Planted gully

Gully blocking by stone checks (Kenya)

Description

Blocking of a gully by use of stone checks in order to impede runoff and improve soil moisture for crop production

Stone checks are constructed across the gully at horizontal intervals of 10 - 15 m. The check dams vary in size, but are generally 1- 1.5 m high, 1 m wide at the top (base width is greater) and stretch for some 5 - 10 metres across the gully. The checks are flat across the top, except for one end which is lowered to act as a spillway for overflow. As has been pointed out already, these are constructed in stages every rainy season, keeping pace with the rate of siltation. Stone for construction is collected from around the farm. These
checks slow down runoff, encourage sedimentation of organically rich deposits and create a moist and fertile gully bed, suited to crop production. Bananas, pawpaws and annual crops are planted between the stone checks.

Purpose of the Technology: The aim of this technology is to slow down runoff in the gully and harvest the silt. Its purpose is primarily for perennial (and annual) cropping. With respect to
soil and water conservation, impact is achieved through control of concentrated runoff, by retention/ trapping of sediment, by reduction of slope and thereby reclamation of land within a gully.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: Maintenance is a continuous process. There is a regular demand for adding more layers to the check dams as they silt up, and an occasional need to repair broken checks.

Natural / human environment: Mwaniki Mutembei is a young family man, who took the decision some years ago to devote his energies to farming. As he expressed in his interview in the PFI video, he became disillusioned with casual contract labour, and decided to work for himself instead, on his own land. Although he has 4 hectares of farmland, it is situated in one of the driest sub-locations of Migwani, namely Thitani, and the land itself is infertile and shallow. Mwaniki is certainly resource-poor.

Location

Location: Eastern Province, Kenya

No. of Technology sites analysed:

Geo-reference of selected sites
  • 38.0156, -1.0801

Spread of the Technology: evenly spread over an area (0.04 km²)

In a permanently protected area?:

Date of implementation: more than 50 years ago (traditional)

Type of introduction

Classification of the Technology

Main purpose
  • improve production
  • reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
  • conserve ecosystem
  • protect a watershed/ downstream areas – in combination with other Technologies
  • preserve/ improve biodiversity
  • reduce risk of disasters
  • adapt to climate change/ extremes and its impacts
  • mitigate climate change and its impacts
  • create beneficial economic impact
  • create beneficial social impact
Land use

  • Cropland
    • Annual cropping
    Number of growing seasons per year: 2

Water supply
  • rainfed
  • mixed rainfed-irrigated
  • full irrigation
Purpose related to land degradation
  • prevent land degradation
  • reduce land degradation
  • restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land
  • adapt to land degradation
  • not applicable
Degradation addressed
  • soil erosion by water - Wt: loss of topsoil/ surface erosion, Wg: gully erosion/ gullying
  • chemical soil deterioration - Cn: fertility decline and reduced organic matter content (not caused by erosion)
  • water degradation - Ha: aridification
SLM group
  • integrated soil fertility management
  • water diversion and drainage
SLM measures
  • structural measures - S5: Dams, pans, ponds

Technical drawing

Technical specifications
Stone checks in the gully: note side spillways

Kenya

Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: moderate

Technical knowledge required for land users: high

Main technical functions: control of concentrated runoff: impede / retard, increase / maintain water stored in soil

Secondary technical functions: control of concentrated runoff: retain / trap, reduction of slope length, sediment retention / trapping, sediment harvesting, improvement of soil structure, increase in soil fertility

Construction material (earth): acquired from the side of the gully

Construction material (concrete): to reinforce the gully

Vegetation is used for stabilisation of structures.

Establishment and maintenance: activities, inputs and costs

Calculation of inputs and costs
  • Costs are calculated:
  • Currency used for cost calculation: Kenya shillings
  • Exchange rate (to USD): 1 USD = 70.0 Kenya shillings
  • Average wage cost of hired labour per day: 2.14
Most important factors affecting the costs
cost of labour. Slope
Establishment activities
  1. layout of the embankment (Timing/ frequency: dry season)
  2. widening of the gully (Timing/ frequency: dry season)
  3. planting of stabiliser (Timing/ frequency: rain season)
Maintenance activities
  1. repair of embankments (Timing/ frequency: dry season/occasional)
  2. addition of more layers of check (Timing/ frequency: dry season/seasonally)
  3. planting of grass, trees (Timing/ frequency: rain season/seasonally)

