Abstract

The study assessed erosion control measures adopted by rural farmers in Ikeduru local government area (LGA) of Imo State, Nigeria. Two-stage sampling procedure was used to select 120 rural farmers. Data were gathered on erosion prevalence and control measures in the study area. Data collection was through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using mean and percentage. Findings revealed that water erosion (x?= 4.09), wind erosion (x?=3.25) and gully erosion (x? =3.08) were the most prevalent forms of soil erosion. Furthermore, planting trees on the farm to serve as windbreaks (=3.61), planting trees on the farm to serve as shade against harsh temperatures (=3.53), planting of cover crops (=3.45), mulching (=3.27) and using improved crop varieties (=3.22) were the erosion control measures adopted by rural farmers. The study recommended that extension agents should continuously educate rural farmers on the need for the consistent adoption of appropriate erosion control measures that would assist farmers in coping with the high prevalence of soil erosion in the study area.

PDF