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Awareness and Adoption of Soil and Water Conservation Technologies in a Developing Country: A Case of Nabajuzi Watershed in Central Uganda

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Abstract

Soil and water conservation technologies have been widely available in most parts of Uganda. However, not only has the adoption rate been low but also many farmers seem not to be aware of these technologies. This study aims at identifying the factors that influence awareness and adoption of soil and water conservation technologies in Nabajuzi watershed in central Uganda. A bivariate probit model was used to examine farmers’ awareness and adoption of soil and water conservation technologies in the watershed. We use data collected from the interview of 400 households located in the watershed to understand the factors affecting the awareness and adoption of these technologies in the study area. Findings indicate that the likelihood of being aware and adopting the technologies are explained by the age of household head, being a tenant, and number of years of access to farmland. To increase awareness and adoption of technologies in Uganda, policymakers may expedite the process of land titling as farmers may feel secure about landholding and thus adopt these technologies to increase profitability and productivity in the long run. Incentive payments to farmers residing in the vulnerable region to adopt these considered technologies may help to alleviate soil deterioration problems in the affected area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments that led to a significantly improved paper. Paudel’s time in this paper is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Project #94358 “Management and Policy Challenges in a Water-Scarce World.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University (LSU) and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Sarah Kagoya & Krishna P. Paudel

  2. Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

    Nadhomi L. Daniel

Authors
  1. Sarah Kagoya
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  2. Krishna P. Paudel
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  3. Nadhomi L. Daniel
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Correspondence to Krishna P. Paudel.

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Kagoya, S., Paudel, K.P. & Daniel, N.L. Awareness and Adoption of Soil and Water Conservation Technologies in a Developing Country: A Case of Nabajuzi Watershed in Central Uganda. Environmental Management 61, 188–196 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0967-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0967-4

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