Predictors of Agro forestry Technology Adoption and Land Conservation Strategies in the Highlands of south Western Uganda

Abstract

soil erosion is a major agricultural and environmental problem in the highlands of south western Uganda. Agro forestry technologies have been developed as one way of solving the problem. Understanding the factors that influencing the farmers’ adoption of agro forestry technologies is critical to the success of the implementation of land conservation efforts. However information about the socio-economic factors that influence the adoption of these technologies is still scanty. A study was conducted in Muko and Bubare sub county kabala district between November 2002 and July 2003 to investigate the socio-economic factors that influence the adoption of agroforestry technologies and land conservations strategies in the highland lands of south western Uganda. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect the data from 60 households selected using a systematic purposive sampling procedure based on the logistic regression analysis, the factors that influence the adoption of Agro forestry technologies are: farmers[ age, education level, extension contact, size of family labour force and gender of the house hold head. Sources of income, access to credit and membership to farmers’ organization had non significant coefficients and therefore, did not explain adoption decisions. Further more, farmers have adopted different structural measures such as terraced farming, construction of waterways, check dams, retention walls and gull control. Similarly they have adopted biological measures including alley cropping, bamboo plantation gullies, mulching and use of organic and inorganic fertilizers to control land degradation.