Soil erosion mapping using GIS based model in agricultural area of Progo watershed, Central Java, Indonesia

Soil erosion remains a strenuous problem for agricultural practices, particularly in tropical regions as happened in Indonesia. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of soil erosion in agricultural areas of a tropical watershed. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in a Geographic Information System (GIS) was used for soil erosion assessment. RUSLE model parameters were collected from various sources. Soil erosion was classified into five classes such as very low (0-15 t ha-1 yr-1), low (15-60 t ha-1 yr-1), moderate (60-180 t ha-1 yr-1), heavy (180-480 t ha-1 yr-1), and very heavy (>480 t ha-1 yr-1). The result showed that the average soil erosion in the study site was 71.1 t ha-1 yr-1. More than 50 of the study site was occupied by very low class soil erosion, while heavy and very heavy class soil erosion occupied more than 20 of the study site. The finding of this study provides a useful reference for soil erosion control and studies.