Dessie Abebe Birara, Mekie Taye Melese, Abate Tadie Mirie, Belgu Abdrie Setegn, Zeleke Marye Aragew, Eshete Daniel Geletaw, B Atinkut Haimanot, Takele Melaku Tarekegn
Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Gondar, P.O. BOX 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Hydraulic and Water Resource Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Gondar, P.O. BOX 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Heliyon. 2023 May 18;9(5):e16256. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16256. eCollection 2023 May.
Nowadays, a combination of natural and man-made factors has led to a decline in the physical and chemical quality of the soil. In Ethiopia, declining soil fertility and quality that lead to low agricultural production are made worse by soil erosion and nutrient depletion. Adoption and implementation of integrated soil fertility management strategies have emerged as inevitabilities in terms of development in Ethiopia generally and in the Tana sub-basin of northwest Ethiopia specifically. This study was created to evaluate the Megech watershed's integrated smallholder soil fertility management methods' adoption factors, status, and scope. A total of 380 individual farmers were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire to gather primary data. Descriptive statistics and econometric estimating methods were combined in the study. The findings supported the use of inorganic fertilizer, tree planting, organic fertilizer, stone bunds, and soil bunds by households as the primary methods for managing soil fertility. The outcomes of the econometric model also show that households' adoption decisions for integrated soil fertility management practices are highly interdependent. Additionally, there were similar underlying factors that affected the status and intensity of implementing integrated soil fertility management practices. The research concluded that effective soil management policies and programs should be designed, and implemented by smallholder farmers, agricultural experts, research centers, and governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve the quality of soil for sustainable food production. Moreover, raising the affordability of financial services and strengthening smallholder farmers' access to education help to increase their income, which in turn encourages the use of integrated soil fertility management practices.
如今，自然因素和人为因素交织，导致土壤理化性质下降。在埃塞俄比亚，土壤侵蚀和养分耗竭使土壤肥力和质量下降，进而导致农业产量降低的情况更加严重。从埃塞俄比亚整体发展来看，特别是在埃塞俄比亚西北部的塔纳次流域，采用并实施综合土壤肥力管理策略已成为必然。本研究旨在评估梅格奇流域综合小农户土壤肥力管理方法的采用因素、现状和范围。通过半结构化问卷对总共380位个体农户进行了调查，以收集原始数据。该研究结合了描述性统计和计量经济学估计方法。研究结果支持农户将使用无机肥料、植树、有机肥料、石埂和土埂作为管理土壤肥力的主要方法。计量经济学模型的结果还表明，农户对综合土壤肥力管理实践的采用决策高度相互依赖。此外，存在影响综合土壤肥力管理实践实施状况和强度的相似潜在因素。研究得出结论，小农户、农业专家、研究中心以及政府和非政府组织应设计并实施有效的土壤管理政策和计划，以提高土壤质量，实现可持续粮食生产。此外，提高金融服务的可承受性并加强小农户接受教育的机会有助于增加他们的收入，这反过来又会鼓励采用综合土壤肥力管理实践。