Natural environment

Average annual rainfall
  • < 250 mm
  • 251-500 mm
  • 501-750 mm
  • 751-1,000 mm
  • 1,001-1,500 mm
  • 1,501-2,000 mm
  • 2,001-3,000 mm
  • 3,001-4,000 mm
  • > 4,000 mm
Agro-climatic zone
  • humid
  • sub-humid
  • semi-arid
  • arid
Specifications on climate
n.a.
Slope
  • flat (0-2%)
  • gentle (3-5%)
  • moderate (6-10%)
  • rolling (11-15%)
  • hilly (16-30%)
  • steep (31-60%)
  • very steep (>60%)
Landforms
  • plateau/plains
  • ridges
  • mountain slopes
  • hill slopes
  • footslopes
  • valley floors
Altitude
  • 0-100 m a.s.l.
  • 101-500 m a.s.l.
  • 501-1,000 m a.s.l.
  • 1,001-1,500 m a.s.l.
  • 1,501-2,000 m a.s.l.
  • 2,001-2,500 m a.s.l.
  • 2,501-3,000 m a.s.l.
  • 3,001-4,000 m a.s.l.
  • > 4,000 m a.s.l.
Technology is applied in
  • convex situations
  • concave situations
  • not relevant
Soil depth
  • very shallow (0-20 cm)
  • shallow (21-50 cm)
  • moderately deep (51-80 cm)
  • deep (81-120 cm)
  • very deep (> 120 cm)
Soil texture (topsoil)
  • coarse/ light (sandy)
  • medium (loamy, silty)
  • fine/ heavy (clay)
Soil texture (> 20 cm below surface)
  • coarse/ light (sandy)
  • medium (loamy, silty)
  • fine/ heavy (clay)
Topsoil organic matter content
  • high (>3%)
  • medium (1-3%)
  • low (<1%)
Groundwater table
  • on surface
  • < 5 m
  • 5-50 m
  • > 50 m
Availability of surface water
  • excess
  • good
  • medium
  • poor/ none
Water quality (untreated)
  • good drinking water
  • poor drinking water (treatment required)
  • for agricultural use only (irrigation)
  • unusable
Is salinity a problem?
  • Ja
  • Nee

Occurrence of flooding
  • Ja
  • Nee
Species diversity
  • high
  • medium
  • low
Habitat diversity
  • high
  • medium
  • low

Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Market orientation
  • subsistence (self-supply)
  • mixed (subsistence/ commercial)
  • commercial/ market
Off-farm income
  • less than 10% of all income
  • 10-50% of all income
  • > 50% of all income
Relative level of wealth
  • very poor
  • poor
  • average
  • rich
  • very rich
Level of mechanization
  • manual work
  • animal traction
  • mechanized/ motorized
Sedentary or nomadic
  • Sedentary
  • Semi-nomadic
  • Nomadic
Individuals or groups
  • individual/ household
  • groups/ community
  • cooperative
  • employee (company, government)
Gender
  • women
  • men
Age
  • children
  • youth
  • middle-aged
  • elderly
Area used per household
  • < 0.5 ha
  • 0.5-1 ha
  • 1-2 ha
  • 2-5 ha
  • 5-15 ha
  • 15-50 ha
  • 50-100 ha
  • 100-500 ha
  • 500-1,000 ha
  • 1,000-10,000 ha
  • > 10,000 ha
Scale
  • small-scale
  • medium-scale
  • large-scale
Land ownership
  • state
  • company
  • communal/ village
  • group
  • individual, not titled
  • individual, titled
Land use rights
  • open access (unorganized)
  • communal (organized)
  • leased
  • individual
Water use rights
  • open access (unorganized)
  • communal (organized)
  • leased
  • individual
Access to services and infrastructure

Impacts

Socio-economic impacts
Crop production
decreased
increased


bananas and pawpaws

production area (new land under cultivation/ use)
decreased
increased


500 square metres

farm income
decreased
increased

Socio-cultural impacts
Ecological impacts
surface runoff
increased
decreased

Quantity before SLM: 50
Quantity after SLM: 10

soil loss
increased
decreased

Quantity before SLM: 5.5
Quantity after SLM: 0

Off-site impacts

Cost-benefit analysis

Benefits compared with establishment costs
Short-term returns
very negative
very positive

Long-term returns
very negative
very positive

Benefits compared with maintenance costs
Short-term returns
very negative
very positive

Long-term returns
very negative
very positive

Climate change

-

Adoption and adaptation

Percentage of land users in the area who have adopted the Technology
  • single cases/ experimental
  • 1-10%
  • 11-50%
  • > 50%
Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many have done so without receiving material incentives?
  • 0-10%
  • 11-50%
  • 51-90%
  • 91-100%
Number of households and/ or area covered
12 households and they cover an area of 1 percent
Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?
  • Ja
  • Nee
To which changing conditions?
  • climatic change/ extremes
  • changing markets
  • labour availability (e.g. due to migration)

Conclusions and lessons learnt

Strengths: land user's view
Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
  • Making use of generally infertile and unproductive land by creatively manipulating a gully
  • Increased land area for production
  • Increased crop yield (bananas and pawpaws) and improved farm income
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: land user's viewhow to overcome
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: compiler’s or other key resource person’s viewhow to overcome

References

Compiler
  • Kithinji Mutunga
Editors
Reviewer
  • David Streiff
  • Alexandra Gavilano
Date of documentation: Junie 6, 2011
Last update: Mei 3, 2019
Resource persons
Full description in the WOCAT database
Linked SLM data
Documentation was faciliated by
Institution Project
Key references
  • PFI Mid term evaluation report. 1998.: PFI Mwingi box 319 Mwingi
  • PFI Regional workshop report. 1999.: PFI Mwingi box 319 Mwingi
  • Kithinji M., Critchley W. 2001. Farmers' initiatives in land husbandry: Promising technologies for the drier areas of East Africa. RELMA Technical Report series no. 27:
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareaAlike 4.0 International