Assessing the Impacts of Farming Practices and Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Soil Erosion in South Kivu, Eastern DR Congo
(2018) 7th Belgian Geography Day — Location: Liège, Belgium (17.November.2017)
Files
Bielders_Bizimwa-Poster_7thBelgianGeographyDay_2017.pdf
Closed Access - Adobe PDF
- 408.31 KB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- In South-Kivu (eastern DR Congo), soil erosion by water is a major cause of land degradation, but farmers’ attitude toward this problem may vary depending on their living contexts. A better understanding of farmers’ knowledge regarding soil erosion and soil conservation measures is a prerequisite for implementing resilient erosion control measures. A survey was conducted in four territories in the highlands of northern South-Kivu to assess farmers’ knowledge of soil erosion, to document existing soil and water conservation measures, and to identify adoption constraints. The study was based on a semi-structured questionnaire involving 720 respondents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correspondence analysis, analysis of variance, and quantile regression. Results show that more than 60% of farmers distinguished six or more erosion indicators, among which the most important were presence of gullies, decrease of topsoil thickness and loss of organic matter. In spite of their more common occurrence, rills were seldom perceived as important erosion indicators at all studied sites. Farmers were largely unaware of the potential impact of their crops and cropping practices on erosion, but the perceived impacts depended significantly on their living places (p<0.0001). Most SWC measures identified by farmers were perceived as little to moderately efficient. In spite of their awareness of some SWC measures, the level of adoption was very low (21%). Small farm size, insufficient access to credit and labour, and unsuitable equipment (e.g., hand-hoe and machete) were the main constraints for adoption. Finally, we observed that the lower the soil fertility, crop productivity or SWC measures indexes, the higher the erosion index. Future interventions need to raise awareness among farmers regarding their role in soil degradation, to carefully consider the experimentation and adaptation of new technologies and finally, and to create a policy and institutional environment that stimulates widespread adoption of SWC techniques.
- Affiliations
Citations
Heri Kazi Bisimwa, A., & Bielders, C. (2018). Assessing the Impacts of Farming Practices and Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Soil Erosion in South Kivu, Eastern DR Congo. 7th Belgian Geography Day, Liège, Belgium. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/251465