Impacts of Best Management Practices on Runoff, Soil Loss, and Sediment Yield in the Megech Watershed, Ethiopia

This study evaluated the best management practices on how to manage soil losses from catchment and reduce sediment load into a dam reservoir. aimed evaluate relationship of runoff, loss, yield with practice (BMP) scenarios in GeoWEPP environment for selected three micro-watersheds (hot spot areas) Megech watershed, upper Blue Nile Basin. The impacts four agricultural BMP scenarios, including forest five years old, corn, soybean; wheat, alfalfa (4 yr) no till; soybean, conservation winter wheat mulch till, were quantified. results revealed that loss ranges between 41.45–66.11 t/ha/year rates 36.5–54.8 baseline situation (conventional tillage condition) found be higher than tolerable (10 t/ha/year) region. Implementing BMPs crop land has positive all variables’ reductions. Among implemented BMPs, forests five-year perennial (agroforestry) option showed highest rate reduction yield, but cost benefit analysis was included this choose among BMPs. also identified play great role reducing watershed minimize on- off-site impacts. In general, it is important consider will change throughout project’s implementation at level future.