Factors Affecting Farmers’ Participation in Watershed Management Programs in Northern Ethiopia: A Case Study in the Upper Mugie Sub-watershed

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors influencing farmers’ participation in watershed management in the Mugie Sub-watershed, located in the northeastern highlands of Ethiopia. A combination of purposive and random sampling techniques was used to select 200 households from four villages. Data was collected using a structured survey questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The data were analyzed using a range of statistical techniques, including descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. The results revealed that farmers’ perception was strongly correlated (r = 0.612, p < 0.01) with their decision to participate in watershed management programs, followed by stakeholders’ support (r = 0.163, p < 0.05). In contrast, the slope of the farmland and the gender of the household head showed significant negative associations. Binary logistic regression analysis further indicated that six independent variables were important in explaining farmers’ decisions to participate in watershed management programs. These variables included land redistribution, gender, family labor force, educational opportunity, farm size, and land slope. Land redistribution, gender, family labor force, educational opportunity, and land slope had negative effects, whereas farm size had a positive effect. Further analysis also demonstrated the role of individual variables in explaining variation in farmers’ decisions to participate in the program. Among these, two variables were found to be statistically significant: the gender of the household head and land tenure security. Accordingly, the chi-square value for gender (X2 = 9.052) was statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Similarly, the chi-square value for land tenure security (X2 = 8.691) was also statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The findings of the study suggest the need to raise farmers’ awareness of the long-term benefits of watershed management programs and to design strategies that help diversify their livelihoods.