Abstract: This paper examines the potential and limitations of the main indigenous structural soil conservation technology of southern Welo, the weber, as a point of departure for the development of sustainable soil conservation technology for the region. The study is based on an investigation of the characteristics, use, limitations and strengths of the indigenous conservation practice in a representative catchment of about 1520 ha. Questionnaire surveys, group discussions, field observations and aerial photograph interpretation were utilized to generate the data required for the analysis. The findings show that weber comprises a series of discontinuous bunds and terraces that develop from narrow strips of land left under grass or stone lines. The indigenous technology has a number of advantages over the newly introduced conservation measures. It is not only compatible with the environment, land use, the farming system and the objectives of the farming community but also easy to implement and gradually adopt on an incremental basis. However, the technology is not without drawbacks and its success as a basis for the development of sustainable soil conservation programme very much depends on the solutions sought to these limitations.