Factors Influencing Adoption of Soil Conservation Measures in Southern Ethiopia: The Case of Gununo Area

Abstract

Soil degradation is one of the most serious environmental problems in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian highlands have been experiencing declining soil fertility and severe soil erosion due to intensive farming on steep and fragile lands and other factors attributed to population pressure. This study used a binomial logit model to identify factors that determine adoption of physical soil conservation measures, namely soil bunds and fanyajuu in Southern Ethiopia, Gununo area. Data collected from a random sample of 120 heads of households were used to estimate the binomial logit model. The results show that adoption of soil conservation measures depends on a host of factors.Ab out 78 percent of the sample cases were correctly predicted using the model.