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Contour Stone Walls

Careful selection of adequate measures
Each habitat is  a unique economical and socio-economical system. Possible solutions for an effective and sustainable combat against desertification must therefore be carefully and individually selected, tested and then implemented on a large scale.

On the Central Plateau soil and water conservation measures are the most effective solution. The experience made in the last 25 years is proof of this statement, because the prerequisites are given:

• High population density and thus pressure for innovations

• Big and highly motivated manpower potential

• Availability of sufficient stones

Soil and Water Conservation (SWC)
Goal is to maintain the resources soil and water on land endangered by soil erosion by means of adequate measures and to increase their usability. There are various techniques: 

• Trenches, earth and stone walls

• Hedges, trees (against wind erosion)

• Fallow period, crop rotation

 Central Plateau: Contour stone walls are the basis for all other measures
All the above mentioned techniques on the Central Plateau are effective and should be implemented. But in many cases the farmland is so badly degraded that only the construction of contour stone walls can bring about the decisive change.  

Simple technique / Many impacts
Building contour stone walls is a traditional method of soil and water conservation, which was improved with the help of projects and innovative farmers.

The stone walls are positioned along the contours. There are different ways of placing the stones, depending on the slope and the amount of water. Compared to earth walls, the stone walls are permeable. The flow speed of the run-off water is slowed down and the water can spread over the whole field.

Impacts

Water runoff is slowed down, infiltration of water is improved and erosion reduced. At the same time sediment deposits are retained and soil fertility is increased. The main effects are: 

• increase of agricultural productivity

• yields are guaranteed, also in years with irregular rainfalls

• the ground water level is raised thus improving the growth of trees and bushes

• a higher ground water level also improves the efficiency of wells for drinking water

Construction of contour stone walls
Per ha (100m x 100m) about 50 tons of stones (10 truck loads) are required. Approximately 150 people are required to break the stones in the quarry on only a single day.

Determination of contours
Even on the slightest slopes the rain water can run off so quickly that the soil erodes. So stone walls must be built along the contours and positioned at the right distance from one another: the steeper the slope, the smaller the gap between the stones.

Many hard-working people are required to break and load the stones.

For one ha the truck has to drive ten times to supply the farmers with enough stones for building the stone walls.

Only carefully positioned stones have the desired effect.

Left of the stone wall millet can be grown again.

The picture is self explanatory!

20 years ago this area was an unfertile steppe.

Training material for the farmer advisors

The contours are determined with tube water levels.

For this purpose PATECORE has trained more than 2.000 farmers as advisors for the villages.

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