Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices in Rice–Wheat Farming

Abstract

Soil conservation practices harmonize economic, social, and environmental benefits for the rice-wheat farming system. This chapter analyzes the influence of socioeconomic factors on the adoption of existing soil conservation practices in community seed production. Potential environmental and social benefits are linked with economic gain as these benefits have time and risk questions to be realized by smallholder farmers. Data for the study were collected from 180 seed growers across the three Tarai districts of Nepal. Major soil conservation practices used in the rice-wheat cropping system are animal manure, zero tillage, and green manure. A multivariate probit model was run to identify the influence of socioeconomic factors on the adoption of zero tillage, green manure, and other practices. The result shows that households having less family labor, more operational land, and a higher risk aversion characteristic are more likely to adopt the zero-tillage practice. Similarly, those having access to an irrigation facility are more likely to adopt green manure crops. Irrigation facility, training, and risk aversion characteristic have a significant positive impact on the other practices whereas application of chemical fertilizers has significant negative impact on them.