Abstract
Soil amendments, application of inorganic fertilizers and erosion control are three practices recommended for use by smallholder farmers in Africa south of the Sahara, but adoption rates remain low. We grouped farmers according to their adoption of these three practices and applied a seemingly unrelated, multivariate probit model to address several correlated outcomes jointly and interdependence among factors that influence their adoption. We then estimated demand for the most common soil nutrient deficit, nitrogen (N). Data were collected from a statistical sample of 1,001 households in western and central Kenya. Results confirmed that decisions to use different categories of soil fertility management were highly correlated. Unsurprisingly, farmers were price-responsive and improved access to market services enhanced demand for both inorganic fertilizers and soil amendments. To encourage widespread adoption of soil fertility management practices, policies should promote knowledge of them, continue to enhance smallholder access to market services, encourage the development of land rental markets in rural areas, and target women-headed households and young entrants into maize production.
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