Socio-Economic Determinants of Soil Fertility Management Practices among Small-Scale Farmers in Semi-Arid and Humid Subzones of South-Western Uganda

Uganda’s consumption of mineral fertilizers is low and this is partly attributed to its high costs and lack of proper information among others. Alternative soil fertility management technologies such as the use of manure and integration of legumes in cropping systems provide plausible options, but their adoption by small-scale farmers is less investigated. The National Agricultural Research Organization with the financial support from the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI), and Rural Development Administration of Korea implemented a project for enhancing agricultural productivity with improved use of legumes and manure in a smallholder farming system. A baseline study was conducted in two districts: Isingiro and Rubirizi in south-western Uganda to assess the socio-economic activities and use of existing soil fertility management practices at the household level. The major soil fertility management practices were the use of mixed organic manures, cow manure and compost. High input costs were the major limiting factor to the adoption of soil fertility management options, particularly mineral fertilizers. This led to a majority of households not using any soil fertility improving innovations for agricultural production.