Effects of agricultural land management practices on crop production and household income in Ojoje, southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Farmers in Ethiopia and other sub-Saharan African countries often implement various agricultural land management (ALM) practices to mitigate the negative impact of land degradation, increase crop yield, improve income, and safeguard the security of food. Despite the widespread use of these measures, their effect on crop productivity and related income has received relatively little attention in research, particularly in the context of mixed farming systems. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of ALM practices on crop production and household income in southern Ethiopia. Data was gathered from 423 sampled respondents, which included adopters and non-adopters of ALM practices. This study adopted multistage sampling to gather the data through a survey questionnaire. This study’s findings reveal that ALM strategies have a considerable impact on crop productivity and the incomes of farm households (p<0.05). Moreover, the adoption of integrated physical and biological intervention practices for longer durations resulted in a steady increase in both crop productivity and household incomes. Furthermore, analysis of the effect of long-term treatment indicates that farms show a significant and increasing marginal benefit to production after six years of intervention. These findings imply that integrating ALM practices and maintaining them for an extended period (i.e., 10 years) will help to increase crop productivity and household incomes. Hence, adopting a wider range of physical and biological ALM measures and ensuring their continual adoption are key strategies for improving crop production and increasing household income. This strategy will have significant policy implications and provide a solid foundation for sustainable agricultural development.