dc.description.abstract |
Soil erosion is one of the most severe environmental problems in Ethiopia. To achieve problems
and poverty requires the active participation of people in SWC conservation practices. This
study aimed to analyze farmers’ willingness to participate in SWC in the case of Estie district,
South Gondar, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected
from primary and secondary sources. Data were collected through the semi-structured interview
from 152 farmers. The study employed frequency, means, percent, inferential statistics, and
ordered probit model for data analysis purpose. The investigation shows that out of total sample
households 34.21, 50, and 15.79 percent of households were low, medium, and high
participation levels. Crop rotation mixed cropping, crop residue or mulching and planting, stone
bund, soil bund, stone-faced soil bund, and waterway were the common SWC method in the study
area. Only 7.24 percent of sampled HHs participated by self initiation and 31.58 and 36.18
percent of sampled household heads did participate in the evaluation and planning phase of
SWC practices respectively. Age, off-farm income, farmers' awareness of the soil erosion
problem, and access to training, farmer participation, distance to farm plot, and extension
services, land tenure, and family size were all significant variables. Off these off-farm income,
participation of farmers, distance to farm plot, and family size influencing farmers’ willingness
to participate in SWC practice negatively. Labor shortage, lack of information, land shortage,
poor resource endowments, wasting of the farm, harbors of rodents, lack of neighbors' work
initiations, and lack of trust were the basic challenges of farmers’ willingness to participate in
SWC practice. The finding of this study indicated few of the sampled HHs were participating in
SWC practices by their own initiatives, and most SWC are designed, evaluated, and planned by
development experts of each district. Farmers were only interested in activities that would
provide them with a short-term benefit. Plantation SWC practice performance, for example, is
extremely poor. Policymakers, the agricultural office, extension experts, and development agents
should give due attention to those significant variables that determine farmers' willingness to
participate in SWC measures.
Keywords: farmers, ordered probit model, soil and water conservation, willingness. |
en_US |