ABSTRACT
The broad objective of the study
was to analyze the economics of soil conservation practices in Enugu State.
This study employed multistage random sampling technique for selecting the
respondents. First stage involved simple random selection of one local
government area from each of the three (3) agricultural zones. Then three (3)
farming communities were selected from each of the three selected local
government areas. This gave a total of nine (9) communities for the study.
Secondly, ten (10) farm households were randomly selected from each of the
three farming communities, making a total of ninety (90) farm households. Well
structured and pre-tested questionnaire, personal observation and focus group
discussion were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive
statistical, multinomial logit model, partial budget and a composite benefit-
cost simulation model. The study showed that most of the farmers adopted more
than one soil conservation practice. The conservation practices adopted most by
the farmers included; animal and green manure application (100% and 85.55%
respectively), cover crop planting (70%), construction of erosion control
structures (57.77%), multiple cropping (45.55%) and reduced tillage (40%),
incorporation of crop residues ( 26.66%), mulching ( 23.33%), crop rotation (
21.11%), fallowing ( 14.44%), across slope- cultivation (12.22%), planting of
perennial grass barriers (11.11%) and vegetation planting (8.88%s). Majority of
the farmers were males (75.56%), the mean age of the farmers was forty six
years, and about eighty seven percent (87%) of the farmers had a house hold
size of six to ten persons. Majority of the farmers (725%) used family labour,
and 53.35% of the farm land was individually owned by the farmers. An increase
in farm size showed significant (P<0.05) increase in the application of
green manure (z = 2.25) and crop rotation (z = 2.08). Similarly, increase in
house hold size showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in the construction
of erosion control structures with a 2.54 magnitude of the z-value. An increase
in farm size and sex showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in the use of
crop rotation (z = 2.31 and 2.75 respectively). Sex also showed a significant
(P<0.05) on the used of crop residues with a 1.96 magnitude of the z-value.
A benefit cost analysis estimated the cost of soil conservation as N
1,462,300 and the benefit of soil conservation as N 3,246,800 with a net
profit of N 1,784,500 and a net present value of N 37,167,285.
High capital and labour demand (100%), insecure land tenure (98%), high risk
and stability of practice (96.7%), poor policy support by government (95.6%),
inadequate access to information and extension services (95.6%), poor returns
to land, capital and labour (81.1%), perception and values of practices (51.1%)
and perceived attributes of an innovation (35.6%), are some of the factors that
limited the used of soil conservation practices by farmers in the study area.
Granted that soil conservation practices are expensive, the benefits exceed the
cost and it is the only option open to the farmers facing degraded farm lands.
Owing to the fact that the farmers are poor and cannot meet up with the
financial demands of soil conservation, the government should assist them in
terms of financial subsidies and soft loans to enable them meet up with the
financial challenges of soil conservation. Land ownership policies and property
right information should be made available and accessible to the farmers, since
most of the farmers are afraid on investing heavily on their family lands.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Information
According
to the United Nation report (1984), Land-use management is the world’s most
important environmental and productivity problem. Land degradation, especially
soil erosion, soil nutrient depletion and soil moisture stress, is a major
problem confronting many African countries (13th International Soil
Conservation Organisation Conference (ISCO), 2004).
Environmental
degradation in National, State and Community levels in Nigeria is now a
critical issue posing serious threats to the populace (Ezemonye, 2007). The
major processes of land degradation are physical (in the form of soil erosion,
compaction, and crusting and iron pan formation) (Kathleen, 1993). In Nigeria,
one of the most serious problems of land-management is soil erosion. Soil
erosion constitutes one of the greatest environmental and productivity
problems, causing an estimated 30 million tonnes of soil loss annually.
Although erosion is a natural process human land use policies also have an
effect on erosion, especially industrial agriculture, deforestation, and urban sprawl
(Montogomery, 2008, Kotke, 2007). Most of the severe and frightening soil
erosion problems and catastrophes in Nigeria are found in many parts of South
Eastern region where population densities and resource pressure in these parts
rank among the highest in rural Africa. There have been several reports on this
ravaging situation in the Southeast, “the conditions, under which our kith and
kin have to make their daily living in Nigeria, are hellish and inhuman,”
(Orabuchi, 2006).
Soil
degradation is a serious problem in Nigeria (World Bank, 1990). Deforestation,
soil erosion, desertification, soil salinization, alkalinization and
water-logging, form different but often interrelated aspects of soil
degradation (Chukwuemeka Okoye, 2009). In Nigeria, soil
Soil
conservation refers to the use of measures to protect the soil, the aim of
maintaining or improving its natural fertility (FAO, 2001). Soil conservation
also refers to a temporary or permanent increase in the productive capacity of
the land or its potential for environmental management. In economic terms,
“productive capacity” is the attainable annual output of product yield, natural
vegetation and water flow, at a fixed level of non-land inputs. Conservation
Agriculture (CA) ( sometimes referred to as "agricultural environmental
management"), can be defined as “a concept for resource-saving
agricultural crop production that strives to achieve acceptable profits
together with high and sustained production levels while concurrently
conserving the environment” (FAO, 2007). At the same time conservation is the
use of resources in a manner that safely maintains a resource that can be used
by humans. Conservation has become critical on the fact that the world
population has increased over the years and more food needs to be produced
every year (FAO, 2007).....
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Item Type: Postgraduate Material | Attribute: 78 pages | Chapters: 1-5
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