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Plot and Household-Level Determinants of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Rural Tanzania

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  • Kassie, Menale
  • Jaleta, Moti
  • Shiferaw, Bekele
  • Mmbando, Frank
  • Muricho, Geoffrey

Abstract

Soil fertility depletion is considered the main biophysical limiting factor to increasing per capita food production for most smallholder farmers in Africa. The adoption and diffusion of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs), as a way to tackle this impediment, has become an important issue in the development policy agenda for sub-Saharan Africa. This paper examines the adoption decisions for SAPs, using multiple cross-sectional plot-level observations, collected in 2010 from 681 farm households and 1,539 plots, in 4 districts and 88 villages of rural Tanzania. We employ a multivariate probit technique to model simultaneous adoption decisions by farm households. Our study reveals that rainfall shocks, insects and disease shocks, government effectiveness, tenure status of plot, social capital, plot location and size, and asset ownership, all influence the adoption decision of sustainable practices. Policies that target SAPs and are aimed at organizing farmers into associations, improving land tenure security, and enhancing skills of civil servants can increase the likelihood that smallholder farmers will adopt SAPs.

Suggested Citation

  • Kassie, Menale & Jaleta, Moti & Shiferaw, Bekele & Mmbando, Frank & Muricho, Geoffrey, 2012. "Plot and Household-Level Determinants of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Rural Tanzania," RFF Working Paper Series dp-12-02-efd, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-12-02-efd
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    2. John Ngombe & Thomson Kalinda & Gelson Tembo & Elias Kuntashula, 2014. "Econometric Analysis of the Factors that Affect Adoption of Conservation Farming Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Zambia," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 7(4), pages 124-124, July.
    3. Liu, Hongmei & Huang, Qiuqiong, 2013. "Adoption and continued use of contour cultivation in the highlands of southwest China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 28-37.
    4. Kathleen Brüssow & Anja Faße & Ulrike Grote, 2017. "Is Sustainable Intensification Pro-Poor? Evidence from Small-Scale Farmers in Rural Tanzania," Resources, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-16, September.
    5. Deepa Pradhan & Ram Ranjan, 2015. "Do Institutional Programs Aimed at Groundwater Augmentation Affect Crop Choice Decisions under Groundwater Irrigation? Empirical Evidence from Andhra Pradesh, India," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 1(02), pages 1-31.
    6. Rebekah G. K. Hinton & Christopher J. A. Macleod & Mads Troldborg & Gift Wanangwa & Modesta Kanjaye & Emma Mbalame & Prince Mleta & Kettie Harawa & Steve Kumwenda & Robert M. Kalin, 2021. "Factors Influencing the Awareness and Adoption of Borehole-Garden Permaculture in Malawi: Lessons for the Promotion of Sustainable Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-25, November.
    7. KOKOYE, Senakpon & JOLLY, Curtis.M. & MOLNAR, Joseph & SHANNON, Dennis & BAYARD, Budry, 2016. "Adoption And Impact Of Soil Conservation Practices On Farm Income: Evidence From Northern Haiti," 2016 Annual Meeting, February 6-9, 2016, San Antonio, Texas 230145, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    8. Maggio, Giuseppe & Sitko, Nicholas, 2019. "Knowing is half the battle: Seasonal forecasts, adaptive cropping systems, and the mediating role of private markets in Zambia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    sustainable practices; multiple adoption; multivariate probit; Tanzania;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C01 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - Econometrics
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services

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