Assessment of Farmers' Perception of Soil Erosion and Their Attitude Towards Soil Conservation Measures: The Case of Anilemo District, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Soil erosion is becoming one of the most serious problems affecting the well-being of human beings and disturbing environmental sustainability. To minimize soil erosion problems, soil and water conservation practices have extensively been introduced for the last decades. However, the sustainability of the measures has been under question and often the outcome was not as expected. The objective of this study was to assess farmers' perception of soil erosion and their attitude towards conservation measures. The study was carried out with a sample of 140 households from three kebeles administrations using simple random sampling techniques. Relevant data were collected through a questionnaire survey, observation, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics with appropriate statistical tests and a binary logistic regression model were used to analyze the collected data. The results show that the majority of respondents (93.5%) were aware of and perceived soil erosion and its hazards on their farms. Farmers' perception of causes of erosion identified absence or weak soil and water conservation practices, lack of capital to use soil and water conservation measure technologies, and deforestation to satisfy fuel and farmland demands as the major causes. The major soil conservation methods implemented by farmers in the study area were soil bund, contour plowing, fanya juu, and cut-off drains. The binary logit model showed that age, education, slope, income, and training significantly influenced farmers' perceptions of soil erosion. Policy makers need to take into consideration these factors to design effective soil and water conservation interventions. JEL Classification: Q24, Q15, Q57