Baseline characterization is essential to measure project performance and impact evaluation before making many interventions to project processes. The main objective of the study was to investigate the socioeconomic characterization in the Birbo watershed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire with face-to-face interviews with households at the catchment site. One hundred twenty (120) households were selected randomly and interviewed. Major constraints and opportunities were identified by using key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative data analysis was carried out by using descriptive, inferential statistics and STATA software. Results of the study showed that the majority of the sample households (83%) were male-headed households. In the Birbo watershed mixed farming systems (crop and livestock raring) are the major (93%) occupation of the sampled households. According to the survey result, Wheat, Barley, Teff, Faba Bean, Field peas, and Potato are the major crops produced in the Birbo watershed, 91, 81, 83, 46, 30, and 19%, respectively. In terms of land degradation, the watershed is characterized by high land degradation caused by deforestation, overgrazing, continuous cultivation, and inappropriate cultivation. Low adoption of improved crops and livestock technologies is also the other problem identified in the watershed. Livestock feed shortage, no AI service, low adoption of improved forage, and low access to the cattle market were major problems in the watershed. Institution services such as training, extension advisory, field day, financial services (access to loans), and rural roads were other constraints in the watershed. Therefore, the study suggests that an integrated approach is more important and necessary for the sustainable use of watershed resources, and further development in all aspects of the watershed should be implemented. It is necessary to put appropriate rural land use policy by identifying proper land for specific purposes so that marginal and degraded lands are given urgent measures to recover and would not be put under cultivation. It is recommended to formulate strategies for sustainable management of the current study area and other areas with similar geographic settings.
| Published in | Journal of Energy and Natural Resources (Volume 14, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13 |
| Page(s) | 38-53 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Baseline, Characterization, Constraints, Sampling Strategy, Socioeconomic, Birbo Watershed
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APA Style
Fikirie, K., Melese, A., Adugna, O. (2025). Household Livelihoods and Economic Activities in the Birbo Watershed, Central Ethiopia. Journal of Energy and Natural Resources, 14(2), 38-53. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13
ACS Style
Fikirie, K.; Melese, A.; Adugna, O. Household Livelihoods and Economic Activities in the Birbo Watershed, Central Ethiopia. J. Energy Nat. Resour. 2025, 14(2), 38-53. doi: 10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13
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Download@article{10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13,
author = {Kalkidan Fikirie and Ayalnesh Melese and Obsa Adugna},
title = {Household Livelihoods and Economic Activities in the Birbo Watershed, Central Ethiopia
},
journal = {Journal of Energy and Natural Resources},
volume = {14},
number = {2},
pages = {38-53},
doi = {10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jenr.20251402.13},
abstract = {Baseline characterization is essential to measure project performance and impact evaluation before making many interventions to project processes. The main objective of the study was to investigate the socioeconomic characterization in the Birbo watershed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire with face-to-face interviews with households at the catchment site. One hundred twenty (120) households were selected randomly and interviewed. Major constraints and opportunities were identified by using key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative data analysis was carried out by using descriptive, inferential statistics and STATA software. Results of the study showed that the majority of the sample households (83%) were male-headed households. In the Birbo watershed mixed farming systems (crop and livestock raring) are the major (93%) occupation of the sampled households. According to the survey result, Wheat, Barley, Teff, Faba Bean, Field peas, and Potato are the major crops produced in the Birbo watershed, 91, 81, 83, 46, 30, and 19%, respectively. In terms of land degradation, the watershed is characterized by high land degradation caused by deforestation, overgrazing, continuous cultivation, and inappropriate cultivation. Low adoption of improved crops and livestock technologies is also the other problem identified in the watershed. Livestock feed shortage, no AI service, low adoption of improved forage, and low access to the cattle market were major problems in the watershed. Institution services such as training, extension advisory, field day, financial services (access to loans), and rural roads were other constraints in the watershed. Therefore, the study suggests that an integrated approach is more important and necessary for the sustainable use of watershed resources, and further development in all aspects of the watershed should be implemented. It is necessary to put appropriate rural land use policy by identifying proper land for specific purposes so that marginal and degraded lands are given urgent measures to recover and would not be put under cultivation. It is recommended to formulate strategies for sustainable management of the current study area and other areas with similar geographic settings.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Household Livelihoods and Economic Activities in the Birbo Watershed, Central Ethiopia AU - Kalkidan Fikirie AU - Ayalnesh Melese AU - Obsa Adugna Y1 - 2025/05/29 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13 DO - 10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13 T2 - Journal of Energy and Natural Resources JF - Journal of Energy and Natural Resources JO - Journal of Energy and Natural Resources SP - 38 EP - 53 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7404 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20251402.13 AB - Baseline characterization is essential to measure project performance and impact evaluation before making many interventions to project processes. The main objective of the study was to investigate the socioeconomic characterization in the Birbo watershed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire with face-to-face interviews with households at the catchment site. One hundred twenty (120) households were selected randomly and interviewed. Major constraints and opportunities were identified by using key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative data analysis was carried out by using descriptive, inferential statistics and STATA software. Results of the study showed that the majority of the sample households (83%) were male-headed households. In the Birbo watershed mixed farming systems (crop and livestock raring) are the major (93%) occupation of the sampled households. According to the survey result, Wheat, Barley, Teff, Faba Bean, Field peas, and Potato are the major crops produced in the Birbo watershed, 91, 81, 83, 46, 30, and 19%, respectively. In terms of land degradation, the watershed is characterized by high land degradation caused by deforestation, overgrazing, continuous cultivation, and inappropriate cultivation. Low adoption of improved crops and livestock technologies is also the other problem identified in the watershed. Livestock feed shortage, no AI service, low adoption of improved forage, and low access to the cattle market were major problems in the watershed. Institution services such as training, extension advisory, field day, financial services (access to loans), and rural roads were other constraints in the watershed. Therefore, the study suggests that an integrated approach is more important and necessary for the sustainable use of watershed resources, and further development in all aspects of the watershed should be implemented. It is necessary to put appropriate rural land use policy by identifying proper land for specific purposes so that marginal and degraded lands are given urgent measures to recover and would not be put under cultivation. It is recommended to formulate strategies for sustainable management of the current study area and other areas with similar geographic settings. VL - 14 IS - 2 ER -
EIAR, Holeta Agricultural Research Centre, Holeta, Ethiopia
EIAR, Holeta Agricultural Research Centre, Holeta, Ethiopia
EIAR, Holeta Agricultural Research Centre, Holeta, Ethiopia
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