1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Soil protection and rehabilitation for food security (ProSo(i)l)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Alliance Bioversity and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT) - Kenya

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

1.4 Declaration on sustainability of the described Technology

Is the Technology described here problematic with regard to land degradation, so that it cannot be declared a sustainable land management technology?

No

Comments:

The Check Dam helps to arrest the runoff of flood and rehabilitate the gully development.

1.5 Reference to Questionnaire(s) on SLM Approaches (documented using WOCAT)

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

A double basin masonry check dam is a physical structure that helps to stop gully formation or further development of gullies in dry valleys. It rehabilitates small to a medium-sized deep gullies that are eating into the heart of adjacent land.

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

A “double basin masonry check dam” is a structure built in a narrow gully or depression to stop further gully formation. It is made of stone, concrete, gabions and wooden bars and serves as a permanent barrier. In this particular site stone is used as the structure is masonry. The technology is applied in areas where there are concentrated flows of water or runoff. The double basin masonry check dam is sited across a slope or a deep gully to slow water flow and capture sediment from upstream in the basins and behind the structure, thereby preventing expansion of the gully. The width of a check dam is variable. This particular structure is 14 meter wide, three meters deep and about 52 meters long. By helping to fill up the gully with sediment, it leads to rehabilitation and makes productive use of the area for growing trees, forage, and other plants. Apart from reducing the speed of surface runoff, the structure also promotes water infiltration, and recharges the groundwater reserves in the aquifer.
The main inputs necessary to build the check dams are financial resources, technical skills, skilled and unskilled labour, and construction materials including sand, stone, cement, water and other materials. Furthermore, construction tools such as a theodolite, line level, string, hammers, spades, hoes, and other tools are essential for design & construction. Technical skills for designing and profiling, and further capacity-building training are essential also. Application of the technology is also supported by satellite image and ground truthing to ensure the precision of siting.
The agropastoralists in the dry basin areas are pleased to see a huge movement of the soil arrested by the structure. The reduced expansion of the gully into the heart of the farm and grazing lands raises hopes of their land become productive and remaining so for generations to come. This hope and expectation have motivated them to welcome the intervention and develop an understanding of the actual benefits accrued from it. This leads to their support for the construction efforts. The disadvantages are that the technology is labour and resource-intensive which can be unaffordable for resource-poor agropastoralist communities living in food-insecure areas where rainfall is unreliable. This may make the adoption of the technology difficult to establish and nurture on their own without outside support.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.4 Videos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

2.6 Date of implementation

Indicate year of implementation:

2021

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• through projects/ external interventions

Comments (type of project, etc.):

Capacity Development and Strengthening Drought Resilience (CDSDR) project of the GIZ in Somali Region.

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
• conserve ecosystem
• protect a watershed/ downstream areas – in combination with other Technologies
• preserve/ improve biodiversity
• reduce risk of disasters

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Land use mixed within the same land unit:

No

3.3 Has land use changed due to the implementation of the Technology?

Has land use changed due to the implementation of the Technology?

• No (Continue with question 3.4)

3.4 Water supply

Water supply for the land on which the Technology is applied:

• rainfed

Comments:

Rainfed is the type of water supply that often experiences erratic distribution characterized by the reception of lower amounts. Mostly characterized by erratic and erosive feature.

3.5 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• pastoralism and grazing land management
• cross-slope measure
• water harvesting

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

Specify the goal of the Technology with regard to land degradation:

• reduce land degradation
• restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land

Comments:

The technology stops the mass movement of soil and water. As a result, it reduces land degradation, rehabilitates the degraded dry valley, and makes the land available for productive uses.

4.1 Technical drawing of the Technology

4.2 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

Specify how costs and inputs were calculated:

• per Technology unit

Specify currency used for cost calculations:

• USD

4.3 Establishment activities

	Activity	Timing (season)
1.	Conduct rapid assessment and Surveillance of intervention site	During the off-season
2.	Finalize site selection	ditto
3.	Layout, Design and profiling works
4.	Identify and train masonry workers	During off-season
5.	Material supply
6.	Start actual layout and excavation work
7.	Supervision...

Comments:

Once intended to put the technology or the structure in place, a series of activities are conducted involving experts and contract workers until the activities are effectively finalized.

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

If you are unable to break down the costs in the table above, give an estimation of the total costs of establishing the Technology:

9200.0

If land user bore less than 100% of costs, indicate who covered the remaining costs:

The project is responsible to cover the cost.

Comments:

The cost for an unskilled casual laborer a day is 8.5 USD whereas the daily cost of a skilled Masonry worker is 16 USD per day.

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Timing/ frequency
1.	Oversee and identify damage	During and after rainy season
2.	Measure the degrees of damage	ditto
3.	Quantify cost and materials needed
4.	Schedule the maintenance work	Right before the off-season
5.	Employ the workers and reconstruct the damaged parts or upgrade it.	During off-season

Comments:

As some of the technology implementation sites are inaccessible during the rainy season, implementing the activities during the off-season is commendable.

