Soil and water conservation technologies for sustained production
2000
Wangati, F.J.(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Nairobi (Kenya). National Agricultural Research Laboratories)
Soil and, to a less extent, water conservation technologies have been in use in the East African region for many decades. Traditional technologies have however been replaced by bench terraces and contour ditches. Many of these structures were constructed through forced labour during colonial times. Soil conservation was therefore neglected in many parts of the region after independence and most of the structures have collapsed due to lack of maintenance. Sustainability of agriculture is however dependent on effective and sustainable management of the natural resource base, especially soil and water. This cannot happen in the modem competitive agriculture in the absence of clearly articulated economic returns accruing from such investment. There is therefore urgent need for soil scientists to focus attention on vegetation and agronomic methods of conservation as they are less demanding in tenns of labour and capital. Monitoring and critical assessment of the socio-economic aspects of soil conservation is a much neglected field. Such information when accumulated over several years would greatly facilitate identification of erosion hotspots and selection of appropriate technologies. Demonstration of economic benefits accrued from conservation activities will convince more farmers to invest some resources in conservation. There are many indicators which can be used for both initial assessment, monitoring and periodic evaluation of effectiveness and cost efficiency of conservation activities. These agenda should feature more prominently in the next decade of soil and water conservation in the East African region.
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