Determinants of the adoption of control techniques against water erosion in the cotton zone of Cameroon

Abstract

In the cotton zone of Cameroon, the increasing pressure on land has led to an increase in agricultural areas and increased soil erosion caused by rainfall intensity on poorly protected soils. For the last two decades, anti-erosion plans have been disseminated, but few studies have analyzed the factors promoting their adoption. The objective of this study was to identify the factors that influenced the adoption and the adoption intensity of anti-erosion plans by farmers. A survey from the Water-Soil-Tree project involving 303 farmers was carried out in the cotton zone between 2008 and 2009. Survey data were analyzed with Tobit Model II. Results showed that among the variables studied, those that impacted on farmers’ decision to adopt anti-erosion plans were (i) their age, (ii) their perception of erosion problems, (iii) their belonging to a group (religious, ethnic), (iv) labor availability, and (v) land tenure. Factors that explained the adoption intensity by farmers were the number of years since adopting the plans and their access mode to land. The educational level did not affect the adoption nor the adoption intensity. In future actions, erosion control programs should integrate these results in their intervention methods, but also in socio-economic impact assessments.