Advances in quantifying soil organic carbon under different land uses in Ethiopia: a review and synthesis

Abstract

Our review indicated that 33.3% of the studies reported soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, 13.9% reported only SOC stock while 52.8% reported both SOC concentration and stock. Studies focusing on 0–30 cm only were 44%, other studies extending up to 40 to 100 cm were 50%, and studies extending to more than 100 cm accounted for 2.8% while studies without any depth specification accounted for 2.8%. Irrespective of soil type, C stocks in the top soil (0–30 cm) were found to be higher than at subsoil depths. Even though there is significant improvement in C sequestration in exclosures and community forests, the level of C sequestered is still below that of church forests.