Table S1 Detailed description of a developed criterion for inclusion and exclusion of literature

Study area

Four regional states (Oromia, Amhara, SNNP, and Tigray) (Fig. 1)

All regional states except four regions

Characteristics of the study area

Mean annual temperature, mean annual rainfall, mean altitude, SWC practices, and crop cultivation

All except the selected characteristics

Physical structure

Soil bund, Fanya juu, Stone bund, and stone-faced soil bund, let it (A)

All physical structures except the selected one (A)

Biological measure

Forage (e.g., grasses or shrubs) used as a hedgerow or grass strip, let it (B)

All biological measures used as SWC practices except for the selected (B)

Integrated SWC practices (physical + biological)

A + B means that biological SWC practices which are used as physical structure stabilizer, let it (C)

All expect the combination of A + B SWC practices

Land use

Farmland, which is treated with either by A, B, or C and untreated farmland adjacently

All land-use types except farmland treated with either A, B, or C and its untreated farmland adjacently

Year of publication

Literature which was published between 2010 up to 2020, about the effects of A, B, and C SWC practices on selected (D and E) soil physicochemical properties and crop yield

All published literature before 2010

Soil chemical property

Available phosphorus (Ava. P), Total nitrogen (TN), soil reaction (pH), soil organic matter (SOM), and soil organic carbon (SOC), let it (D)

All soil chemical properties except the selected one (D)

Soil physical property

Bunk density (BD)

Silt, sand, and clay, let it (E)

All soil physical properties except the selected one (E)

Crop yield

All cereal crop yields collected from treated farmland with A, B, and C and untreated land adjacently

All crops except the included one

Year (age) of SWC practices

This is based on the time interval between the implementation of SWC practices up to evaluation. Thus, the year of SWC practices must be greater than or equal to 2 years

Year of SWC practice for less than 2 years