Farmers’ Perception and Reponses to Soil erosion in Zing Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria

Type Journal Article - Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management
Title Farmers’ Perception and Reponses to Soil erosion in Zing Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria
Author(s)
Volume 4
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2011
Page numbers 93-98
URL http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ejesm/article/download/67206/55307
Abstract
Soil erosion by water has remained a serious threat especially in the mountainous regions and sloppy lands
where agriculture is practice, causing loss of valuable soil resources and attendant loss of agricultural
productivity as well as siltation of the various water bodies across the continent of Africa and other regions of
the world. This study is an appraisal of farmers’ perception and responses to soil erosion on their farmlands in
Zing Local Government Area of Taraba state. This was in realization that farmers in the study area are farming
on erosion prone areas such as hill slopes and flood plains, disregarding the flatlands provided by nature. To
arrive at the results obtained, a total of 312 questionnaires were administered to solicit for responses of the
farmers on their perception of soil erosion on their farmlands in the area. Descriptive statistics using frequencies
converted to percentages was used in analyzing the data. The result shows that 87.2% of the respondents have
their farmlands either located on the steep or gentle slopes, and 35.2% of the respondents which constitutes the
majority cultivate the hill slopes because of historical reason. It was further established that more than 76 % of
the respondents are aware of the consequences of soil erosion on farms located on slopes, but, they do not
agree that erosion is an individual problem caused by them. And to some great extent, they farmers have
knowledge on measures of controlling soil erosion on their farm lands especially terracing, inter-cropping and
molding ridges along contours.

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