Chat Ridge bund (Ethiopia)

Chat Katara

Description

It is a mechanical conservation measure where a basin and a ridge are formed for planting chat along a contour

A contour line is maked and a pit (trench) is dug and the soil embanked on about 75x50 cm. Chat cuttings are planted on the trench. The purpose of the technology is to collect as much water as possible. The embankment protects soil from erosion. Water is collected in the trench. Households using family labour make the ridge bund. During cultivation the ridge is strengthend. Maintenance is done in case of breaks on the ridge.The technology is suitable to semi-arid with rainfall 500-700 mm/annum. Farmers grow chat as the main means of finance/capital generation. Cultivation is done twice or three times.

Location

Location: Hamaressa/Bisidimo/Errer, Harari, Ethiopia

No. of Technology sites analysed:

Geo-reference of selected sites
  • 42.12, 9.29

Spread of the Technology:

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
Land use mixed within the same land unit: Ja - Agro-silvopastoralism

  • Cropland
    • Annual cropping: cereals - sorghum, legumes and pulses - beans, vegetables - root vegetables (carrots, onions, beet, other), chat, legume
    • Tree and shrub cropping: mango, mangosteen, guava, ground nut, Cordia, Acacia
    Number of growing seasons per year: 1
    Is intercropping practiced? Ja
  • Grazing land
      Animal type: cattle - dairy, goats
    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
    • chemical soil deterioration - Cn: fertility decline and reduced organic matter content (not caused by erosion)
    • water degradation - Ha: aridification
    SLM group
    • improved ground/ vegetation cover
    • cross-slope measure
    SLM measures

    Technical drawing

    Technical specifications
    Harari

    Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: moderate

    Technical knowledge required for land users: moderate

    Main technical functions: increase of infiltration, increase / maintain water stored in soil, water harvesting / increase water supply

    Secondary technical functions: control of dispersed runoff: retain / trap, reduction of slope length

    Early planting
    Material/ species: sorghum

    Relay cropping
    Material/ species: legume/sorghum

    Mixed cropping / intercropping
    Material/ species: beans sorghum

    Contour planting / strip cropping
    Material/ species: Chat, sorghum, onion

    Aligned: -contour
    Vegetative material: C : perennial crops

    Scattered / dispersed
    Vegetative material: F : fruit trees / shrubs

    Trees/ shrubs species: Cordia, Acacia, Mango

    Perennial crops species: Chat

    Slope (which determines the spacing indicated above): 10.00%

    Gradient along the rows / strips: 0.00%

    Bund/ bank: level
    Spacing between structures (m): 1-5
    Depth of ditches/pits/dams (m): 0.3-0.4
    Width of ditches/pits/dams (m): 2-3
    Length of ditches/pits/dams (m): 3-4
    Height of bunds/banks/others (m): 0.3
    Width of bunds/banks/others (m): 0.5
    Length of bunds/banks/others (m): 70-80

    Construction material (earth): earth bunds

    Slope (which determines the spacing indicated above): 8%

    If the original slope has changed as a result of the Technology, the slope today is: 4%

    Lateral gradient along the structure: 1%

    Establishment and maintenance: activities, inputs and costs

    Calculation of inputs and costs
    • Costs are calculated:
    • Currency used for cost calculation: Birr
    • Exchange rate (to USD): 1 USD = 8.6 Birr
    • Average wage cost of hired labour per day: 0.85
    Most important factors affecting the costs
    n.a.
    Establishment activities
    1. seed bed preparation (Timing/ frequency: Dry season)
    2. preparing cutting (Timing/ frequency: rainy season)
    3. cutting plantation (Timing/ frequency: rainy season)
    4. cultivation (Timing/ frequency: after rain)
    5. Protect from free grazing animals (Timing/ frequency: especially after crop harvest.)
    Maintenance activities
    1. Digging (Timing/ frequency: before rains / each cropping season)
    2. Cultivation and weeding (Timing/ frequency: mid of rains / twice a year)
    3. replanting of dead cuttings (Timing/ frequency: May, June /during rain)
    4. cultivation (Timing/ frequency: July /during rain)
    5. reridging of breaks (Timing/ frequency: September /after rain)

    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
    Socio-cultural impacts
    Ecological impacts
    Off-site impacts

    Cost-benefit analysis

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

    Long-term returns
    very negative
    x
    very positive

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

    Long-term returns
    very negative
    x
    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%
    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
    • Efficient in rainwater harvesting
    • Laid out by farmers with little technical support
    Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
    • Highly flexible

      How can they be sustained / enhanced? change of structures (size, position) possible
    • Material needed is locally available

      How can they be sustained / enhanced? soil and stone are found everywhere
    • Low cost

      How can they be sustained / enhanced? tools available at local markets
    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
    • Unknown User
    Editors
    Reviewer
    • Fabian Ottiger
    • Alexandra Gavilano
    Date of documentation: Mei 30, 2011
    Last update: Sept. 9, 2019
    Resource persons
    Full description in the WOCAT database
    Linked SLM data
    Documentation was faciliated by
    Institution Project
    This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareaAlike 4.0 International