Determinants of agroecological practices adoption in mango-based farming systems: Evidence from southern Ethiopia

Agroecological practices are a promising strategy for improving the productivity of mango-based farming systems sustainably. However, their adoptions among farmers in Ethiopia remain low and inconsistent. Despite their potential benefits, little is known about the extent of adoption, the interdependent nature of these practices, and the determinants associated with the farmers' decisions to adopt multiple agroecological practices. Hence, this investigation explores the determinants associated with the adoption of agroecological practices in mango-based farming systems in southern Ethiopia. The study employed a mixed-methods design using 395 randomly selected households. The multivariate probit and Poisson regression models were used for data analysis. Findings showed that crop diversification (90.63 %), integrated pest management (55.7 %), canopy management (53.16 %), organic fertilizer application (48.1 %), and topworking (27.09 %) of mango trees were the most commonly implemented agroecological practices that have significant complementarity. The multivariate probit model showed that farmers’ adoption of agroecological practices was positively associated with education, access to training, farmer experience, tree density, awareness of pest information, access to credit, and farm inputs. The Poisson regression analysis also indicated that older farmers tended to adopt fewer agroecological practices, whereas education, tree density, training, farm experience, and farm input use were positively associated with farmers' intensity to adopt the agroecological practices. Therefore, the study suggests that the extension program should focus on introducing context and site-specific agroecological practices and support farmers with relevant skill and knowledge training as well as input supplies. Moreover, policies and support programs should prioritize the dissemination of best agroecological practices and lessons learned elsewhere to smallholder farmers.