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Spatial Analysis Of Soil Fertility Management Using Integrated Household And Gis Data From Smallholder Kenyan Farms

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  • Staal, Steven J.
  • Romney, D.
  • Baltenweck, Isabelle
  • Waithaka, Michael M.
  • Muriuki, H.
  • Njoroge, L.
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    Abstract

    Although soil fertility is recognized as a primary constraint to agricultural production in developing countries, use of fertilizer in Sub-Saharan Africa is declining. Smallholder farmers still rely heavily on livestock manure for soil fertility management. To explore the determinants of soil fertility management practices, including both the use of cattle manure and inorganic fertilizer, data are used from a sample of 3,330 geo-referenced farm households across Central and Western Kenya. A bivariate probit model is applied to jointly examine the use of the two technologies. Particular attention is given to measures of location related to market access and agroclimate, which in the adoption literature have typically been addressed using crude proxies. To avoid such proxies, GIS-derived variables are integrated into the household decision model. Their use also allows the spatial prediction of uptake based on parameter estimates. The results show clearly the derived-demand nature of soil fertility services, based on markets for farm outputs. They also illustrate that supply of manure for soil fertility amendments is conditioned by demand for livestock products, especially milk. The integration of GIS-derived variables is shown to better estimate the effects of location than the usual measures employed, and offers scope to wider use in technology adoption research.

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    File URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25903
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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by International Association of Agricultural Economists in its series 2003 Annual Meeting, August 16-22, 2003, Durban, South Africa with number 25903.

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    Date of creation: 2003
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    Handle: RePEc:ags:iaae03:25903

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    Related research

    Keywords: spatial analysis; soil fertility; market access; technology adoption.; Farm Management; Land Economics/Use; Q12; Q16;

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    1. Gruhn, Peter & Goletti, Francesco & Yudelman, Montague, 2000. "Integrated nutrient management, soil fertility, and sustainable agriculture: current issues and future challenges," 2020 vision discussion papers 32, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Gerald C. Nelson & Daniel Hellerstein, 1997. "Do Roads Cause Deforestation? Using Satellite Images in Econometric Analysis of Land Use," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 79(1), pages 80-88.
    3. Shiferaw, Bekele & Holden, Stein T., 1998. "Resource degradation and adoption of land conservation technologies in the Ethiopian Highlands: A case study in Andit Tid, North Shewa," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 233-247, May.
    4. Ali, Mubarik, 1996. "Quantifying the socio-economic determinants of sustainable crop production: an application to wheat cultivation in the Tarai of Nepal," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 45-60, April.
    5. Mertens, Benoit & Sunderlin, William D. & Ndoye, Ousseynou & Lambin, Eric F., 2000. "Impact of Macroeconomic Change on Deforestation in South Cameroon: Integration of Household Survey and Remotely-Sensed Data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 983-999, June.
    6. Kaliba, Aloyce R. M. & Featherstone, Allen M. & Norman, David W., 1997. "A stall-feeding management for improved cattle in semiarid central Tanzania: factors influencing adoption," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 17(2-3), pages 133-146, December.
    7. Omamo, S. W. & Williams, J. C. & Obare, G. A. & Ndiwa, N. N., 2002. "Soil fertility management on small farms in Africa: evidence from Nakuru District, Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 159-170, April.
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