Estimation of Soil Erosion Potential and Its Correlation with Irrigation Characteristics for Sustainable Organic Agriculture: A Case of the Dieng Region - Indonesia

Dieng is one of the main horticultural agricultural areas in Indonesia, with potatoes as its flagship commodity. However, this region faces challenges of soil erosion due to steep topography, high rainfall, and changes in land use. The characteristics of the irrigation system, such as type, frequency, and duration, are suspected to contribute to the rate of erosion. This study aimed to find the potential relationship between irrigation characteristics and erosion rates in the catchment area of Kepakisan Village, Dieng, to support more sustainable organic agricultural land management. The methods used include determining the catchment area, selecting soil sample points for soil erodibility analysis, and collecting irrigation characteristic data through interviews at eroded land points. The prediction of erosion potential was calculated spatially using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) method and, while the potential relationship between irrigation characteristics and erosion was examined descriptively using a convergent parallel design mixed method approach. This study revealed that the erosion potential in the study area was dominated by the heavy and very heavy categories, covering 151.34 ha (36.47) and 232.50 ha (56.02), respectively, while the moderate category only covers 31.18 ha (7.51). The main factors influencing erosion were slope gradient and high rainfall. The irrigation characteristics in eroded land were dominated by a sprinkler system with a duration of 2-24 hours per session and varying frequency, depending on the slope, rainfall, rotation, and number of sprinklers. There were indications that the technical characteristics of irrigation have the potential to indirectly affect erosion through soil saturation and surface runoff, but this relationship has not been empirically proven in this study. Therefore, further studies with an experimental approach are needed to test the direct influence of irrigation technical variables on erosion rates and soil quality. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.