Soil degradation, farming practices, institutions and policy responses: An analytical framework

Prager, Katrin; Schuler, Johannes; Helming, Katharina; Zander, Peter; Ratinger, Tomáš; Hagedorn, Konrad

doi:10.1002/ldr.979

Cited by 62 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Degradation of soils is complex, often the consequence of many interacting processes (Prager et al, 2011). However, major processes include accelerated erosion (Lal, 2001;Cerda et al, 2009;Bindraban et al, 2012;Rodrigo Comino et al, 2016a, b;Xu et al, 2016), deforestation (De la paix et al, 2013), poor pasture management (De Souza Braz et al, 2013), decline in soil structure (Cerda, 2000), salinization associated with inadequate irrigation management (Prager et al, 2011;Ganjegunte et al, 2014), alkalinization and sodification (Condom et al, 1999), depletion of soil organic matter (SOM; Jordán et al, 2010), reduction in the activity of soil microorganisms (Lal, 2009), soil compaction (Pulido et al, 2017), and unsustainable agricultural practices (Krasilnikov et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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Abstract. Cocoa agroecosystems are a major land-use type in the tropical rainforest belt of West Africa, reportedly associated with several ecological changes, including soil degradation. This study aims to develop a composite soil degradation assessment index (CSDI) for determining the degradation level of cocoa soils under smallholder agroecosystems of southwestern Nigeria. Plots where natural forests have been converted to cocoa agroecosystems of ages 1-10, 11-40, and 41-80 years, respectively representing young cocoa plantations (YCPs), mature cocoa plantations (MCPs), and senescent cocoa plantations (SCPs), were identified to represent the biological cycle of the cocoa tree. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 20 cm in each plot and analysed in terms of their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Factor analysis of soil data revealed four major interacting soil degradation processes: decline in soil nutrients, loss of soil organic matter, increase in soil acidity, and the breakdown of soil textural characteristics over time. These processes were represented by eight soil properties (extractable zinc, silt, soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), available phosphorus, total porosity, pH, and clay content). These soil properties were subjected to forward stepwise discriminant analysis (STEPDA), and the result showed that four soil properties (extractable zinc, cation exchange capacity, SOM, and clay content) are the most useful in separating the studied soils into YCP, MCP, and SCP. In this way, we have sufficiently eliminated redundancy in the final selection of soil degradation indicators. Based on these four soil parameters, a CSDI was developed and used to classify selected cocoa soils into three different classes of degradation. The results revealed that 65 % of the selected cocoa farms are moderately degraded, while 18 % have a high degradation status. The numerical value of the CSDI as an objective index of soil degradation under cocoa agroecosystems was statistically validated. The results of this study reveal that soil management should promote activities that help to increase organic matter and reduce Zn deficiency over the cocoa growth cycle. Finally, the newly developed CSDI can provide an early warning of soil degradation processes and help farmers and extension officers to implement rehabilitation practices on degraded cocoa soils.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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“…The adoption paradigm illustrates that adoption of an innovation is not a characteristic of an individual alone but encompasses a set of phases or levels, such as cognitive, normative, and action-oriented, that govern it (Prager et al 2011). Recognizing these levels will aid in understanding the prerequisites necessary for successive steps that ultimately lead to sustainable adoption.…”

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confidence: 99%

Adoption and extent of conservation agriculture practices among smallholder farmers in Malawi

Ngwira¹,

Mekuria²,

Thierfelder³

2014

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

125

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Understanding factors affecting farmers' adoption of improved technologies is critical to success of conservation agriculture (CA) program implementation. This study, which explored the factors that determine adoption and extent of farmers' use of the three principles of CA (i.e., minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover with crop residues, and crop rotations), was conducted in 10 target communities in 8 extension planning areas in Malawi. The primary data was collected using structured questionnaires administered to individual households. Triangulation with key informant interviews, field observations, and interactive discussions with farmers and farmer groups provided information behind contextual issues underpinning the statistical inferences. From a total of 15,854 households in the study areas, it is estimated that 18% of the smallholder farmers had adopted CA, representing an area of about 678 ha (1,675 ac; 2.1% of all cultivated land). Land area under CA constituted about 30% of total cultivated land among adopters. A random sample of 151 adopters and 149 nonadopters proportional with respect to adoption rates was drawn from various communities and interviewed using structured questionnaires. A total of 30 key informant interviews were conducted with stakeholders including staff of Total Land Care, government extension workers, agroinput suppliers, and lead farmers. The first stage of the Heckman model showed that hired labor, area of land cultivated, membership to farmer group, and district influenced farmers' decisions to adopt CA. The second stage of Heckman model results suggested that total cultivated land, duration of practicing CA, and district influenced farmers' decisions to extend their land to CA. Our study can be used to show the agency and social structures that are likely to influence adoption and extent of CA. Future policy should address ways to provide access to information and long-term support to farmers to enable them to embrace the technology fully.

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“…Unpredictably, only 30% of the respondents indicate having received this information. This is an indication of an information gap which could be as a result of centralized system in Denmark [32]. This calls for improvement of information dissemination processes [16].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Danish farmers’ perception of water quality, nutrient reduction measures and their implementation strategy

Gachango¹,

Andersen²,

Pedersen³

2015

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

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Implementation of voluntary nutrient reduction technologies among Danish farms is relatively low despite the introduction of a number of incentives on such technologies. With data from 267 farmers, this study analyzed the level of uptake of these technologies and the farmers' perception of water quality, existing regulatory measures and their implementation strategies. In general, farmers perceived; the water quality to be above average and indicated a strong nonsupport for penalties on non-compliance. Results of two ordered probit models on adoption and perception showed a significant importance of factors such as farm and soil types, farm size and slopes and information availability. These findings give a direction to policy makers and other stakeholders on the need to increase information dissemination on; water quality requirements both at national and regional levels and availability and procedures of financial, technical and institutional support for the existing and future incentives. Ultimately, tailor-made incentives could be designed based on farm structure and physical characteristics so as to improve the pace of adoption of the technologies thereby reducing water pollution from farms substantially.

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Soil degradation, farming practices, institutions and policy responses: An analytical framework

Cited by 62 publications

References 41 publications

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

Adoption and extent of conservation agriculture practices among smallholder farmers in Malawi

Danish farmers’ perception of water quality, nutrient reduction measures and their implementation strategy

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