, and medium soil erosion also contributed as 11.33 %. In the study area the major causes of land degradation was man-made which accounts are (51%) from the total coverage by over grazing (19 %), weak tillage (17%), deforestation (10 %) and population pressure (5%). The impact of land degradation on crop production is very danger and challenging in the study area, and all the respondents in Chilga Woreda agreed that the impact of land degradation. The independent variables of family size, educational level, land use, status of over grazing, slope, land security, land size, distance of the plot from the residence, were significant at 95 level of confidence positively in other hands the dependent variable market distance status of soil fertility status of improved soil water conservation were also significant negatively at 95% level of confidence. The researcher recommends the practice of community based watershed management in degraded areas to minimize the cause of land degradation by assuming socio economic characteristics of the local community.