ECONOMICS OF SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES AMONG SMALL SCALE FARMERS IN ENUGU STATE

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the economics of soil conservation practices among small-scale farmer

in Enugu  State.  The  study  used  multi-stage  random  probability  sampling  method  and  the primary  data were collected  form 120 farmers using structured  questionnaire.  Data  on the socio-economic  status  of  the  farmers,  forms  of  land/soil  degradation  in  the  study  area, methods/  technologies  used  in  combating  them,  intensity  of  adoption  of   selected  soil conservation  practices,  costs  and  benefits  of  selected  methods  of  conserving  the  soil  and constraints  to  adoption  of  soil  conservation  practices  were  obtained.  Data  obtained  were analyzed using percentages, cost-benefit analysis and multiple regression analysis. Based on the 2007/2008  cropping season,  it was noted that  male (70%) were more involved  in soil conservation practices than female (30%). Most of the farmers (61%) had no formal education. Land acquisition was mostly through inheritance (77%). Fifty three percent of the farmers have been in active farming for about 21 – 30 years. Membership of farm organization by farmers was still low (16%). It is noted that 60% of the farmers had never been visited by the extension agents. The major  form of soil/land degradation identified in the study area is reduced soil fertility (41%) Majority (43%) of the farmers said that the methods of soil conservation used are  indigenous  to them. The prevalent  soil/land  management  forms in the study area   are inorganic  fertilizer,  livestock    manuring,  intercropping,  cover  cropping  and  leaving  crop residue. The study showed the guiding factors to adoption of soil conservation technologies/ methods by respondents as improved yield (return), access to credit, concern for soil erosion and other related soil problems, ownership of land, climatic change, and capital access. The study indicated that out of the thirteen  (13) methods of soil conservation mostly used, 77% of the  farmers  adopted  between  1-6  methods.  This  showed  that  the  intensity  of  adoption  is relatively  low.  The  farmers  that  used  intercropping,  inorganic  fertilizer,  cover  cropping, leaving crop residue an livestock manure combination as method of soil conservation have the highest gross margin of  N36750 and benefit-cost  of 2.18. The effect/ relationship  between farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and intensity of adoption of soil conservation practices showed a coefficient of determination, R2 of 63.2% which was a good fit. The test of influence of  the  socio-economic  characteristics  of  on  farmer’s  adoption  intensity  shows  that  these characteristics  have significant influence on adoption intensity at 5%. There is a  significant correlation between the benefits and the cost of soil conservation practices(r-0.936,  p<0.05). Access to credit, small farm size, and lack of trainings, poor infrastructure and poor returns were  the  major  constraints  to  adoption  of  soil  conservation  practices  by  farmers.  It  was recommended  that  land  should  be  well  defined  and  property  right  to  land  well  enforced. Finally, farmers were encouraged to form farm co-operatives fro easy training and access to farm assistance.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background Information

Soil may be defined as a natural body of loose and unconsolidated  materials found on the earth’s surface; it is derived from weathered  parent rock  materials and decaying organic matters and it is composed of solid particles with liquid and or gases occupying the spaces between the particles (Ohaeri, 2000).  It is on this solid that most agricultural as well as non agricultural activities take place.   The food we eat, the raw materials needed by the industries are derived from  there, directly or indirectly.   An enduring  food  security  will  depend  on  a  sustainable  and  productive  resource  base (Amaechina, 2000).

Soil conservation is an investment to enhance the future productive capacity of the soil, it implies reducing risks of soil erosion to a tolerable limit (Lapar and Pandey,

1999).  It is also a set of management strategies for prevention of the soil being eroded from  the  earth’s  surface  or  becoming  chemically  altered  by  over  use,  salinization, acidification, or other chemical soil contamination (Pagiola, 1993).   It also entails not only control over erosion but all those other measures like  correction of soil defects, application of manures and fertilizers, proper rotations, irrigation, drainage, which aim at maintaining the productivity of the soil at a high level (Government of India, 2006). Soil conservation is also viewed as the use of those practices which will maximize the present value of the long-run returns from land use (Kaine, 1991).

The need for soil conservation arises due to signs of deteriorating agricultural environments which include erosion, flood disaster, desert encroachment and drought, deforestation, loss of land to other uses; if not checked, the soil becomes degraded.  Soil degradation can be defined as a reduction in the land’s actual or potential uses.  If this

occurs, productivity is affected, leading to rise in the level of inputs and hence, costs needed  to  restore  soil  productivity  (Ohaeri,  2000).    Douglas  (1992)  stressed  that degradation  can be slowed or arrested  by large range of methods  including  cultural practices like minimum tillage and contour ploughing, vegetative covers and mechanical measures such as terraces and channels.  The principal approaches that soil conservation strategies may take include; vegetative cover, erosion prevention, salinity management, soil  pH  control,  encouraging  health  of  beneficial  soil  organisms,  prevention  and remediation of soil contamination and mineralization (Pagiola, 1993).

