Soil Erosion Risk Assessment—A Key to Conservation Planning in the Ethiopian Highland in East Hararghe

Spatial modeling and detailed erosion risk analysis provide robust insights into what must be done and where to improve ecosystems. This chapter presents a comprehensive soil erosionSoil erosion estimate using an empirical modeling approach incorporating remote sensingRemote sensing and GIS techniques in the East Hararghe Zone in EthiopiaEthiopia. First, we present soil loss rates and dynamics of soil erosion risk during the past three decades (1990–2020). Second, we explore conventional conservation practices that could reduce soil loss in croplands. Annual soil loss was estimated to be 9.16 Mt yr−1 in 1990, 14.02 Mt yr−1 in 2000, 12.20 Mt yr−1 in 2010, and 10.84 Mt yr−1 in 2020, with respective average rates (t ha−1 yr−1) of 32.94, 50.42, 43.84, and 38.99, showing an 18.37% increase from 1990 to 2020. The results show that over two-thirds of the study area is susceptible to low erosion risk, accounting for a smaller share of the annual soil loss rates. Districts with elevated erosion risk, contributing to more than 80% of soil loss, are situated in mountainous landscapes in the northwest, necessitating priority for soil and water conservation (SWC) practices. Based on standard conservation practices for cropland fields, our key findings show that terracing, strip cropping and contouring could reduce the average erosion rate by 87.05%, 64.66%, and 29.32%, respectively. The research showcases the effectiveness of sustainable land management (SLM) and emphasizes the importance of conducting a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to develop and execute optimal conservation measures.