Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal
Soil erosion is a major concern for the environment and natural resources leading to a serious threat to agricultural productivity and one of the major causes of land degradation in the mid-hills region of Nepal. An accurate assessment of soil erosion is needed to reduce the problem of soil loss in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5747138 |
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| author | Dinesh Bhandari Rajeev Joshi Raju Raj Regmi Nripesh Awasthi |
| author_facet | Dinesh Bhandari Rajeev Joshi Raju Raj Regmi Nripesh Awasthi |
| author_sort | Dinesh Bhandari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil erosion is a major concern for the environment and natural resources leading to a serious threat to agricultural productivity and one of the major causes of land degradation in the mid-hills region of Nepal. An accurate assessment of soil erosion is needed to reduce the problem of soil loss in highly fragile mountainous areas. The present study aimed to assess spatial soil loss rate and identified risk areas and their perceived impact on agricultural productivity by using the Revised Morgan–Morgan–Finney (RMMF) model and social survey in the Rangun watershed of Dadeldhura district, Nepal. Soil erosion was assessed by using data on soil, digital elevation model, rainfall, land use, and land cover visually interpreted from multitemporal satellite images, and ILWIS 3.3 academic software was used to perform the model. A household questionnaire survey (n = 120) and focus group discussion (n = 2) in identified risk areas were carried out to understand the people’s perception towards soil erosion and its impact on agricultural productivity. The predicted average soil erosions from the forest, agriculture, and barren land were 2.7 t ha−1 yr−1, 53.73 t ha−1 yr−1, and 462.59 t ha−1 yr−1, respectively. The erosion risk area under very low to low, moderate to moderately high, and high to very high covers 92.32%, 4.96%, and 2.73%, respectively. It indicates that the rate of soil erosion was lower in forest areas, whereas it was higher in the barren land. The cropped area of the watershed has been reduced by 2.96 ha−1 yr−1, and productivity has been decreased by 0.238 t ha−1 yr−1. The impacts such as removal of topsoil (weighted mean = 4.19) and gully formation (weighted mean = 3.56) were the highest perceived factors causing productivity decline due to erosion. People perceived the impact of erosion in agricultural productivity differently (∗significant at P≤0.05). The study concluded that, comparatively, barren and agricultural lands seem more susceptible to erosion, so the long-term conservation and management investment in susceptible areas for restoration, protection, and socioeconomic support contribute significantly to land rehabilitation in the Rangun watershed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9088321087c8494e86c0b9bb82749f7d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-7667 1687-7675 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-9088321087c8494e86c0b9bb82749f7d2025-02-03T06:12:52ZengWileyApplied and Environmental Soil Science1687-76671687-76752021-01-01202110.1155/2021/57471385747138Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, NepalDinesh Bhandari0Rajeev Joshi1Raju Raj Regmi2Nripesh Awasthi3Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Post Box No.: 43, Hariyo Kharka-15, Pokhara, Gandaki, NepalFaculty of Forestry, Amity Global Education (Lord Buddha College), CTEVT, Tokha-11, Kathmandu 44600, NepalTribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Post Box No.: 43, Hariyo Kharka-15, Pokhara, Gandaki, NepalMinistry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, Kailali, Sudurpaschim, NepalSoil erosion is a major concern for the environment and natural resources leading to a serious threat to agricultural productivity and one of the major causes of land degradation in the mid-hills region of Nepal. An accurate assessment of soil erosion is needed to reduce the problem of soil loss in highly fragile mountainous areas. The present study aimed to assess spatial soil loss rate and identified risk areas and their perceived impact on agricultural productivity by using the Revised Morgan–Morgan–Finney (RMMF) model and social survey in the Rangun watershed of Dadeldhura district, Nepal. Soil erosion was assessed by using data on soil, digital elevation model, rainfall, land use, and land cover visually interpreted from multitemporal satellite images, and ILWIS 3.3 academic software was used to perform the model. A household questionnaire survey (n = 120) and focus group discussion (n = 2) in identified risk areas were carried out to understand the people’s perception towards soil erosion and its impact on agricultural productivity. The predicted average soil erosions from the forest, agriculture, and barren land were 2.7 t ha−1 yr−1, 53.73 t ha−1 yr−1, and 462.59 t ha−1 yr−1, respectively. The erosion risk area under very low to low, moderate to moderately high, and high to very high covers 92.32%, 4.96%, and 2.73%, respectively. It indicates that the rate of soil erosion was lower in forest areas, whereas it was higher in the barren land. The cropped area of the watershed has been reduced by 2.96 ha−1 yr−1, and productivity has been decreased by 0.238 t ha−1 yr−1. The impacts such as removal of topsoil (weighted mean = 4.19) and gully formation (weighted mean = 3.56) were the highest perceived factors causing productivity decline due to erosion. People perceived the impact of erosion in agricultural productivity differently (∗significant at P≤0.05). The study concluded that, comparatively, barren and agricultural lands seem more susceptible to erosion, so the long-term conservation and management investment in susceptible areas for restoration, protection, and socioeconomic support contribute significantly to land rehabilitation in the Rangun watershed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5747138 |
| spellingShingle | Dinesh Bhandari Rajeev Joshi Raju Raj Regmi Nripesh Awasthi Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| title | Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal |
| title_full | Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal |
| title_short | Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal |
| title_sort | assessment of soil erosion and its impact on agricultural productivity by using the rmmf model and local perception a case study of rangun watershed of mid hills nepal |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5747138 |
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