Abstract:
Land degradation is existing as a common environmental problem in Ethiopia. It was a major cause of
low and declining agricultural productivity and persistent food insecurity and rural poverty in the
country and particularly in the highlands of Ethiopia's Amhara region. There was limited information
on the impact of land degradation on farming household livelihoods in East Dembiya woreda in
particular Atiklit and Chilo-Salj Kebeles. The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of
land degradation on farming livelihoods in these Kebeles, East Dembiya Woreda. To carry out this
study, primary data were collected by means of a household survey. Secondary data was collected from
material such as published books and unpublished books. The data collected was analyzed using
descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency and percentage, and explanation were used to analyze
qualitative data. The survey data was collected from 143 sample participants with questioners. 79.7%
of the respondents were male, majority 32.2% of respondents aged 41-50 years old, family size were
with 3-4 being 28.7% of respondents, 51% can read and write. 83(58%) of the erosion was gully. gully
erosion, rill and sheet erosion were the main forms of soil erosion. The 90.2% of respondents indicated
that soil erosion in the study area had increased over time the soil fertility were decreased gradually.
Population 65 (45.5%) and deforestation 58 (40.6) were the main cause of land degradation. Therefore,
in the high pressure of population growth, deforestation was highly accelerated to land degradation in
the study area. The study findings confirmed that, land degradation affect agricultural productivities by
reducing soil fertility. Therefore, the impacts of land degradation include reduced soil fertility for a
reduction in crop and grazing productivity, as well as fuel wood and non-timber forest products, which
affect livelihoods. Sorghum 49 (34.3%) and Teff 45 (31.5%) were highly affected as result of land
degradation. The impacts of land degradation in the study area aggravated the decrease in productive
fertile soil, decrease in crop product, decrease in animal product, and loss of forest which seriously
affects farm household livelihoods consumption. In general, the results of the study recommended that
the government should establish an effective forest protection mechanism through public participation,
to inform each individual about the effectiveness of forest protection and to design an appropriate land
use policy and strategy to protect the land from degradation.
