Biophysical and financial impacts of community-based gully rehabilitation in the Birr Watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Authors: AYELE, GETANEH - Bahir Dar University; GESSESS, AZALU - Bahir Dar University; ADDISIE, MESERET - Bahir Dar University; TILAHUN, SEIFU - Bahir Dar University; TIBEBU, TIGIST - Cornell University; TENESSA, DAREGOT - Bahir Dar University; Langendoen, Eddy; NICHOLSON, CHARLES - Pennsylvania State University; STEENHUIS, TAMMO - Cornell University

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2014
Publication Date: 5/16/2014
Citation: Ayele, G.K., Gessess, A.A., Addisie, M.B., Tilahun, S.A., Tibebu, T.Y., Tenessa, D.B., Langendoen, E.J., Nicholson, C.F., Steenhuis, T.S. 2014. Biophysical and financial impacts of community-based gully rehabilitation in the Birr Watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. In: Proceedings 2nd International Conference on the Advancement of Science and Technology (ICAST-2014), May 16-17, 2014, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. pp. 193-199.

Interpretive Summary: Though the number and acreage of conservation measures is increasing, gully erosion in northern Ethiopia remains a major cause of land degradation and is becoming more severe. Unfortunately, community participation in planning these conservation measures is very limited and farmers are very reluctant to try out new conservation measures. Scientists at the USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory in collaboration with researchers at Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia), Cornell University and Penn State University have initiated a community participatory gully rehabilitation project conducted in the Birr watershed located south of Lake Tana, Ethiopia. The planning and design of the project consisted of discussions with the religious leaders and local respected elders, followed by meetings with local village farmers about approaches to rehabilitate the gully. A consensus was reached to rehabilitate a 0.71 ha upland gully that was advancing into the grazing land in the middle of a village consisting of twenty two farming families. The twenty two farmers of the community and surrounding farmers came to the agreement that each would contribute labor and wood to fence for the protection of the gully and share equally the grass at the end of the rainy season. The rehabilitation measures were cutting the gully head at 450 and constructing check dam from locally available materials; soil, stone and wood; in addition grass and Sasbania sesban were planted. The estimated forage yield after one rainy season in the gully closure were 8.36 tons, based on local demand, the monetary value of the forage yield is 10,120 Ethiopian Birr (~$510). In addition, around 2,323 tons of sediment was captured in one rainy season. This study convinced farmers of the feasibility of gully rehabilitation and farmers have modified their soil conservation priorities. Although the results are preliminary and for a single watershed, they suggest that participatory community gully rehabilitation, involving religious leaders and local elders appears to have potential to decrease sediment concentration in rivers, extend the life expectancy of the reservoirs, and support increased crop and livestock production.

Technical Abstract: Although erosion in the Ethiopian highlands has been occurring for thousands of years, rivers sediment concentration has increased two to three fold during the last fifty years, reducing crop and livestock production and the volume of irrigation water stored in reservoirs. Gully erosion in particular has become much more severe and is a major cause of increased sediment loads. This paper describes the process and potential outcomes for a community participatory gully rehabilitation project conducted in the Birr watershed. In this watershed, gullies are deepening and widening and are rapidly advancing upstream. We used a participatory watershed management process and measured pasture production and sediment deposition to assess preliminary outcomes. The first step in the gully rehabilitation project consisted of discussions with the religious leaders and local respected elders, followed by meetings with local village farmers about approaches to rehabilitate the gull. Initially, the local community was of the opinion that it was impossible to rehabilitate existing gullies, because the gullies were created by their God to punish them for acts against His will. However, after further discussions and a visit to a rehabilitated gully, a consensus was reached to rehabilitate a 0.71 ha upland gully that was advancing into the grazing land in the middle of a village consisting of twenty two farming families. The twenty two farmers of the community and surrounding farmers came to the agreement that each would contribute labor and wood to fence for the protection of the gully and share equally the grass at the end of the rainy season. The rehabilitation measures were cutting the gully head at 450 and constructing check dam from locally available materials; soil, stone and wood; in addition grass and Sasbania sesban were planted. The estimated forage yield after one rainy season in the gully closure were 8.36 tons, based on local demand, the monetary value of the forage yield is 10,120 Ethiopian Birr. In addition, around 2,323 tons sediment was captured in one rainy season by physical and biological practices. In addition, this study convinced farmers of the feasibility of gully rehabilitation. As a result, farmers have modified their soil conservation priorities: they asked the local Wereda officers to allow their labor to be used for gully rehabilitation rather than digging deep infiltration furrows in the uplands. Although our results are preliminary and for a single watershed, they suggest that participatory community gully rehabilitation, involving religious leaders and local elders appears to have potential to decrease sediment concentration in rivers, extend the life expectancy of the reservoirs, and support increased crop and livestock production.