Farmers' Perception of Water Management under Drought Conditions in the Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia

A survey was conducted in the Upper Awash River Basin, Ethiopia, to assess agricultural water management practices adopted by the farmers under drought conditions. The results show that on average drought prevails in the area once every two years and causes damage to both crops and livestock. Consequently, under such drought conditions, the farming communities have adopted various coping strategies and important among them are the sale of labour and sale of livestock and their products. The survey results also reveal that farmers in the rainfed agriculture areas practise mainly contour bunding to mitigate drought impacts.