Land use /land cover change and its implications on socioeconomic condition of farmers in Machakel Woreda, Ethiopia

Abstract

Land use / land cover changes derived from the natural process and anthropogenic interference in ecosystem. Appropriate management of natural resources requires quick and upto- date information for effective decision-making. The main objective of this research is to investigate the effects of land use /land cover (LULC) change on the socio-economic conditions of Machakel woreda. Remote sensing and geographic information system approaches are employed and socioeconomic survey was also conducted to see the impacts of land use / land cover change on socioeconomic condition of farmers. Results of the analysis indicated that farmland and settlements increased consistently every year with the rate of 7.59 km2 (1.02%) per year. The main driving forces of these changes are the population pressure and associated higher demand of land for farm and housing purpose. Shortage of clean water, higher rate of soil erosion, lower crop productivity, and land share related conflicts in the study area are also considered as main causes. Increasing number of animal population in contrast to the decreasing amount of grazing lands created the overgrazing of the area, which results loss of top soil through erosion. This fact calls for the need of taking measures like income diversification for agricultural families and a different way of rearing cattle than keeping them on the already over grazed lands.