Implications of participatory landscape restoration strategies for soil erosion control in upper Manafwa watershed, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Soil erosion has been widely reported in the highland and mountainous landscapes of Uganda. Characterizing soil erosion processes with the associated controls and farmers’ coping strategies has not been fully explored in Mt. Elgon region. Cognizant of the land management dynamics and environmental changes, information on soil erosion process and diverse strategies towards restoration is paramount. The study characterized the prevalent forms and controls of soil erosion processes. The study also evaluated community adoption of the existing landscape restoration strategies for soil erosion control. Characterization of soil erosion forms was done through geospatial mapping and measurement of geometric characteristics. Field investigation, observation and secondary datasets were used to establish controls of soil erosion processes. Household interviews were used to acquire farmers’ perceptions on controls of soil erosion processes in Bushiyi micro watershed. These were triangulated using key informant interviews (KIIs), aerial photography and participatory geographical information systems (PGIS) tools which were incorporated during focus group discussions (FGDs). Both descriptive and non-parametric Chi-square tests of independence were used to analyse the data. These were supplemented with Likert scale and Maximum Likelihood Classification. Study results showed that gullies were the dominant soil erosion forms and contributed 35% of total soil erosion processes. Rills accounted for 30%, sheet wash with 24% and splash contributed 11% of the total soil erosion processes in the micro watershed. Most of the forms of soil erosion were visible along gently sloping (1 to 10%) and moderately steep slope gradients (10 to 30%) of the soil erosion processes were visible along the middle slope profiles in the study area. Chi-square tests detected a strong positive significant association between forms of soil erosion and slope gradients across the micro watershed scale. In general, farmers perceived climate (rainfall) and population pressure as the major and least controls of soil erosion processes in the study area, respectively. Based on normal approximations, prevalent landscape restoration strategies for soil erosion control were not statistically significant with probability value of 0.694. Approximate T b for Spearman rho correlation (0.397) did not detect significant association between prevalent landscape restoration strategies and soil erosion control in the study villages. Community participation in continuous promotion of sustainable agricultural practices like agroforestry, intercropping, and planting Napier grass would lead to reduced soil erosion processes in Matuwa village. The study findings, however, indicated that forestry and re-afforestation practices were moderately adopted by communities in the study villages. Chi-square test detected a strong association (P<0.05) between action-oriented landscape restoration strategies and hillslope positions in study villages. Successful participatory landscape restoration strategies for soil conservation should be tested at a greater micro watershed scale than village scale over a period of more than five years. This will enhance a holistic understanding of landscape restoration strategies for soil erosion control for watershed ecosystems.