Station Overview

Location

37°38’ E / 6°56’ N. Region: Sidamo; 16 km

WNW of Sodo

Altitudinal

1982 – 2103 m asl

Catchment size

Hydrological catchment: 166.8 ha, thereof:

72.8 ha in the treated sub-catchment and

94 ha in the untreated sub-catchment.

Topographical catchment: 169.1 ha, thereof:

77.6 ha in the treated sub-catchment and

91.5 ha in the untreated sub-catchment

Climate

According to Thornthwaite: humid

Mean annual temperature: 18.8 °C

Mean annual rainfall: 1341 mm

Length of growing period: 284 days

Geology

Trapp series of Tertiary volcanic eruptions;

ignimbrites, rhyolites, trachites, and tuffs

Soils

Mainly Nitosols and Acrisols, few

Phaeozems and Fluvisols

Soil degradation status

Medium degradation. Soil fertility

restricted by phosphorus and nitrogen

deficiency

Agro-ecological classification

Wet Weyna Dega

Farming system

Rainfed, subsistence-oriented farming

system with ox-ploughing; Ensete and

coffee as perennial crops

Main crops

Belg: maize and chilli pepper

Kremt: tef and sweet potatoes

Climax vegetation

Broadleaf forest. Dominant trees are

Cordia abyssinica, Croton macrostachus

and Podocarpus gracilior

Population density (catchment)

1983: 490 inhabitants per km2

1987: 570 inhabitants per km2

Mean size of landholdings

1987: 0.5 ha per farm (estimation on the

basis of the catchment; some families own

land outside the catchment border too)

Livestock holdings (catchment)

1983: mean total herd size per family:

3 animals, thereof: 0.4 oxen

Station established in

March 1981