CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF LAND DEGRADATION: THE CASE OF GASERA DISTRICT, BALE ZONE, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA

The general objective of the study were to assess the anthropogenic and natural factors leading to land degradation and suggest possible solutions to alleviate the problems of land degradation in Gasera district of Bale zone. Data was collected from 130 sample households through semi-structure questionnaire, FGD and personal observations in the study area. The assessment of causes and effect of land degradation study in the district was under taken by stratifying the area into three, based on altitude groups (i.e. 1100-1170 m.a.s.l, lower, 2358- 2441midium and >2441 higher m.a.s.lhighe). The household survey questionnaire was tabulated and summarized by utilizing SPSS. From the seven kebeles, soil sample were collected from each altitude above 23 totally 70 soil sample collected from all strata depth 10-15 cm.by auger. In each altitude group, sample of soil parameters has been taken. The soil samples were analyzed at Sinana agricultural research to determine selected physicochemical properties including soil pH, texture of soil, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and organic matter. The results of the household survey revealed that about 76.9% of the respondents were aware of the causes of land degradation as population growth, poor farming practices, over grazing, soil erosion and poverty. The results show that most of the household were aware of the consequences of land degradation indicating loss of agricultural productivity, followed by difficulty of farming and loss in livestock productivity. The study confirmed that land degradation on their farm-field was severe and mentioned that there is land degradation risk on their farm-field. The sources of information regarding the conservation practices were friends and relatives and there is poor or no contact with development agents of the study area. The laboratory analyses revealed that pH is not affected by land degradation, whereas total N, and soil texture (sand and clay) were significantly affected however, organic matter, available P and silt soil were not affected. In conclusion, the practice of land management practices measures can be determined by different factors. The most important factors include age, gender, education, household size, land size, off-farm activities, distance from home, total annual house hold income, contact with DAs, and training. Therefore, it is recommended that the farmers training centers (FTCs) and DAs in their respective kebeles should provide training and recent information about climate, soil erosion and land management practice. Additionally, there should be an effort to improve soil fertility and land management practices (combined used of organic and commercial fertilizer) alongside reduce land degradation measure.