Publisher : Elsevier Science B.V.
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2002
Thematic : Agro-biodiversity
Language : English
Note
Extension education can play a critical role in moving farmers in developing countries away from environmentally harmful slash and burn agriculture by making farmers more aware of the ecological costs of slash and burn. Land tenure issues may limit the effectiveness of extension education. The present research examines the extent to which extension education can promote adoption of cropping systems other than slash and burn, and whether or not land tenure issues reduce the effectiveness of extension education. This issue is addressed using survey data from the West African nation of Cameroon. The choice of cropping system by farmers in Cameroon, whether slash and burn, multiple crops, or mono-cropping, is modeled as a function of farm size, visits by extension personnel, cultivated acres, and the level of land ownership. Results indicate that higher visitation rates by extension personnel reduce the likelihood of farmers choosing slash and burn agriculture, but farmers with lower levels of land ownership are less likely to adopt alternatives than those with higher levels of land ownership. This suggests land tenure issues limit the effectiveness of extension education aimed at reducing slash and burn agriculture, and that extension programs should work in conjunction with land reform programs.
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Keywords : Chlamydera cerviniventris
Encoded by : Mae Belen Llanza
