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Linkages between poverty and land management in rural Uganda: evidence from the Uganda National Household Survey, 1999/00

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  • Pender, John
  • Ssewanyana, Sarah
  • Edward, Kato
  • Nkonya, Ephraim M.

Abstract

"This study investigates the impacts of rural poverty on farmers' land management decisions, crop production and incomes, based upon analysis of data from the 1999/2000 Uganda National Household Survey. We find that the impacts of rural poverty on land management, crop production and income depend upon the type of poverty (i.e., what asset or access factor is constrained) and the type of land management considered...Our results suggest that improvement in smallholders' access to land, other assets, education, extension, market information, credit, roads, and off-farm opportunities can help to break the downward cycle of poverty and land degradation, and put farmers on a more sustainable development pathway. Access to land (area and quality), other assets, education and off-farm opportunities appear to be particularly important in addressing poverty directly, while other interventions are likely to have more indirect impacts, as they influence land management, crop choice, and other livelihood decisions. Given the importance of land as the major asset owned by poor rural households in Uganda, investing in land quality maintenance and improvement is a critical need. However, we found low marginal returns to investments in organic or inorganic fertilizer and other land management practices, suggesting that it will be difficult to get farmers to make such investments in the present environment. Improvements in the market environment as well as development of more profitable land management technologies appears essential to address this need." from Authors' Abstract

Suggested Citation

  • Pender, John & Ssewanyana, Sarah & Edward, Kato & Nkonya, Ephraim M., 2004. "Linkages between poverty and land management in rural Uganda: evidence from the Uganda National Household Survey, 1999/00," EPTD discussion papers 122, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:eptddp:122
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Falck Zepeda, José & Barreto-Triana, Nancy & Baquero-Haeberlin, Irma & Espitia-Malagón, Eduardo & Fierro-Guzmán, Humberto & López, Nancy, 2006. "An exploration of the potential benefits of integrated pest management systems and the use of insect resistant potatoes to control the Guatemalan Tuber Moth (Tecia solanivora Povolny) in Ventaquemada,," EPTD discussion papers 152, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Linacre, Nicholas & Falck-Zepeda, José & Komen, John & MacLaren, Donald, 2006. "Risk assessment and management of genetically modified organisms under Australia's Gene Technology Act:," EPTD discussion papers 157, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Edward Kato & Claudia Ringler & Mahmud Yesuf & Elizabeth Bryan, 2011. "Soil and water conservation technologies: a buffer against production risk in the face of climate change? Insights from the Nile basin in Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 42(5), pages 593-604, September.
    5. Birungi, Patrick & Hassan, Rashid M., 2007. "Impact of Alternative Land Management Options on Soil Fertility and Erosion in Uganda," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 46(3), pages 1-15, September.
    6. Paul J. Block & Kenneth Strzepek & Mark W. Rosegrant & Xinshen Diao, 2008. "Impacts of considering climate variability on investment decisions in Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 39(2), pages 171-181, September.
    7. Birungi, Patrick & Hassan, Rashid M., 2010. "Poverty, property rights and land management in Uganda," Journal of Cooperatives, NCERA-210, vol. 4(1), March.
    8. Kato, Edward & Nkonya, Ephraim & Place, Frank M., 2011. "Heterogeneous treatment effects of integrated soil fertility management on crop productivity: Evidence from Nigeria," IFPRI discussion papers 1089, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Gruère, Guillaume & Giuliani, Alessandra & Smale, Melinda, 2006. "Marketing underutilized plant species for the benefit of the poor: a conceptual framework," EPTD discussion papers 154, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    10. Gruère, Guillaume P., 2006. "An analysis of trade related international regulations of genetically modified food and their effects on developing countries:," EPTD discussion papers 147, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    11. Komarek, Adam M. & Ahmadi-Esfahani, Fredoun Z., 2006. "An Economic Analysis of Ugandan Agricultural Constraints," 2006 Conference (50th), February 8-10, 2006, Sydney, Australia 139796, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    12. Yoko Kijima & Keijiro Otsuka & Dick Sserunkuuma, 2008. "Assessing the impact of NERICA on income and poverty in central and western Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 38(3), pages 327-337, May.
    13. Birungi, Patrick & Hassan, Rashid M., 2010. "Poverty, property rights and land management in Uganda," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 4(1), pages 1-22, March.
    14. Kato, E., 2009. "Soil and water conservation technologies: a buffer against production risk in the face of climate change?: insights from the Nile Basin in Ethiopia," IWMI Working Papers H042477, International Water Management Institute.
    15. Di Falco, Salvatore & Chavas, Jean-Paul & Smale, Melinda, 2006. "Farmer management of production risk on degraded lands: the role of wheat genetic diversity in Tigray Region, Ethiopia," EPTD discussion papers 153, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    16. Tatwangire, Alex & Holden, Stein T., 2009. "Modes of Land Access and Welfare Impacts in Uganda," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51635, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Kato, Edward & Nkonya, Ephraim & Place, Frank & Mwanjalolo, Majaliwa, 2010. "An econometric investigation of impacts of sustainable land management practices on soil carbon and yield risk: A potential for climate change mitigation," IFPRI discussion papers 1038, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Smale, Melinda & Zambrano, Patricia & Falck-Zepeda, José & Gruère, Guillaume, 2006. "Parables: applied economics literature about the impact of genetically engineered crop varieties in developing economies," EPTD discussion papers 158, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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