Farmers’ perceptions about the influence of land fragmentation and land quality on sustainable land management in the upper lake Tana Basin: Evidence from Dera District

Gebreegziabher Fentahun, Tadesse Amsalu and Zewdu Birhanie

Cogent Economics & Finance, 2023, vol. 11, issue 1, 2160132

Abstract: The adoption of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) depends, among others, on land fragmentation and soil characteristics. From the factors, land fragmentation is a worldwide trait that result from various institutional, political, historical, and sociological factors which influence farmers perceptionperception on SLM practice. Henceforth, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of land fragmentation and land quality on Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in the upper Lake Tana basin of Dera Woreda. Data on land fragmentation were collected using GPS and GIS tools, and a survey was conducted on 194 farm households, 1,059 parcels, and FGD to secure data on socioeconomic issues and insight of respondents on land fragmentation and associated variable. Simple descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze socioeconomic, demographic and the perception of farmers about land-related factors. Analysis of land fragmentation using the Simpson index indicated 74%, implying that there is a high degree of land fragmentation in the study area. A multivariate probit (MVP) model was used to analyze the effect of land fragmentation and related factors on the interdependent investment decisions of SLM practices (Bunds, Manure, permanent erosion control and chemical fertilizer) using a multiple household level survey. The MVP model analysis indicates that farmers use two or more practices at plot level by considering substitution and complementarity effects of the practices. The results also revealed how land quality (e.g., slope and soil depth), land fragmentation (Simpson index, parcel size and distance from homestead) influence farmers’ investments in SLM practices. The overall results indicate that farm land fragmentation hinders SLM investments, and land quality parameters also improve or hinder the decisions about investments. Policy makers should consider these various land associated factors in designing and implementing SLM policies and programs.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1080/23322039.2022.2160132

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