Libro

Descripción

In the face of mounting land degradation, declining agricultural productivity, and persistent food insecurity in Nigeria, the urgent need for sustainable land management practices (SLMP) has never been clearer. This compelling study by Oluwole Okikijesu Afolabi investigates the awareness and uptake of SLMP among arable crop farmers in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria—a region representative of many smallholder farming communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on primary data from 100 farmers selected through a two-stage sampling procedure, the research employs descriptive statistics and truncated regression to uncover critical insights. The findings reveal a predominantly young, educated farming population (mean age 43 years, 73% with formal education) who demonstrate high awareness of practices such as chemical fertilizers, crop rotation, intercropping, mulching, and cover cropping. However, awareness does not always translate into adoption. While crop rotation and intercropping are widely embraced (adopted by over 90% of respondents), practices like no-tillage and cover cropping remain significantly underutilized. Crucially, the study identifies key determinants of adoption intensity: education level, farm size, household size, farm income, credit access, extension services, and subsidies positively influence uptake, while distance to markets and high input costs act as significant barriers. These findings underscore a vital truth that sustainable agriculture is not merely a matter of knowledge transfer but requires systemic support, including affordable inputs, accessible credit, functional extension systems, and market infrastructure. This research offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, development organizations, and agricultural agencies: strengthen extension services, implement price controls to boost farm incomes, and facilitate farmer cooperatives for better credit access. For anyone committed to advancing sustainable agriculture in Nigeria and beyond, this study provides both a diagnostic lens and a roadmap for meaningful intervention.