CHOICES OF SOIL CONSERVATION METHODS ON KWAZULU-NATAL COMMERCIAL SUGARCANE FARMS

Abstract

A Principal components analysis and multiple regression techniques are used to analyse heterogeneity in 53 KwaZulu-Natal sugarcane farmers soil conservation decisions. Minimum tillage and construction of water carrying terraces are the most common methods used, whereas trash mulching is least commonly practised. Results indicate that farmers' demands for soil conservation, their demands for other attributes of soil conservation practices and interactions between practices are important to explaining their choices. Intra-farm variation in use of soil conservation methods is small relative to inter-farm variation. Education programmes, provision of information, and improving farmers' technical soil conservation skills have implications for aggregate soil conservation adoption, whereas the types of information provided, fire insurance programmes and soil conservation subsidies have implications for the combinations of practices adopted.