Abstract
ABSTRACT
In order to combat land degradation in the form of water erosion and fertility depletion in the Central Rift Valley (CRV) of
Ethiopia farmers are of crucial importance. If they perceive land degradation as a problem they will be more willing to invest in land
management measures. This study presents farmers’ perceptions of land degradation, respective investments, and factors influencing
their investments in land. In this study, water erosion and fertility depletion are taken as main indicators of land degradation. Results
show that farmers perceive water erosion and soil fertility depletion as problems that have intensified over the last decade. However,
despite awareness of these problems, farmers’ investments to control soil erosion and soil fertility depletion are very limited. This
study shows that the major factors that positively influence farmers’ investments in land management practices are households’
resource endowments, access to information, social capital and availability of family labor. For sustainable land management
strategies this implies that these should (i) be integrated within a comprehensive rural development strategy that generates
improvements of farmers’ livelihoods and their financial capacity, (ii) trigger social capital and create enabling conditions for farmers
to participate in different groups, cross site visits and farmer-to-farmer experience sharing, and (iii) stimulate collective action within
the villages in order to enhance access to labor which is crucial for carrying out land management practices.
Key words: Land degradation, farmers’ investments, sustainable land management, socioeconomic factors, factor analysis
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Event | The 8th International Symposium Agro Environ 2012 - Wageningen Duration: 1 May 2012 → 4 May 2012 |
Conference
Conference | The 8th International Symposium Agro Environ 2012 |
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City | Wageningen |
Period | 1/05/12 → 4/05/12 |