Background Agriculture remains to be the leading sector that contributes enormously to economic development in Ethiopia. Despite its significant contribution to livelihoods, the sector faces persistent challenges due to depletion of natural resources and soil erosion that resulted in diminishing crop and livestock productivity. In order to curb the effects of land degradation, the Government of Ethiopia has been taking serious measures to expand Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) practices throughout the country. Despite the efforts made, the adoption of new practices by farmers have been generally low. This study was aimed at assessing factors influencing smallholder farmers’ decision on the use of improved structural SWC practices in Haramaya district, eastern Ethiopia. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 farm households and 248 plots. A structured interview schedule was used to collect primary data. Descriptive and inferential statistics and Multinomial Logit (MNL) regression model were used to analyze the data. Results The key findings showed that a host of socio-demographic, economic and institutional factors significantly affected smallholders’ decision to adopt improved structural SWC. In this study, we found that education, farming experience, plot area, distance of the plot from dwelling unit, number of economically active household members, and extension contact were the significant predictors of using improved SWC structures. Conclusions Based on our findings, we concluded that improved SWC measures should be scaled up through a concerted effort of extension workers, local administration and other relevant non-state actors. In particular, the extension system should encourage rural communities on sustainable management and use of natural resources. Moreover, the need to create learning opportunities through facilitating appropriate educational and training programs for farmers and focusing on proper management of available economically active household members should be emphasized.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚东部采用改进的结构性水土保持措施的影响因素

背景 农业仍然是对埃塞俄比亚经济发展做出巨大贡献的主要部门。尽管该部门对生计做出了重大贡献，但由于自然资源枯竭和土壤侵蚀导致作物和牲畜生产力下降，该部门仍面临持续挑战。为了遏制土地退化的影响，埃塞俄比亚政府一直在采取认真措施，在全国推广水土保持 (SWC) 做法。尽管做出了努力，但农民采用新做法的比例普遍较低。本研究旨在评估影响小农决定在埃塞俄比亚东部 Haramaya 地区使用改进的结构性 SWC 做法的因素。使用多阶段抽样技术选择了 120 个农户和 248 个地块。使用结构化访谈计划来收集主要数据。描述性和推理性统计以及多项 Logit (MNL) 回归模型用于分析数据。结果 主要调查结果表明，许多社会人口、经济和制度因素显着影响了小农采用改进结构性 SWC 的决定。在这项研究中，我们发现教育程度、耕作经验、地块面积、地块与居住单元的距离、经济活跃家庭成员的数量和扩展联系是使用改进的 SWC 结构的重要预测因素。结论 根据我们的调查结果，我们得出结论，应通过推广人员的共同努力来扩大改进的 SWC 措施，地方行政当局和其他相关的非国家行为者。推广系统尤其应鼓励农村社区可持续管理和利用自然资源。此外，还应强调通过为农民提供适当的教育和培训计划以及注重对现有经济活跃家庭成员的适当管理来创造学习机会的必要性。