Dataset Information

How Small-Scale Farmers Understand Rain Water Harvesting Technology? Evidence from Northern Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT: The study examined farmers' perceptions and adoption of rain water harvesting technology in Raya-Alamata district of Ethiopia. Four kebeles were purposively selected from the 13 homogeneous kebeles (small administrative unit). During the survey, primary data were collected through a semistructured questionnaire distributed to 270 systematically selected sample respondents and through interview with key informants, development agents, and local administrators. Secondary data were retrieved from district agriculture office, books, and published scientific materials. Descriptive statistics, simple narration, and a probit regression model were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the farmers perceived rain water harvesting as a motivational way of creating sense of belongingness. They think that it increases crop production, increases forest regeneration, and encourages forage production. The probit regression models revealed that determinants of farmers' adoption of rainwater harvesting technology were significantly and positively affected by education, farm size, and off-farm income. The effect of distance to the farmland and farmers training center (FTC) was also significant but negative. Men farmers had higher level of adoption compared to their counterparts. Productive and reproductive roles constrain women household farmers from using the technologies. Based on the finding, the policy implications were as follows: dissemination of information related to rain water harvesting technology should be imperative through formal and informal education. Alternative sources of water need also be promoted. More importantly, female-headed households need to be encouraged to be community leaders to foster the adoption of rain water harvesting technology.

SUBMITTER: Mengistu AT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7861931 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

How Small-Scale Farmers Understand Rain Water Harvesting Technology? Evidence from Northern Ethiopia.

Mengistu Abay Tafere AT

TheScientificWorldJournal 20210128

The study examined farmers' perceptions and adoption of rain water harvesting technology in Raya-Alamata district of Ethiopia. Four kebeles were purposively selected from the 13 homogeneous kebeles (small administrative unit). During the survey, primary data were collected through a semistructured questionnaire distributed to 270 systematically selected sample respondents and through interview with key informants, development agents, and local administrators. Secondary data were retrieved from d ...[more]

PMID: 33574735

Similar Datasets

Project description:Since China's reform and opening-up in 1978, the income of rural residents has increased when compared with that of urban residents. However, the income growth rate of farmers is relatively low, and the income gap between urban and rural areas is widening. Using a sample of 1,325 large-scale farming households in Lin'an, this study constructs a theoretical path for how the level of vertical integration and an organization model affect farmers' income levels and empirically tests the path using a mediation effect analysis model. The results indicate that organization models and vertical integration are important factors that affect farmers' income levels. The total income and agricultural operation income of farmers who participate in agricultural operation organizations are greater than that of farmers who do not participate in an operation organization. In addition, the total income and agricultural operation income of farmers who produce and process and those who produce, process, and sell are higher than those of farmers who only produce. A farmers' organization model has both a direct and an indirect positive influence on their income level, with the indirect positive influence coming through the mediating variable of vertical integration. The application of the organizational model can promote the growth of rural households' total family income and agricultural income by 13.48% and 14.48% respectively, consisting of direct increases of 9.67% and 10.19%, and indirect increases of 3.81% and 4.29% through vertical integration. The results also show that access to credit, agricultural technology training, and the farmer's education level have significant positive impacts on farming income levels. The findings suggest ways to increase farmers' income by perfecting agricultural management organization systems, promoting agricultural industrialization, strengthening rural financial support, improving agricultural technical training for farmers, and increasing their level of education.

Project description:Declining soil fertility is one of the major causes of food insecurity and high levels of poverty, both of which tend to hamper economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To improve soil fertility, the implementation of soil organic carbon (SOC) enhancement technologies has become crucial to slowing land degradation, through increasing SOC, which is the basis of soil fertility. Using data from 381 households from Azuga-Suba and Yesir watersheds in Ethiopia, this study explores the extent of the adoption of technologies that enhance SOC. Soil organic carbon enhancing technologies include the use of manure, fertilizer, and crop residue management. The Probit model was used to assess what constrains the adoption of these technologies. The results indicate that fertilizer is the most adopted technology having over 90% adoption in both watersheds. Manure at 28% and 56% adoption while crop residue management at 37% and 26% adoption in Azuga-Suba and Yesir respectively. Technology adoption is highly constrained by lack of education, access to extension services, and access to credit services. Institutions and local farmer groups influence these constraints through training, provision of information, offering incentives, and credit services. Large plots hinder the use of manure and fertilizer due to the bulky nature of manure and the high costs of fertilizers. Insecurity in land tenure limits the adoption of manure and residue management. Perception of soil erosion and soil fertility tends to constrain the adoption of SOC technologies, as farmers are afraid that all improvements through soil amendment will be diminished through soil erosion. At the same time, farmers do not perceive the importance of SOC enhancing technologies in plots that were fertile. These results imply that strengthening institutions that enhance farmers' knowledge and provide credit as well as strengthening social protection schemes and farmer groups is crucial in promoting the adoption of these technologies.

Dataset Information

How Small-Scale Farmers Understand Rain Water Harvesting Technology? Evidence from Northern Ethiopia.

Publications

How Small-Scale Farmers Understand Rain Water Harvesting Technology? Evidence from Northern Ethiopia.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure