Enhancing soil health among smallholder farmers in Tanzania: A study of land management practices using non-parametric method

Document Type : Original Article

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Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Mzumbe University-Tanzania, P.o.Box 87, Mzumbe

Abstract

Effective land management is crucial for improving soil fertility and increasing crop productivity. However, the literature lacks clear documentation on the extent to which these practices are used, as well as rankings based on farmers' perspectives and levels of importance they attribute to these practices. The present paper used secondary data covering the two districts (Mvomero and Mbozi) to find out actual practices among the randomly selected smallholder farmers (421) for improving the land fertility The data scrutiny was handled using Excel and SPSS. The findings have been presented using tables, whereas the importance of each practice based on the farmers' perceptions has been analysed using the non-parametric statistical method (relative importance index (RII)), ranging between” 0-1”. Of 13 land management practices, all were found important as per RII and classified as High-Medium in the relative importance index (0.6-08).  As noted in previous studies, soil health is essential for agricultural productivity and sustainability. However, implementing these practices can be costly. Thus, small farmers are advised to select the most cost-effective practices to achieve benefits in the shortest time, while ensuring the sustainability of agriculture.

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