Farmers perceptions and the technical quality of soil and water conservation practices in the Weregen watershed Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) efforts continue to face sustainability challenges, mainly due to insufficient attention to technical quality and a disconnect between standardized guidelines and the actual needs, interests, and skills of local communities. However, empirical evidence on farmers’ perspectives regarding the technical quality and the proper implementation of SWC measures remains limited. This study aimed to assess farmers’ perceptions and identify factors associated with the technical quality of SWC practices in the Weregen watershed of Tarmaber District, Ethiopia. Through a purposively selected sample of 115 households and two focus group discussions, data were collected and then analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression in SPSS version 26. The findings indicate that although 85.5% of respondents recognized the importance of adhering to technical standards of SWC measures, only 11.5% reported implementing them accordingly. Key reasons for this gap included inadequate technical capacity among trained guides (farmers selected for guiding SWC works), prioritization of area coverage over quality, knowledge, and skills gaps, and the impracticality of some recommended standards. Binary logistic regression results further revealed that long-term residency (1.9 times), larger landholding size (1.5 times), Adequate availability of labor (2.12 times), SWC works experience (2.64 times), higher education level (2.53 times), and access to training (3.42 times) significantly increased the likelihood of applying technically sound SWC practices. These results suggest that improving technical quality requires strengthening local capacity, aligning technical standards with local conditions, and enhancing institutional support mechanisms. Accordingly, targeted capacity-building programs, comprehensive training for both farmers and trained guides, contextualization of technical guidelines, and reinforced technical support from development agents are critical to ensuring the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of SWC interventions.