Abstract

Conducting a baseline study before implementing any project in the watershed is crucial for evaluating the impacts of a project intervention on socio-economic status. This study was designed to characterize the socio-economic status of the Garamulata community watershed in the Shashamane district and to provide baseline data and information for further project monitoring and evaluation of the intervention. We used a systematic and simple random sampling method to select 113 sample households. A descriptive statistics method of data analysis was employed. The study found that about 99% of household respondents had an average of 0.58 hectares of land for annual crops, indicating a high shortage of land in the watershed. Constraints hindering the development of communities in the watershed included soil erosion, shortage of land, declining soil fertility, deforestation, lack of agricultural input, poor road access, shortage of livestock feed and fodder, and population density. The community watershed is poorly equipped with both physical and biological soil and water conservation structures. However, there are opportunities such as suitable agro-ecology, labor force, schools, and informal institutions that need to be capitalized on in the community watershed. Therefore, efforts to improve lives in the community watershed should focus on addressing these constraints in the future.

Key words: Baseline study, watershed, monitor and evaluation, impact.