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Adoption rates of soil and water conservation measures remain below the expected levels in Ethiopia
despite the considerable investments in reducing land degradation and improving soil fertility. This
constitutes one of the key research agendas in the country. This paper underscores the need for inves-
tigating the factors hindering or facilitating the adoption of soil and water conservation measures. The
study results presented in this paper are based on cross-section data collected from 408 households in
eastern Ethiopia, including field observations of 790 plots selected using a multi-stage sampling pro-
cedure. A multivariate probit model was employed to analyse the determinants of adoption of three soil
and water conservation measures (stone bund, soil bund, and bench terracing) at the plot level. The study
findings reveal that household, socioeconomic, and institution characteristics were the key factors that
influenced the adoption of soil bund, stone bund, and bench terracing conservation measures.
Furthermore, there was a significant correlation among the three soil and water conservation measures,
indicating that the adoption of these measures is interrelated. In particular, the results show that there
was a positive correlation between stone bunds and soil bunds. However, the correlations between
bench terracing and stone bunds as well as bench terracing and soil bunds were negative (implying
substitutability). These results imply that the Government and other relevant organizations that are
responsible for reducing land degradation in order to increase agricultural production should support the
establishment and strengthening of local institutions to facilitate the adoption of soil and water con- servation measures. |
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