Combined-Use of Soil Conservation Practices for Maximizing Crop Yields and Household Income in Goncha District, Northwest Highlands of Ethiopia
Abstract
Soil and water losses and nutrient depletion are major limiting factors for crop growth and yield. Smallholder farmers need to invest in combined-use of structural, vegetative, and agronomic practices in an attempt to close the yield gap. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of combineduse of soil conservation practices in maximizing crop yield and household income in the sub-humid highland of Ethiopia using farmer estimation techniques at the field level. Grain yield and household income data were generated through conducting face-to-face interviews with 150 farm household heads selected using a systematic random sampling technique. The data were analyzed using independent t-test, and analysis of variance. The mean grain yields from fields treated with combineduse soil conservation practices increased by 40.18% for tef and 50.37% for the wheat crop, and significantly higher at f=69.8 and p<0.01 for tef, and f=35.3 and p<0.01 for wheat, compared to fields treated with common traditional practices. The size of irrigated croplands (in ha), beehive numbers and livestock sizes were positively and significantly (at p<0.01) associated with the increase of households' income. The total size of farmlands and trees planted field (in ha) were also positively and significantly (at p<0.05) related to the improvement of individual household income. Therefore, efforts should be made to boost crop productivity through scaling-up of combined-use of vegetative stabilized structure practices and compost under the legume-cereal crop farming system. There need to be enhanced forage, livestock and tree production, and plantation of legume and flowering plants on uncultivated privately owned plots for apiculture production.References
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