Review on Impacts of Land Degradation on Agricultural Production in Ethiopia

Land degradation is the result of complex interaction among, physical, chemical, biological, socio-economic and political issues of local, national or global nature. Land degradation affects Ethiopian economy and also has many negative impacts on agricultural productivity by reducing the fertility of agricultural land. Land degradation is increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world, with more than 20% of all cultivated areas, 30% of forests and 10% of grasslands undergoing degradation. Millions of hectares of land per year are being degraded in all climatic regions. It is estimated that 2.6 billion people are affected by land degradation and desertification in more than a hundred countries, influencing over 33% of the earth´s land surface. The global store of arable land and grazing land continuous to decline through urbanization, un sustainable agriculture practices and deforestation, while, significant portion of the remaining arable land and grazing land is under considerable pressure from compaction by livestock and farm implements, over use of fertilizers and pesticides, Salinization, alkalization or acidification depletion of nutrients, water and wind erosion, deterioration of drainage. The velocity of land degradation is high due to, Improper tillage operation on the land, Poor managements of land, The attitude of the community about the consequences of land degradation on agricultural productivity, Lack of knowledge of the farmers about the main biological, physical and mechanical methods of land conservation. The agricultural impacts of land degradation are, loss of soil nutrient, Soil erosion effects, reduction of crop yield, silting up of reservoir and It also contributes to persistent poverty, and results in decreasing ecosystem resilience e and provision of environmental services. In addition, environmental decline due to land degradation adversely affects the health, well-being and livelihood opportunities of the individuals. Keywords: Land degradation, Agricultural impacts DOI : 10.7176/JRDM/57-03 Publication date :July 31 st 2019