Resource information
An extensive review of literature on the
determinants of adoption and impacts of land management
technologies in the Ethiopian highlands was undertaken to
guide policy makers and development agencies in crafting
programs and policies that can better and more effectively
address land degradation in Ethiopia. Several
generalizations emerge from the review: 1) the profitability
of land management technologies is a very important factor
influencing technology adoption. In many cases it is a
threshold consideration; 2) land tenure insecurity and
limited transfer rights undermine land management
investments; 3) the impacts of household endowments on
technology adoption are mixed; and 4) the impacts of credit
on input use are positive where input use is profitable and
not too risky; in other cases credit is not a binding
constraint, because farmers ration their use of credit to
avoid risk. Further research on the adoption and impacts of
land management practices is needed to build on this
understanding of what works, and where. Based on this
review, as well as the findings from two companion papers
and stakeholder workshops, it appears that research in
different biophysical and socioeconomic domains to assess
the off-site as well as on-site costs and benefits of
alternative land management approaches will be particularly
useful in supporting efforts to scale up successful
sustainable land management practices in Ethiopia.
