Determinants of soil fertility management practices in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: logistic regression approach

Soil fertility in smallholder farms remains a major issue in Ethiopia and for many developing countries where more than 90% of the population's food is provided by smallholder farmers. This study was aimed to identify determinants of soil fertility management practices in smallholder farmers of the Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia where the agricultural landscapes dominated by coffee and enset crops. The study is based on cross-sectional data obtained from a total of 270 randomly selected households. Data were collected using a structured survey questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD) held with key informants from each sample kebele. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and a logistic regression model. The result of the study showed that to maintain soil fertility the majority of farmers relied on a number of organic farming practices that take full advantage of the nutrient cycles. The commonly used soil fertility management practices were green manure (98.1%), mulching (71.9%), minimum tillage (97.4%) and multilayered agroforestry (100%). The results showed that the socioeconomic status of farmers had an effect on the adoption of soil fertility management practices. Logistic regression analysis showed that the family size of the household had a positive significant (p < 0.05) effect on the adoption of compost and farmyard manure while the dependency ratio of the farmer households had a negative impact on both compost and farmyard manure adoption. The differences in education status of household head and coffee shrubs holding had a strong positive relationship with farmers' mulch adoption. The study also shows that livestock holding of the household was significant (p < 0.01) positive association with the adoption of farmyard manure. Moreover, the coefficient for the agriculture annual income and differences in agroecological zones had strong positive effects on the adoption of compost at and cover cropping. The findings suggest that soil fertility management practices in the study area could be enhanced by improving the income of farmers and targeting young families where all spouses and working-age household members work on farms. Moreover, attention should be given to enhancing intensive livestock management systems that support more livestock for the provision of farmyard manure and advising farmers to possess a manageable number of coffee shrubs.