Confirming previous empirical research, we found that tenure security does
influence farmers’ decisions regarding long-term investments in soil conservation.
First, the presence of a land use right certificate positively influences adoption, both
at the household and plot levels. Second, the land reallocation threat perceived at
the village level discourages the adoption of soil conservation practices, an effect
that is even stronger when land is operated without a title. However, the positive
land title effect disappears when no reallocation threat is perceived, indicating that
the latter factor is a substantial one in explaining farmers’ behavior. These effects
remain small in magnitude, however. Land tenure policy, therefore, appears to be a
necessary but limited tool when wishing to foster environmental protection. In our
study area, a better clarification of land use objectives may help to secure land
tenure and to promote more sustainable land use than the environmentally damaging practices that currently prevail.
7.7 Innovative Approaches to Soil Conservation, and Policy
Implications
This section summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the presented soil
conservation techniques before discussing ways to enhance their adoption by
farmers. To provide an overview of the presented soil conservation measures, we
summarize their strengths and weaknesses regarding their effectiveness to reduce
soil loss and their resource requirements, especially in terms of labor and land, their
competition with crops, and also the possible off-site impacts of these techniques.
The descriptions provided in Table 7.11 will be compared in a relative manner
(high, moderate and low) against the local cropping practices, these being monocropped maize with varied management steps such as the burning of crop residues,
tillage by hand or using an animal-driven plow and weeding by hand or with
herbicides, without applying any additional soil conservation measures. From a
technical perspective, all SCT have proven effective at reducing soil loss. However,
resource requirements and the competition between cropping systems and SCT are
important factors in the local decision-making process. If policy recommendations
are to be derived as a result of the findings presented here, then any positive or
negative off-site impacts of the SCT in question have to be taken into account. From
this viewpoint, any decision will require the participation of all involved actors,
including local farmers and land managers, regional experts such as agronomists
and soil scientists, and also national policy makers, when choosing the most viable
option in terms of financial means, sociocultural aspects and environmental
settings.
As our case study in Vietnam shows, farmers may be aware of soil erosion and
know of methods they could use to mitigate the problem; nevertheless, adoption
rates of such methods may remain low (cf. Chap. 5). Farmers may perceive these
techniques to be economically unattractive, as they compete with the main cropping
270
T. Hilger et al.
influence farmers’ decisions regarding long-term investments in soil conservation.
First, the presence of a land use right certificate positively influences adoption, both
at the household and plot levels. Second, the land reallocation threat perceived at
the village level discourages the adoption of soil conservation practices, an effect
that is even stronger when land is operated without a title. However, the positive
land title effect disappears when no reallocation threat is perceived, indicating that
the latter factor is a substantial one in explaining farmers’ behavior. These effects
remain small in magnitude, however. Land tenure policy, therefore, appears to be a
necessary but limited tool when wishing to foster environmental protection. In our
study area, a better clarification of land use objectives may help to secure land
tenure and to promote more sustainable land use than the environmentally damaging practices that currently prevail.
7.7 Innovative Approaches to Soil Conservation, and Policy
Implications
This section summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the presented soil
conservation techniques before discussing ways to enhance their adoption by
farmers. To provide an overview of the presented soil conservation measures, we
summarize their strengths and weaknesses regarding their effectiveness to reduce
soil loss and their resource requirements, especially in terms of labor and land, their
competition with crops, and also the possible off-site impacts of these techniques.
The descriptions provided in Table 7.11 will be compared in a relative manner
(high, moderate and low) against the local cropping practices, these being monocropped maize with varied management steps such as the burning of crop residues,
tillage by hand or using an animal-driven plow and weeding by hand or with
herbicides, without applying any additional soil conservation measures. From a
technical perspective, all SCT have proven effective at reducing soil loss. However,
resource requirements and the competition between cropping systems and SCT are
important factors in the local decision-making process. If policy recommendations
are to be derived as a result of the findings presented here, then any positive or
negative off-site impacts of the SCT in question have to be taken into account. From
this viewpoint, any decision will require the participation of all involved actors,
including local farmers and land managers, regional experts such as agronomists
and soil scientists, and also national policy makers, when choosing the most viable
option in terms of financial means, sociocultural aspects and environmental
settings.
As our case study in Vietnam shows, farmers may be aware of soil erosion and
know of methods they could use to mitigate the problem; nevertheless, adoption
rates of such methods may remain low (cf. Chap. 5). Farmers may perceive these
techniques to be economically unattractive, as they compete with the main cropping
270
T. Hilger et al.