ASSESSMENT OF LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO LIVELIHOODS AT HOUSEHOLD LEVEL: ACASE OF EDO SUB- WATERSHED WONDO GENET WORED SIDAMA ZONE SNNPR, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In Ethiopia land is a source of income and means of production on which the livelihood of 85 percent of the population depends. The study was undertaken in Edo sub-watershed Wondo Genet Woreda Sidama Region Ethiopia. The main objective of this study is to assess land management practices and its contributions to livelihoods at household level in the study area. For this study data were collected from 185households respondents from study area. The basic data used for this study were collected from sample households, focus group participants and key informants interview and field observation through structured questionnaire and semi-structured checklists. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic model were employed to investigate association between demographic, socio-economic and institution land management practices. The practiced land management in the study area include: manure application, traditional ditches, stone check dam, soil bund, sand bag check dam, tree planting, crop rotation, intercropping and mixed cropping for land management. Land management practices played a crucial role in arresting runoff, to improved wetlands to down stream and help to reduce erosion hazard. Land management practices had contribution to Environmental performance indicators like soil fertility, soil erosion and vegetation cover but not significant effect. Farmer application of land management practice could possibly be influenced by different factors. Among these factors most have significant association on the practice of management. Whereas other factors were no significant association on the land management practices. This includes age (P=0.034), sex (P=0.005*), marital status (P=0.000*), extension service (P= 0.002*), livestock (P=0.000*) and, educational status (P=0.040*) of household were significant factors in land management practices. However, family size (P=0.076**), farmer experience (0.849**), farm size (P=0.258**), farmer level of perception (P=0.675**) and income of household (P=0.222**) no significant factor on practicing land management in general. As a result, it is recommended that the woreda’s soil and water conservation experts should create awareness to the local people about land management and its contribution