Soil and Water Resources and Degradation Factors Affecting Productivity in Ethiopian Highland Agro-Ecosystems

Due to various internal and external pressures, Ethiopia has not been able to maintain its economic, political, and social development for many years. Natural resources are particularly affected by the slow progress in economic development. To relieve the stagnation, the present government has adopted a policy called Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI), taking agriculture as the steppingstone to industrialization. The soil and water resources of Ethiopia, although still rich, are degrading quickly. Topography, soil types, and agro-ecological parameters play a significant role in the degradation processes influenced by man. Ethiopia's fast-growing population is also significantly hastening land degradation. The population has tripled in the last 50 years and has abused the land by deforestation for more cropland and grazing area and by overgrazing. Recurrent droughts have further aggravated the situation, leading to repeated cycles of famine in recent years. Three major types of land degradation are affecting productivity: biological, chemical, and physical degradation of soils. As a result, soil organic matter has declined, soil nutrients are depleted, and soil depth has decreased, leading to a decline in crop yields and forage. Soil acidity, salinity, and drainage problems as well as the inherently low availability of soil phosphorus also cause yields to decline. The most serious problem concerning Ethiopia's land resources, however, is soil erosion. Every year the country loses billions of birr in the form of soil, nutrients, water, and agro-biodiversity losses. Efforts are being made to avert the degradation, but with very little progress. Although further efforts have been made with more policy issues related to agriculture, more is yet to be done in the area of policy issues and economic development.