Abstract:
This study was carried out in Boreda woreda, which is frequently food insecure area that has
affected the rural livelihood of watershed community. It attempts to assess the impact of the
integrated watershed management practice on improving rural livelihood in the Chilame
watershed. The watershed based program impact is assessed in terms of the status of
watershed management, the challenges of watershed management, the contribution of
watershed management on rural livelihood of household income, agricultural productivity,
environmental rehabilitations, water availability and related indicators. The data sources for
research were used from primary and secondary source. A combination of quantitative and
qualitative research methods was employed. As part of quantitative and qualitative research
methods, primary data were collected by means of survey questionnaire from systematically
random sample selected respondent groups, interview and focus group discussions
respectively. As a tool of analysis descriptive statistical analysis, such as frequency,
percentage and SPSS used for management were used to check the significant impact of
water shed management on rural livelihood. A total Sample of 145 respondents were
systematic randomly selected from the total house hold head of the sample frame 3915. The
study finding show that the watershed management practice in the study area had brought
progressive impacts in terms of improving livelihood of rural household through improved
Agricultural activity, the practice had brought visible vegetation cover and water discharge
in downstream of watershed. However, institutionalizing the structure of watershed
managing body at grass root level had serious challenge in the study watershed. In addition
to this the study results shows stockholder cooperation, policy issue and its proper
implementation has serious problem for sustainable watershed management. The youth and
women were less benefited from integrated watershed management than men in the study
watershed. However, the results of the study showed that watershed management program
has brought positive impact on the level of productivity, environmental improvement and
water availability in the area. Therefore, for the sustainability of these impacts needs proper
policy and institutional set up of the watershed approach should be devised to ensure the
livelihood rural household.
