Determinants of soil and water conservation practices adoption by smallholder farmers in the central highlands of Kenya

The central highlands of Kenya play a vital role in supporting agricultural activities and sustaining the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Despite its crucial role, the region faces substantial environmental challenges like soil erosion and land degradation, necessitating the adoption of sustainable land management practices. The aim of this study was to investigate the determinants of the adoption of Soil and Water Conservation Practices (SWCPs) among smallholder farmers in central Kenya. Primary data was collected from three administrative wards of Tharaka Nithi County (TNC) using 150 semi-structured household (HH) questionnaires, Key Informant Interviews (KII), and field observations. STATA and Microsoft Office Excel software were used to analyse the HH survey data, using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and the binary logistic regression model. Qualitative data from the KII was analysed through synthesized text summaries. The results show that 65.33 % of the respondents adopted SWCPs on their farms, while 34.67 % did not at the time of our study. The study findings further revealed that farm size (β ​= ​0.641; p ​< ​0.05), and Agro-ecological zone (AEZ) (β ​= ​1.341; p ​< ​0.05) positively influenced the adoption of SWCPs. On the other hand, distance from homestead to farm (β ​= ​−0.003; p ​< ​0.05), and age (β ​= ​−0.039; p ​≤ ​0.05) negatively influenced the adoption of SWCPs by the farmers. Challenges in SWCPs implementation included inadequate capital (76.53 %), high labor costs (62.24 %), lack of technical knowledge (34.69 %), lack of infrastructure (17.35 %), and insecure land tenure (1.02 %). These study findings hold the potential to guide the TNC government in formulating tailored strategies that can foster the adoption and sustainable implementation of SWCPs among smallholder farmers. If properly implemented, the strategies will bolster agricultural productivity, mitigate soil erosion, and enhance the region's overall environmental and economic well-being.