4.6 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

If you are unable to break down the costs in the table above, give an estimation of the total costs of maintaining the Technology:

3244.0

If land user bore less than 100% of costs, indicate who covered the remaining costs:

The project is expected to cover the entire maintenance cost. However, maintenance cost is attributed to various factors including the degree of damage, material costs at the time, etc. The figure merely represents an estimation of the cost, on average.

Comments:

As the dry land receive erratic and erosive rain, damage to the structure is not uncommon. Combining fast-growing trees and deep-rooted perennial fodder grass stabilizes the sediment and reduces the speed of run-off on top of the structure. Therefore, associating the structure with biological barriers right after the first season of rain is a mandatory action that assists to reduce the damage and maintenance cost that is not affordable by resource-poor communities.

4.7 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

Inflation and increasingly changing material prices, labor and transportation costs.

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Indicate if the Technology is specifically applied in:

• concave situations

Comments and further specifications on topography:

The technology is implemented in the gully or depression to reduce the speed of runoff and hold back the sediment and running water itself.

5.3 Soils

5.4 Water availability and quality

Is water salinity a problem?

Yes

Specify:

Land users communicated the presence of a medium level of water salinity.

Is flooding of the area occurring?

Yes

Regularity:

episodically

Comments and further specifications on water quality and quantity:

The water quality is a relative description as it is not supported by facts. Both livestock and human beings are using ponds and still water for drinking after rainfall.

5.5 Biodiversity

Comments and further specifications on biodiversity:

A few tree and shrub species are common in the area. Acacia, opentia (Euphorbia species), and some invasive weed species are common.

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

The agro-pastoralist settlement pattern is stable except their mobility with their livestock looking for water and feed. Land users of various age groups are benefiting from the technology.

5.7 Average area of land used by land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land ownership:

• communal/ village
• individual, not titled

Land use rights:

• communal (organized)
• individual

Water use rights:

• communal (organized)
• individual

Are land use rights based on a traditional legal system?

Yes

Specify:

Land use is largely communal and individual inherit it from their lineage.

5.9 Access to services and infrastructure

Comments:

Not much service is available in the pastoralist area except that the road paths through the area also create access to the market and other service centers.

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Water availability and quality

Socio-cultural impacts

Ecological impacts

Water cycle/ runoff

Soil

Biodiversity: vegetation, animals

Climate and disaster risk reduction

Specify assessment of on-site impacts (measurements):

Assessment of on-site impacts desires long-term follow-up, data collection, and analysis.

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

Specify assessment of off-site impacts (measurements):

The facts regarding the off-site impacts will certainly be assessed as a long-term impact.

6.3 Exposure and sensitivity of the Technology to gradual climate change and climate-related extremes/ disasters (as perceived by land users)

Gradual climate change

Gradual climate change

	Season	increase or decrease	How does the Technology cope with it?
annual temperature		increase	moderately
annual rainfall		decrease	moderately

Climate-related extremes (disasters)

Hydrological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
general (river) flood	not known
flash flood	very well
landslide	well

Comments:

Similar to on-site impacts, the off-site impact assessment needs, facts, and long-term follow-up.

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

• single cases/ experimental

If available, quantify (no. of households and/ or area covered):

Adoption rate is yet to be evaluated. The technology put in communal land.

Comments:

No community so far adopted and implemented the technology on its own.

6.6 Adaptation

Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?

No

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Rehabilitate the gully, and stop and reverse the gully formation.
It creates the opportunity for productive use of the degraded environment.
Recharge the groundwater aquifer and supply still water for temporary use by local people and livestock.

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Promote regeneration of the lost species through resilience building.
Improve the landscape feature.
Improve the ecosystem and its overall services.

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
High investment cost to implement the technology.	Promote government awareness and emphasis on the benefit and investment in developing the technology.
Lack of implementation skills.	Develop the skills and motivation of the community and other stakeholders.
Conflict of interest on the use of the rehabilitated land in the intersection of neighboring kebeles.	Awareness creation and promote behavioral change on the joint benefit of the technology.

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
Inability to put micro check dams along the drainage line before it cuts deep into the soil.	Improve surveillance and promote early intervention.
Lower level of participation from the land users.	Develop the capacity, awareness and motivation of the land users.
Stakeholders and land users lower level of environmental education, improper land management and the consequent climate change and other associated adversities.	Promote environmental education, emerging climate change and climate variability in adult and vocational education.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Criteria for optimizing check dam location and maintenance requirements. Hassanli, A. M. & Beecham. 2013; ISBN: 971-1-60876-146-3

Available from where? Costs?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287636490_Criteria_for_optimizing_check_dam_location_and_maintenance_requirements

7.3 Links to relevant online information

Title/ description:

Different Types of Check Dams & Design Procedures

URL:

https://forestrybloq.com/different-types-of-check-dams/

7.4 General comments

The questionnaire is comprehensive. However, to answer every question, there must be a tradition of long-term data collection and documentation exercises by either the project or the partners government organizations. In that way, it is possible to fully address the multifaceted demands included in the questionnaires such as " the before and after SLM intervention" which is dire to address them for those projects at their early stages of implementation.