Factors Influencing Smallholder Farmers’ Attitudes Towards Integrated Soil Fertility Management: Case Study of the Wanka Watershed, Northwestern Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract This paper explores factors influencing smallholder farmers’ attitudes towards integrated soil fertility management (ISFM). ISFM is paramount to improve soil fertility for sustainable agricultural productivity, especially in contexts where smallholder agriculture is an important local livelihood and economic activity, as in many countries of the Global South. Alongside the development and availability of new technologies to enhance soil fertility, smallholder farmers’ attitudes towards these innovations in specific contexts are key to determining the extent and outcomes of their uptake. A better understanding of these is thus essential to inform measures to increase ISFM practices among smallholder farmers. This study aimed to assess farmers’ attitudes towards ISFM and the factors that determined them based on a case study of the Wanka watershed, northwestern Ethiopia, a major cereal-producing area. Using a mixed methods approach, data obtained from a household survey (146 respondents), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model. The findings revealed that the attitudes of smallholder farmers towards ISFM in the study area were generally positive, as they considered ISFM compatible with agronomic principles and important to increase agricultural productivity sustainably. The extent of farmers’ farming experience, the length of time of applying chemical fertilizer, the number of livestock, and the size of plots were found to be significant predictors of attitudes towards ISFM. The study concludes that considering these factors can better inform interventions designed to enhance farmers’ choice of ISFM technologies for improved soil fertility management and sustainable crop production in the study area and other contexts.