**4.2 Approach**

The development of the two catchments followed a participatory integrated watershed management involving farmer's community's contribution and landscape-based interventions. Socio-economic aspect considered the responsiveness of beneficiaries, local authority, gender aspect and expecting site-specific economic rate of return. On the other side, technical aspect lies on severity erosion towards environmental impact of the catchment protection, and potentiality for hillside irrigation on developed land husbandry works (terraces).

Therefore, the catchment was divided into the command area locates in the downward part of the constructed dam and the catchment area which is the hillside surrounding the dam at upstream part (**Figure 15**). Hillsides of both sites are protected against erosion risks with appropriate erosion control measures, especially bench terraces. Terraces in the hillside surrounding the downstream part (command area) are irrigated by water from the dam for increased more number of cultivation times compared to rainfed conditions. Terraced lands under irrigation will allow them to cultivate for three (3) agricultural seasons per year. Extensive community sensitization and participatory approaches ensured that farmers fully participated in their own transformation.

### *4.2.1 Implementation approach*

The approach introduced comprehensive sustainable land husbandry technologies for soil erosion control and increasing soil fertility to boost the land productivity as well as develop water retention dams for hillside irrigation. It is considered as an active process of selecting and implementing systems of land use and management in such ways that there will be an increase in or at least no loss of land quality, soil health and land productivity. The implemented land husbandry interventions respected the participatory watershed-based approach using both erosion control

measures and effective use of soil amendments (lime and compost). The sequencing of implementing activities were as follow: mobilization of staff and local authorities, mobilization of labor (mainly beneficiaries), training of labor on land husbandry technologies, and implementing land husbandry works.

Land husbandry technologies included grass strips, trash lines, earth/stone bunds, bench terraces, protected cut-off drains, water ways, gully plugs, embankment shaping, narrow-cut terraces, pitting, and conservation ridges/ditches as illustrated in the **Figure 16**. These are supplemented by the use of composting, mulching, liming and green manuring applications [14]. These land husbandry technologies have started on the upper side of the hill where the slope is under 6% where the first cut-off drain is located. Below this cut-off drain, other comprehensive land husbandry technologies are applied depending on land use, slope category and agro climatic zones.

Distribution of agro-climatic zones across the country influenced the types and forms of measures (**Table 2**). The wet agroclimatic zones have high rainfall amount of 1400 mm per, that increases its intensity as altitude increases and significantly causes flood, siltation and landslide. Therefore, the choice of land husbandry technologies follows the capacity to obstruct erosive force by an an integrated physical and biological measures, discourage water movement from attaining maximum velocity, improve conditions for surface drainage where infiltration causes landslide, and finally drain water from drained fields to safe storage such as valley dams, cascade ponds, rivers and large drainage canals. Graded bench terraces connected to cut-off-drains and waterways are developed towards reservoirs or river.

The moist agroclimatic zones with annual rainfall amount between 900 and 1400 mm per year require tailored land husbandry measures as leveled bench terraces and contour bunds interspaced by cut-off drains that convey excess of water to water-ways during rainy seasons and finally into a reservoir or water body. The agroclimatic dry zones (<900 mm per year) are characterized by low rainfall that needs land husbandry measures for retaining moisture. The leveled structures (terraces) with tie-ridges are recommended to help supplementary water supply.

**Figure 16.** *Demonstration of land husbandry implementation. Source: LWH project.*

*Erosion Control Success Stories and Challenges in the Context of Sustainable Landscape… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96267*


#### **Table 2.**

*Specification of some technical guidance for construction of bench terraces.*
