ADOPTION OF FARMERS ON SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN THE CASE OF LAY GAYINT WOREDA, SOUTH GONDAR ZONE, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Soil is an important resource which provides the required needs for human beings. But its degradation is one of the major environmental problem challenging agricultural production and productivity in many parts of Ethiopia. To reverse this problem, soil and water conservation technologies were introduced in some degraded and food insecure areas mainly through food for work incentives in the country. Even though a number of soil and water conservation methods were introduced and practiced, the study area has been experiencing declining soil fertility. This is due to continuous cropping of farm land, high population pressure, cultivation of highly inclined and marginal lands and absence of continued use of soil and water conservation measures. The main objective of the study was to assess factors that determine the adoption of soil and water conservation practices in Lay Gayent woreda. The data used for this study were collected through questionnaire, focus group discussion and interview from household heads. Both primary and secondary data sources were used. Primary data were obtained using household interview, focus group discussions and key informants’ interviews. Secondary data was collected from literature, published and unpublished materials. Data were collected and analyzed from a total of 200 respondents from the selected watersheds. Descriptive statistics such as frequency mean and percentage were used to describe and characterize respondents’ determinants of adoption of soil and water conservation used by local farmers. The findings have shown that the majority of sample respondents replied that steep slope cultivation, deforestation and excessive rainfall were the most important cause of soil erosion in the study area. The result also showed that soil erosion and land degradation at large are major problem in the study area. The majority of sample respondents perceived that soil erosion results in a decline in the productivity of plots by decreasing soil depth and loss of top soils are the consequences of soil erosion. It reduces the inherent productivity of land, both through the loss of nutrients and degradation of the soil structure. Most participants of the focus group discussion agreed that the fertility of soil is decreasing from time to time and in some cases arable lands becomes out of production. The results of logistic regression model showed that perception of farmers on the problem of soil erosion, educational level of household head, extension contact, land holding size, slope of farm land , access to training and land tenure security were among the major factors that positively and significantly influenced adoption of soil and water conservation measures in the study area. Whereas, farm size, sex of household heads, family size, age of