1.2      Problem Statement

Livelihoods of most of the rural households in Nigeria are dependent on land. The land resource has been employed in varied proportions to meet both  subsistence needs and/or cash needs.   Equally, farmers have long recognized that  land cannot be used without  limit.   They have therefore  experienced  a decline  in  land productivity necessitating some actions on their part.  According to Chomba (2004), the traditional redemptive action has been through land-fallow practices,  clearing new land areas or crop rotation.  However, with increasing land constraints in most areas, fallow periods have drastically declined.  The traditional farming system that farmers have previously employed  to  sustain  their  productivity  cannot  any  longer  effectively  work  due  to population pressure.

One of the biophysical constraints to increasing agricultural productivity is the low fertility of soils; and improving soil fertility levels has become an important issue in development agenda because of its linkage to food insecurity and economic well being of the population (Ajayi et al, 2003 and Bekunda et al, 1997).  Also, Hellin (2003) and Sanchez  (2003)  noted  that  sustained  agricultural  production  in  most  sub-Saharan

African countries is under threat due to declining soil fertility and loss of biomass.  The smallholder farmers in these countries are quite aware of the declining trends  in soil fertility, the reasons for this and its impact on yields and household food security.  Many farmers also do know to some extent how to practice judicious  management  of their soils,  using  nutrients  available  in  their  vicinity  and  adopting  agricultural  practices geared towards soil fertility improvement  such as  improved fallow, agroforestry  and biomass transfer (Johansson, 2001; Wickama and Mowo, 2001).

Soil resource management efforts are crucial to the economic development of the rural dwellers that depend largely on land for livelihood.  However, the success of any soil conservation technique depends not only on the project planners’ perception, but on the farmer’s perception of its economic and environmental costs and benefits (Current et al, 1995).  Despite this fact, there seems to be little empirical evidence on the economics of soil conservation practices especially among smallholder farmers in Enugu State.  To tackle this problem, this study seeks to provide answers to the following questions:

–          what are the socio-economic attributes of farmers in the study area;

–          what forms of soil degradation exist, and how do the farmers combat them:

–          what is the intensity of adoption of soil conservation practices?

–           what  are  costs  incurred   and  benefits   enjoyed   by  farmers   using   soil conservation techniques?

–           what constraints militate against smallholders adoption of soil conservation practices?

1.3      Objectives of the Study

The broad objective of this study is to carry out an economic analysis of the soil conservation  practices  among  small-scale  farmers  in  Enugu  State.     The   specific objectives are to:

i.         describe the socio-economic characteristics of farmers in the study area;

ii.        identify the methods/technologies  used in combating soil degradation in the study area;

iii.       describe the intensity of adoption of selected soil conservation practices by the farmers;

iv.       evaluate the relationship between socio-economic characteristics of farmers and the intensity of adoption of selected soil conservation practices;

v.        estimate the costs and benefits of selected methods of conserving the soil in the study area;

vi.       identify farmers’ constraints in the adoption of soil conservation practices;

vii.      make policy recommendations based on the findings.

1.4      Research Hypotheses

Based on the specific  objectives  of this study, the following  null  hypotheses would be tested.

a.         Socio-economic characteristics of the farmers have no significant influence on the intensity of adoption  of selected  soil conservation  practices  in the study area.

b.        There is no significant difference between the benefits and costs of selected soil conservation practices in the study area.

1.5      Justification of the Study

In most of the developing nations of the world, it is becoming increasingly clear that  the  key  to  real  socio-economic  advancement  is  judicious  exploitation  of  soil resources to increase agricultural productivity.  In many of these countries, population is increasing  rapidly  and  increased  crop  and  animal  yields  are  essential  to  feed  the population and to exchange surplus for manufactured goods and social services (Ohaeri,

2000).   Agricultural  produce may provide one of the means of procuring the  foreign exchange needed for development (Olaitan et al, 1984).

Concerns about the effects of soil erosion have led to increased promotion of soil conservation technologies in developing countries.  Donor and government funds have been invested in water-shed management and soil conservation project and farmers have been encouraged to invest their own resources in soil  conservation  technologies.   In order  to  increase  the  efficiency  with  which  these  resources  are  allocated  to  soil conservation  activities, the effects of soil erosion  need to be assessed.   The costs of erosion  and other soil degradation  factors  can  be used to determine  the priority  for action;  and  the  benefits  of  potential  causes  of  action  can  be  used  to  assess  their sustainability and efficiency in resource use.

This study would also serve as an exploratory step to identifying the techniques and socio-economic  factors affecting soil conservation  by small-scale  farmers which would then serve as criteria model for agricultural production policy in future.  It would create awareness of the benefits or losses to be encountered in soil conservation methods in the study area.  Vital information would also be made available to agencies involved in setting or making soil conservation practices available in the study area.

This research would also be a guide to other researchers that may want to  do further studies relating to soil conservation practices, within the study area and Nigeria in general.

1.6      Limitations of the Study

Due to low level of literacy and conservative nature of most of the respondents, it was difficult for them to divulge information, especially ones relating to their income. Biophysical factors of household farms relating to soil texture and slope of land was not collected.   The data was equally farmer declared, and not observed by an enumerator, hence, it is not possible to establish if the farmers were implementing the practices as per  recommendation.     Most  of  the  farmers  lacked  accuracy  in  measurement  and evaluation; thus, rendering some of the data controversial.   Data was collected on one cropping season only. Other problems were language barrier (dialect), poor road network, finance and time.

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