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Abstract
This study analyses determinants of sustainable use of farmlands in Debre Mawi and Densa Bahta rural kebeles of Amhara region in northwestern Ethiopia. Within the framework of qualitative research methodology, the case study approach adopted in the study. The required primary data were gathered through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. A generic analytical framework that combines the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) and the farming system model was used in this study to understand the synergy of multiple variables that mediate sustainable land management practice among study respondents selected from the case study kebeles. The study reveals the relative importance of productive asset endowments, self-efficacy and risk perception on the sustainable use of farmlands in the Amhara region. Interviewees that follow unsustainable farming practices were endowed with relatively lower pieces of farmland and disadvantaged in possession of other productive assets. They also demonstrated a low level of self-efficacy and a risk-averse attitude to adopting conservation technologies, as they possessed smaller sizes of farmland compared with the village and regional average. The productive asset holdings of land-poor farmers and opportunities for off-farm activities should thus be enhanced to halt the ongoing farmland degradation in Amhara region.
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Article Type: Research Article
EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2022, Article No: em0182
https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/11822
Publication date: 27 Feb 2022
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Article Downloads: 1125
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