Determinants of Adoption and Labour Intensity of Stone-terraces in Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Stone-terrace construction is among the most common methods for conserving soil and water resources in the intensively cultivated highland parts of Ethiopia. Human labour is the scarcest input required for construction as stones are freely available on the farm. Consequently, adopting terraces may not be enough by itself unless adequate amount of labour is devoted for its construction. In an effort to assess factors impeding adoption of stone terraces and its labour use intensity, this study uses a household- and plot-level data collected from 211 farm households and applies a double-hurdle model for analysis. A number of variables are found to be statistically significant in affecting adoption of stone-terraces and its labour use intensity. Among important implications of this study are gradually relaxing the limited land tenure security; designing programs for enlarging parcel size and minimizing fragmentation; and launching and strengthening farm training and education activities.

Keywords: soil conservation, double-hurdle model, Ethiopia, labour use intensity, terraces