Research Article EffectivenessofCommunity-BasedSoilandWaterConservationin Improving Soil Property in Damota Area, Southern Ethiopia Mamush Masha , 1,2 Teshome Yirgu, 2 Mulugeta Debele, 2 and Mengie Belayneh 1,2 1 Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Mettu University, Mettu, Ethiopia 2 Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia Correspondence should be addressed to Mamush Masha; prssh-1009-10@amu.edu.et Received 27 January 2021; Revised 10 March 2021; Accepted 8 April 2021; Published 22 April 2021 Academic Editor: Amaresh K. Nayak Copyright © 2021 Mamush Masha et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Soilandwaterconservation(SWC)isbeingadvocatedasanintegralpartofagriculturallandmanagementasitnotonlycontrols/ minimizessoilerosionbutalsorestores/rehabilitatesthedegradedlands.epurposeofthisstudywastoevaluatetheimpactof soil and water conservation practices in improving soil fertility in the agricultural landscapes of the Damota area, southern Ethiopia. Forty-eight soil samples (both disturbed and core samples) were collected from the conserved and adjacent non- conservedplots.esignificanceanalysistestwasperformedusinganalysisofvariance.eresultofthestudyshowedthathigher meanvaluesofsoilphysicochemicalpropertieswereobservedintheconservedplotthanitsnonconservedcounterpart.emean differences of organic carbon, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable K + and Ca 2+ between conserved and nonconserved plots were statistically significant at the P < 0.01 level. Besides, available phosphorous and bulk density were significantat P < 0.05,buttheeffectofSWCpracticeswasnotfoundsignificantonsoiltexture,soilpH,andexchangeableNa + and Mg 2+ content of the soil in the Damota area. Community-based soil and water conservation practices have improved the soil fertility in agricultural landscapes, although significant results have been observed in some fertility indicators. erefore, strengthening the implementation of conservation measures by participating in all stakeholders is recommended. Supporting physical structures by agronomic and vegetative measures and continued maintenance can bring better results. 1. Introduction Land is an important bridge to achieve the UNs sustainable development goals linked with food, water, climate, and health; as a result, high pressure on this resource is to be expected [1, 2]. erefore, avoiding further land degrada- tion,harmonizeduseofthefunctioningofthelandandsoil- watersystemsandchangingthestakeholders’attitudeisvital [1].However,landdegradationandassociatedconsequences hasdiminishedtheproductivepotentialoftheland[3],and one-thirdoftheworld’sagriculturallandhasbeendegraded and becoming a great challenge to current and future food security [3]. It is a threatening environmental problem in Ethiopia [4, 5]. Soil erosion is identified as the foremost cause of land degradationmainlyintherainfedagriculturallandscapesof Ethiopia [6]. Water-induced soil erosion is the removal of top fertile soil as a result of erosive rainfall and consequent runoff [1]. It is a global environmental problem that exerts influence on the productivity of agriculture and other natural ecosystems and threatens the livelihoods of most smallholder farmers [3, 4]. e problem particularly in the highland portion of the country is among the highest at the world level [7, 8]. Besides, it is becoming a threat to sus- tainable agriculture in these areas [4, 9]. Although, soil erosion initiated and further exacerbated byseveralnaturalandmanmadefactors[10],theproblemis highly associated with anthropogenic factors [4–6]. Several previous research results reported that the problem of soil erosionhasbeenexacerbatedalongwithpopulationpressure and associated factors [4–6, 11]. e modification of the naturalcoverofthelandrelatedwithpoorlandmanagement Hindawi Applied and Environmental Soil Science Volume 2021, Article ID 5510587, 11 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5510587