Assessing perceived benefits of sustainable land management practices among smallholder crop farmers in Southeast, Nigeria

Abstract

Sustainable land management (SLM) has been identified as a veritable tool in ensuring a sustainable global food production system. This study assessed the benefits of sustainable land management practices based on the perceptions of smallholder crop farmers in Southeast Nigeria. The sample for the study comprised 360 respondents selected using a combination of purposive and random sampling from a sampling frame of Fadama III project Fadama User Groups FUGs involved in crop production. Primary data obtained from field survey using questionnaire and interview schedule were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. General effects of SLM were found to include reduction in soil erosion (99%), improvement
in soil fertility (99%), increased yield and income (96%) and improvement in climate change adaptation (79%). Mean Benefit Indexes (MBI) of major specific SLM practices were 0.97, 0.89, 0.85, 0.88, 0.90 and 0.82 for mulching, improved fallow, zero tillage, zero burning and agro-forestry respectively which all tested highly significant. Constraint to the utilization of SLM practices by the farmers included institutional/environmental, socio-economic and technical factors. It was recommended that policies aimed at enhancing the application of SLM practices should address the identified constraints.