Abstract:
As ill most parts of Ethiopia, soil degradation has posed a serious clwlfenge to the productivity
·· ofagriculture in the higlt rainfall areas <>/De.bub Achefe» Woreda ofthe Amhara Regional State.
Crop productivity in the study area is further constrained hy weeds which are favored by the
high rainfall c111d temperature characterizing 1h1< area, Current weed control practices invo!l'ing
repeater/ plowiugs tofsen up tofour times) and hand p1tlliJ1g imposes not only high productio»
costs but also aggravated soil degradation affecting the sustainability of agricultural production.
/11 w1 auempt to improve a,~rfoullural productivity and reduce soil degradation, conservation
ti/la,e,e (CT) uschnology involving =ero tillage with or wishoui pre-emergence hcrbicule was
introduced i11 Debub ~chefer woreda since 10U8. This study, thereiore, explored the
conservation tillag(i adoption decision behavior of smallholder formers in the D<,b11b Achcfcr
woreda of the Amhara Regional State. A simple random sampling procedure ""s 1.1,,ed w iduitif.v
rural kebele admiustrutions (RKA.si and then househoids. Fimdl_v, a total of 122 housebok) heads
wcr« selected randomly using' probability proportional to size from the identified RKAs. /Joth
qualitative' and qnansitative data •vcre collected from the sampled households. While the
q11a!i!h1ive data wei'e generated ji-0111 focus group discussions and kc<y informants using check
lists, quantitative data 1vere collected from sampled households using structured interview
schedule. The structured interview schedule 11-•ts pre-tested, revised and 1he11 administered by
well-traiped enumerators recruited from the study area. Descriptive statistics such as meat~
standard deviations and frequencies wi!re used to summarize the data whil« binary logistic
mud~/ were fiued to iclemijy ihe most important variables influencing CJ' adoptlon decision
behavior of sample households. S!.!uly results revealed that 18.9 % of sample farmers adopted
CT during the study year. Friends, neighbors and development agents W('re found to he th«
major sources ofknowledge .~uggestingjamu:r to farmer conununication plays a crucial role? in
knowledge I.ransJi:r i11 the study area, Resuhs of the economesric (binary logistic) model
indicated that farming experience of household heads, land holding, social panicipation and
frequency ofparticipation in training were found to have negative and significant injhwncc 011
adoption of conservation tillag« technology jiu-tl1er sign!(y;ng the importance of appropriate
communication strategies in technology adoption. Generally; th« result of ibis study indicates
that adoption of conservation tillage te.~hnolt.•gy is a result of 011 interplay of several factors.
which should be given due attention in th« generation and transfer of agricultural technologies
including conservation tillage.
A RS TRACT