Soil and water conservation technologies, transfer and adoption by the smallholder farmers in the Amhara region

The occurence of progressive "deterioration" of formerly "better-off areas is a phenomenon commonly observed in Ethiopia. If the problems are not checked soon, the loss of some of the resources may be difficult to reverse. In pursuit of these everescalating problems, the present paper reviews the generation, transfer the farmers response to the soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies, substantiate the indigenous knowledge of soil and water conservation practices. The paper indicates constraints, opportunities, and research needs for the region's sustainable land management and development. Available information is reviewed in research findings concerning generation, introduction of technologies and practices, the rate of transfer and adoption, indigenous knowledge, and research gaps. Information soil erosion characteristics in the region such as types of soil erosion, causes, severity and the economic significance are studied and reported for any level of users. Crop-pasture systems, particularly those including forage legumes and fodder grasses increase crop livestock production while improving soil quality through enhanced biological activity and physical structure. Similarly, in areas where burning of dung and crop residue practices are prevalent, tree planting to produce fuelwood and use it efficiently are some in arresting land degradation compared to the use of sole conservation structures. Nevertheless, technologies and improved practices by themselves may not be solutions; rather, these technical and biophysical factors should be part of the socio-economic, socio-cultural and political dimensions. They are key elements in establishing sustainable development. In addition, sorting and analyzing the barriers for adoption, fine-tuning fitness of the existing technologies to local context, and scaling-up the most feasible ones are key points in the process of technology generation and dissemination.