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Strategies to increase agricultural productivity and reduce land degradation: evidence from Uganda

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  • Pender, John
  • Nkonya, Ephraim
  • Jagger, Pamela
  • Sserunkuuma, Dick
  • Ssali, Henry

Abstract

This paper estimates a structural econometric model of household decisions regarding income strategies, participation in programs and organizations, crop choices, land management, and labor use, and their implications for agricultural production and land degradation; based upon a survey of over 450 households and their farm plots in Uganda. The results generally support the Boserupian model of population-induced agricultural intensification, but do not support the "more people-less erosion" hypothesis, with population pressure found to contribute to erosion in the densely populated highlands. Agricultural technical assistance programs have location-specific impacts on agricultural production and land degradation, contributing to higher value of crop production in the lowlands, but to soil erosion in the highlands. By contrast, NGO programs focusing on agriculture and environment are helping to reduce erosion, but have mixed impacts on production. We find little evidence of impact of access to markets, roads and credit, land tenure or title on agricultural intensification and crop production, though road access appears to contribute to land degradation in the highlands. Education increases household incomes, but also reduces crop production in the lowlands. We do not find evidence of a poverty-land degradation trap, while poverty has mixed impacts on agricultural production: smaller farms obtain higher crop production per hectare, while households with fewer livestock have crop production. These findings suggest that development of factor markets can improve agricultural efficiency. Several other factors that contribute to increased value of crop production, without significant impacts on land degradation, include specialized crop production, livestock and nonfarm income strategies, and irrigation. In general, the results imply that the strategies to increase agricultural production and reduce land degradation must be location-specific, and that there are

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Blackwell in its journal Agricultural Economics.

Volume (Year): 31 (2004)
Issue (Month): 2-3 (December)
Pages: 181-195

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Handle: RePEc:eee:agecon:v:31:y:2004:i:2-3:p:181-195

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References

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  1. Pender, John L. & Jagger, Pamela & Nkonya, Ephraim M. & Sserunkuuma, Dick, 2002. "Development Pathways And Land Management In Uganda: Causes And Implications," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19814, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Faye, Issa & Deininger, Klaus W., 2005. "Do new delivery systems improve extension access? Evidence from rural Uganda," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19405, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
  2. Pender, John L. & Abdoulaye, Tahirou & Ndjeunga, Jupiter & Gerard, Bruno & Edward, Kato, 2006. "Impacts of Inventory Credit, Input Supply Shops and Fertilizer Micro-Dosing in the Drylands of Niger," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25643, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
  3. Deininger, Klaus W. & Ayalew, Daniel & Yamano, Takashi, 2006. "Legal Knowledge and Economic Development: The Case of Land Rights in Uganda," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25431, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
  4. Jacky MATHONNAT & Jean-Fran�ois BRUN & Martine AUDIBERT & HENRY, 2006. "Malaria, Production and Income of the Producers of Coffee and Cocoa: an Analysis from Survey Data in C�te d'Ivoire. Malaria, coffee and cocoa production and income," Working Papers 200631, CERDI.
  5. Komarek, Adam M. & Ahmadi-Esfahani, Fredoun Z., 2006. "An Economic Analysis of Ugandan Agricultural Constraints," 2006 Conference (50th), February 8-10, 2006, Sydney, Australia 139796, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
  6. Bagamba, Fred & Burger, Kees & Kuyvenhoven, Arie, 2009. "Determinant of smallholder farmer labor allocation decisions in Uganda:," IFPRI discussion papers 887, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  7. Abera Demeke & Alwin Keil & Manfred Zeller, 2011. "Using panel data to estimate the effect of rainfall shocks on smallholders food security and vulnerability in rural Ethiopia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 108(1), pages 185-206, September.
  8. Muto, Megumi & Yamano, Takashi, 2009. "The Impact of Mobile Phone Coverage Expansion on Market Participation: Panel Data Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 1887-1896, December.
  9. Erreygers G. & Ferede T., 2009. "The end of subsistence farming: Growth dynamics and investments in human and environmental capital in rural Ethiopia," Working Papers 2009008, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Applied Economics.
  10. Place, Frank, 2009. "Land Tenure and Agricultural Productivity in Africa: A Comparative Analysis of the Economics Literature and Recent Policy Strategies and Reforms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 1326-1336, August.
  11. Kabubo-Mariara, Jane & Linderhof, Vincent & Kruseman, Gideon, 2010. "Does land tenure security matter for investment in soil and water conservation? Evidence from Kenya," Journal of Cooperatives, NCERA-210, vol. 4(2), June.
  12. Betz, Michael R., 2009. "Effectiveness of agricultural extension with respect to farm size: The case of Uganda," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49471, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
  13. Arano, Kathleen G. & Blair, Benjamin F., 2008. "Modeling religious behavior and economic outcome: Is the relationship bicausal?: Evidence from a survey of Mississippi households," The Journal of Socio-Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 2043-2053, October.
  14. Charlotte Nakakaawa & Paul Vedeld & Jens Aune, 2011. "Spatial and temporal land use and carbon stock changes in Uganda: implications for a future REDD strategy," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 25-62, January.
  15. Jolejole-Foreman, Maria Christina & Baylis, Katherine R. & Lipper, Leslie, 2012. "Land Degradation’s Implications on Agricultural Value of Production in Ethiopia: A look inside the bowl," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126251, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
  16. Nkonya, Ephraim & Place, Frank & Pender, John & Mwanjololo, Majaliwa & Okhimamhe, Appollonia & Kato, Edward & Crespo, Susana & Ndjeunga, Jupiter & Traore, Sibiry, 2011. "Climate risk management through sustainable land management in Sub-Saharan Africa:," IFPRI discussion papers 1126, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  17. Nyangena, Wilfred & Sterner, Thomas, 2008. "Social Capital and Institutions in Rural Kenya: Is Machakos Unique?," Discussion Papers dp-08-01-efd, Resources For the Future.

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