Land management decisions, agricultural productivity, and rural income

Land degradation is among the major problems threatening productivity growth especially in developing countries where agriculture remains the largest sector in the economy. Ethiopia is among the Sub-Saharan countries which are reported to suffer severe land degradation. Reversing the deterioration of crop productivity resulting from land degradation, and ensuring adequate food supplies to the fast growing population is a formidable challenge in the country. Effective decisions against poverty, household food insecurity, and land degradation require, among others, a careful assessment of the complex relationships among land management strategies, agricultural productivity, and rural income levels. This book systematically addresses these linkages and factors affecting components of the linkages. It uses data collected from Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia and employs advanced econometric tools which are beyond single equation regressions. Important results include a negative reciprocal relationship between fertilizer and manure applications; interdependence of the seemingly unrelated intercropping and conservation tillage; the difference in decisions on adoption of stone-terraces and on the amount of labor devoted for that; positive effect of terraces on per capita income and insignificant effect of income on adoption of terraces; and many others. The book finally highlights important policy implications.