Abstract:
The study was set out to evaluate soil erosion and farmers economy in Afikpo-South local
Government Area of Ebonyi state. The objectives of the study include determining the impact of
soil erosion on the farmer's income level, examining the extent of soil erosion impacts on Crop
productivity and identifying the causes of soil erosion in the area. The study made use of the
cross sectional research design which enabled the use of questionnaire as the instrument for data
collection. 285 farmers were sampled for the study which was drawn from a list of registered
farmers in the seven sampled communities in the study area. The data was presented using tables
and the hypotheses were tested using the Chi-Square analytical tool. The findings of the study
showed that good numbers of farmers have experienced soil erosion and that 66.3% of the total
farmers in the area had cases of soil erosion more than three times, heavy rainfall/flooding are
the major cause of soil erosion in the area and is ranked the first amongst other identified
parameters. Changes in soil fertility status is a major effect of soil erosion as revealed by the
study, furthermore soil erosion affects farmer's economy and increases hardship as well as
brings about a reduction in the income level of farmers. The study recommended that awareness
and enlightenment programmes be carried out among farmers in the area on the short and long
term impacts of land degradation and that farmers should be encouraged to do more of alley
farming to reduce the losses arising from soil erosion. |
