Effects of stone terraces on crop yields and farm profitability: results of on-farm research in Tigray, northern Ethiopia
This study was conducted in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, to determine the yield and farm profitability impact of stone terraces. Seventy terraced and 70 non-conserved plots were equally divided between wheat (Triticum aestivum) and fava beans (Vicia faba). Two quadrates each 8 m 2 (86 ft 2 ) were mark...
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Published in | Journal of soil and water conservation Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 568 - 573 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Ankeny, IA
Soil and Water Conservation Society
01.07.1999
Soil & Water Conservation Society |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | This study was conducted in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, to determine the yield and farm profitability impact of stone terraces.
Seventy terraced and 70 non-conserved plots were equally divided between wheat (Triticum aestivum) and fava beans (Vicia faba).
Two quadrates each 8 m 2 (86 ft 2 ) were marked on each terraced plot: one just above the terrace (soil accumulation zone) and another one parallel to this
but below the next upper terrace (soil loss zone). Only one quadrate (control zone) was marked on each of the non-conserved
plots. Results indicate that (1) grain and straw yields for both crops were significantly higher in the soil accumulation
zone than in the soil loss zone or in the non-terraced control plots; (2) grain and straw yields from the soil accumulation
zone were more stable than those from control zone; (3) over a 30-yr planning horizon, stone terraces yielded a 50% rate of
return, roughly equivalent to reported farmer discount rates in Ethiopia. |
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ISSN: | 0022-4561 1941-3300 |