Determinants of the Adoption of Improved Soil and Water Conservation Structures among Smallholder Farmers’ in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: Gubalafto and Were’elu Watersheds in focus

Abstract

This study seeks to analyze the determinants to the adoption of improved soil and water conservation structures among smallholder farmers in the Gubalafto and Were’elu watersheds of the Amhara region, Ethiopia. A comprehensive methodology involving household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews and field observations were employed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were obtained from 348 randomly selected household heads while qualitative data were derived from focus group discussion , key informant interview and field observation. The results of the logit model reveal that Adoption of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) practice is significantly and positively related to farm size (significant at P<0.05), slope (significant at P<0.10), credit access (significant at P<0.05), gender (significant at P<0.05) and land tenure security (significant at p<0.10) while age and farming experience with negative coefficient is (significant at p<0.10). Furthermore, the logit model predictions show that a higher percentage of farmers (74.7%) choose not to adopt the most recommended SWC practices such as stone bunds, soil bunds, stone terracing, and cut-off drains. Consequently, it is evident that interventions aimed at enhancing farmers’ capacity to adopt improved SWC techniques should prioritize addressing these disparities from a livelihood perspective. In end, this study recommends the imperative need for targeted interventions that address the identified challenges, thereby fostering the adoption of improved SWC structures among smallholder farmers in the Ethiopian highlands.