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Using satellite imagery to assess impacts of soil and water conservation measures : evidence from Ethiopia's Tana-Beles Watershed

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  • Ali,Daniel Ayalew
  • Deininger,Klaus W.
  • Monchuk,Daniel C.
Abstract
Although efforts at soil and water conservation are routinely viewed as instrumental in reducing vulnerability to climate change, their impact has rarely been quantified. Combining data on the timing and intensity of soil and water conservation interventions in select Ethiopian watersheds from 2009 to 2016 with a pixel-level panel of vegetative cover and soil moisture data derived from satellite imagery makes it possible to assess the biophysical impacts of such measures using a difference-in-differences specification. The results point toward significant effects overall that vary by season, and that tree planting and other soil and water conservation activities are more effective on degraded than cultivated land. The results are consistent with before-after regressions for daily sediment load and stream flows in a subset of micro-watersheds. It thus appears that satellite imagery can improve the design and near-real-time monitoring of sustainable land management interventions for watersheds and landscape.

Suggested Citation

  • Ali,Daniel Ayalew & Deininger,Klaus W. & Monchuk,Daniel C., 2018. "Using satellite imagery to assess impacts of soil and water conservation measures : evidence from Ethiopia's Tana-Beles Watershed," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8321, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:8321
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    Cited by:

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    2. Fahad Khan Khadim & Zoi Dokou & Rehenuma Lazin & Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou & Emmanouil Anagnostou, 2023. "Groundwater Modeling to Assess Climate Change Impacts and Sustainability in the Tana Basin, Upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, April.
    3. Andrea Pronti & Julio Berbel, 2020. "Analysis of the impact of a volumetric tariff for irrigation in Northern Italy through the “Inverse DiD†approach," SEEDS Working Papers 1320, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Jul 2020.
    4. Shaima A. Alnaqbi & Shamma Alasad & Haya Aljaghoub & Abdul Hai Alami & Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem & Abdul Ghani Olabi, 2022. "Applicability of Hydropower Generation and Pumped Hydro Energy Storage in the Middle East and North Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-27, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate Change and Agriculture; Natural Resources Management and Rural Issues; Inequality; Technology Industry; Technology Innovation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry
    • Q24 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Land
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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