Abstract. Gully erosion can be combatted in severely affected regions like sub-Saharan Africa using various low-cost interventions that are accessible to affected farmers. For successful implementation, however, biophysical evidence of intervention effectiveness needs to be validated against the interests and priorities of local communities. Working with farmers in a watershed in southern Ethiopia, we investigated (a) the effectiveness of low-cost gully rehabilitation measures to reduce soil loss and upward expansion of gully heads; (b) how farmers and communities view gully interventions; and (c) whether involving farmers in on-farm field trials to demonstrate gully interventions improves uptake, knowledge, and perceptions of their capacity to act. On-farm field experiments, key-informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household surveys were used to collect and analyse data. Three gully treatments were explored, all with riprap, one with grass planting, and one with grass planting and check-dam integration. Over a period of 26 months, these low-cost practices ceased measurable gully head expansion, whereas untreated gullies had a mean upward expansion of 671 cm, resulting in a calculated soil loss of 11.0 t. Farmers had a positive view of all gully rehabilitation measures explored. Ongoing rehabilitation activities and on-farm trials influenced the knowledge and understanding of similar gully treatments among survey respondents. On-farm experiments and field day demonstrations empowered farmers to act, addressing pessimism from some respondents about their capacity to do so.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚南部的沟壑修复——对农民的价值和影响


摘要。在撒哈拉以南非洲等受影响严重的地区，可以使用受影响农民可以利用的各种低成本干预措施来对抗沟渠侵蚀。然而，为了成功实施，需要根据当地社区的利益和优先事项来验证干预措施有效性的生物物理证据。我们与埃塞俄比亚南部流域的农民合作，调查了（a）低成本沟壑修复措施对减少土壤流失和沟头向上扩张的有效性； (b) 农民和社区如何看待沟渠干预措施； (c) 让农民参与农场田间试验来展示沟渠干预措施是否可以提高他们的行动能力、知识和认知。通过农场田间实验、关键信息访谈、焦点小组讨论和入户调查来收集和分析数据。探索了三种沟渠处理方式，全部采用抛石，一种采用植草，一种采用植草与淤地坝一体化。在 26 个月的时间里，这些低成本做法停止了可测量的沟头扩张，而未经处理的沟渠平均向上扩张了 671 厘米，导致计算出的土壤流失量为 11.0 吨。农民对所有探索的沟渠修复措施都持积极态度。正在进行的恢复活动和农场试验影响了调查受访者对类似沟渠处理的认识和理解。农场实验和田间示范使农民能够采取行动，消除了一些受访者对其行动能力的悲观情绪。