Soil and water conservation decision behavior of subsistence farmers in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia: a case study of the Hunde-Lafto area

This paper presents a plot-level analysis of factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation structures in the Hunde-Lafto area of the Eastern Ethiopian Highlands. The analysis is based on a survey of 145 farm households managing a total of 265 farm plots. The multinomial logit analysis of the survey data shows that plot-level adoption of conservation measures is positively related to access to information, support programs for initial investment, slope, and area of the plot. Land holding per economically active person of the family is found to have a negative influence on conservation decision. Participation of women in fieldwork activities, farmer's age group, use duration of a plot, credit for fertilizer and food, livestock holding, type of crop grown, and plot soil type did not influence plot-level conservation decisions by farmers in the study area. These results suggest the need for designing and implementing appropriate policies and programs that will influence farmers' behavior towards the introduction of soil and water conservation measures in their agricultural practices. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.