The effectiveness of soil and water conservation practices for erosion control in Nagairila-Nambale micro watershed on the slopes of Mt. Elgon in Eastern Uganda

Abstract

The slopes of Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda are one of the most vulnerable regions to erosion which remains a major challenge to agricultural productivity. Few studies have been undertaken to examine the effectiveness of the promoted soil and water conservation practices in the area. The objectives of this study were to 1) establish the major existing soil and water conservation practices for erosion control in Nagairila-Nambale micro watershed, 2) evaluate the perception of farmers on the effectiveness of the existing soil and water conservation practices for erosion control in Nagairila-Nambale micro watershed and 3) establish the factors influencing farmer’s decision in adopting soil and water conservation practices for erosion control in Nagairila-Nambale micro watershed. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and a mixed research approach was employed where both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were applied to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Data was collected with the aid of self-administered semi-structured household interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field investigations. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and subjected to the Pearson correlation coefficient, multivariate regression, and descriptive statistics. Study results indicate that soil and water conservation practices applied by farmers to reduce soil erosion include mulching (8.7%), trenching (8.3%), agroforestry (12.1%), tied ridges (9.7%), growing of grass stripes (8.5%), stone banding (11.6%) and land fallowing (10.9%). The study results also show that the size of the farmland with beta coefficient of 0.27 and p-value of 0.01, land tenure/ownership with beta coefficient of 1.08 and p-value of 0.00, house hold size with beta coefficient of 0.20 and p-value of 0.0, the slope of the farmland with beta coefficient of -0.670 and p-value of 0.00, access to extension services/information with beta coefficient of 0.79 and p-value of 0.02, sex of household head with beta coefficient of 0.75 and p-value of 0.02 and the age of the farmer with beta coefficient of 0.03 and p-value of 0.03 were the major factors influencing the decision of farmers in the adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Study results further indicate that agroforestry (Beta Coef =0.125, p-value=0.03), mulching (Beta Coef =3.000, p-value=0.00), ridges (Beta Coef=0.242, p-value=0.04), terraces (Beta Coef =0.031, p-value=0.01) and contours (Beta Coef= 0.094, p-value=0.04) were perceived as the most effective practices in conserving soil and water resources. This study thus concludes that the most effective and commonly used soil and water conservation practices in the study area are; agroforestry, trenches, mulching, grass stripes, and stone banding. This was influenced by factors such as sex of the household head, age, household size, farm size, access to extension services, and nature of farmland and land ownership. The study, therefore, recommends that women should be empowered to participate in the training of SWC practices since they play a pivotal role in implementing these measures. There is a need for farmers to access credit services to meet the costs of implementing the conservation practices.