Farmers decision on land use land cover change from agriculture to forest and factors affecting their decision: the case of Gurage Zone, Central Ethiopia

Abstract

Land use and land cover change determined by numerous situation specific factors at different locations and times. In Ethiopia inappropriate land uses land cover changes become pressing challenges. Similarly, in the Gurage zone, there is a significant change from agriculture to Eucalyptus plantations. Therefore, this study investigates the direct and indirect drivers of the change, as well as factors affecting farmers' decisions regarding the conversion to provide important policy input. The data collected from 311 households through household surveys, key informant interviews (KIIs), and focused group discussions (FGDs). Descriptive statistics and a binary logit model used for analysis. The result indicated that the direct driver for this land conversion included the ability to generate high income from forest, soil infertility, and increasing demand for forest products. On the other hand, the allelopathic effect of neighboring plantations, lack of adequate agricultural technology and increased accessibility to forest products market were the top indirect drivers. The binary logit results show that farmers' decision to convert agricultural lands to forestland is significantly influenced by land size, forest income, education level, and years lived in the area. The findings suggest creating awareness about appropriate land use techniques to sustain the development.