Farmers’ Psychodynamics to participate in Integrated Soil and Water Conservation Measures in BGRS in Ethiopia

Abstract

Soil erosion remain an important worldwide environmental impact for many centuries requiring more attention by individual, communities and the environment and its effects on food security and quality of life. Particularly land degradation due to soil erosion is multifaceted and dynamic problem that affects for sustainable resource management in today’s developing world (Stringer, 2008). Agriculture depends fundamentally on natural resources and has an important role in their conservation. The deteriorating land and water resources in Ethiopia present a concern to rural land users, and wider public awareness of environmental issues is bringing urgency to conservation issues. Water depletion and land (natural resources) degradation, themselves the result of ever-increasing ecological imbalances, caused the recurrent drought and famine. Sustainable agriculture plays the central role in poverty reduction efforts of the country. Hence, the major concern of this study was to assess the farmers’ psychodynamics to participate on integrated soil and water conservations measure in Bambasi woreda. To meet this objective a total of 356 sample households, consisting 178 soil and water conservation  participant and 178   non-program participants, were randomly selected from  seven  kebeles of Bambasi districts (Amba16, Mender 45, Mender 46, Mender 47, Mender 48, Mender 49 and Sonka). Descriptive statistics with appropriate statistical tests, and binary logistic regression model were used. Descriptive statistical analyses such as mean, standard deviation and percentage were used to analyses basic household characteristics and the types of technologies adopted by the farmers. The result from the logistic model analysis revealed that participation soil and water conservation technologies was significantly influenced by variables such as severity of erosion, credit use, total land, access to media and soil fertility, distance from market and perception on soil erosion. One of the major problems affecting land productivity in the highlands has been land degradation. As population pressure has built up, demand for fuel wood and building materials and land for cultivation has resulted in decimation of forest cover and bio-diversity. Intensive cultivation of steep slopes without adequate soil conservation measures has resulted in soil impoverishment through soil erosion and, in some cases, total loss of agricultural land due to gully formation. Land tenure systems, inappropriate extension approaches, and diminishing farm incomes have further discouraged investment in soil and water conservation.