Conservation Agriculture in Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya: Assessment of Beneficiaries' Baseline Socio-economic Conditions

Smallholder farming plays an important role in food security, income generation, and employment in Kenya and Uganda. Declining soil fertility, however, is threatening current and long-term food security. Development institutions have responded by promoting conservation agriculture practices, which involve maintaining year-round soil cover, minimizing soil disturbance associated with tillage, and using crop rotations. These programs have not achieved widespread adoption or sustained use. This study analyzes household survey data from four study sites in western Kenya and eastern Uganda to identify factors that may hinder or foster adoption of conservation agriculture practices. Results suggest that past conservation practices might not have been sufficiently tailored to each of the study sites' unique biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics. Farmers' socioeconomic circumstances and individual characteristics influence their perceptions of new technologies and affect their willingness to adopt them. Future interventions should take these characteristics into account and be sensitive to the unique micro-contexts of the communities to which conservation agriculture practices are being introduced.