s:1412:"%T Soil and water conservation manual for Eritrea 
%A Negassi A 
%A Bein E 
%A Ghebru K 
%A Tengnas B 
%X Soil and water conservation has a long history in Eritrea. Farming has been going on forthousands of years, and traditional conservation methods have evolved at the local level.During the colonial period massive physical soil conservation structures were constructedand millions of tree seedlings planted. But the success of these measures was limited dueto poor management and little follow-up.After independence, a series of painstaking soil conservation activities was carried outon degraded catchments, including croplands, by mobilizing local communities. Hillsideterraces were constructed on uncultivated land, and trees and shrubs planted. Bench ter-races, soil bunds and stone bunds have been constructed on cultivated land, check-damsconstructed along waterways to reduce sedimentation and run-off, and in the lower partsof watersheds gullies have been treated.In spite of this long history of large-scale investment on soil and water conservation inEritrea, there was no literature available documenting these efforts or giving relevantdata and information. Thus, it was felt there was a need for a handbook on the subject andthe Eritrea Ministry of Agriculture and the Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA)agreed to collaborate to produce such a handbook specific to Eritrean conditions. 
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