Abstract:
Faced with a multitude of soil and water amendment
technologies, farmers have the task of choosing the
technologies to adopt for ensuring subsistence and
income sustainability. In 2008, a study to characterize
the farmers was conducted around Mabira Forest,
to assess the adoption of soil technologies fostering
Belowground Biodiversity (BGBD). Eighty-four
households (38 participating and 46 non-participants)
from four villages were randomly selected and
interviewed. Results showed that the adoption pattern
was significantly driven by farm size, labor, household
size, age and wealth status of the house. Also
important were farm location, gender of household
head, primary occupation, soil and water conservation
technologies training, land tenure, and social capital.
For the few current adopters, there was a perceived
increase in labor demand but overall productivity was
higher, partly resulting from increased crop productivity
due to soil fertility enhancement and soil structure
modification. It is therefore concluded that, around
Mabira forest, BGBD technologies will be adopted
by farming households with sufficient land, labor and
social capital.
Picturing Adoption of Below-Ground Biodiversity
Technologies among Smallholder Farmers around Mabira
Forest, Uganda
