Association between foreign agricultural investments and adoption of soil and water conservation practices in Uganda

Abstract Objectives Recently, some developing countries are promoting foreign agricultural investments in Agriculture to exploit currently under-exploited land. Yet, the benefits to recipient countries remains less understood and inconclusive. The study sought to understand the association between proximity to a foreign agricultural investments (FAI) and adoption of soil and water conservation farming methods by smallholder farmers in Uganda. Methodology We used cross-sectional data collected from a total of 1,181 smallholder respondents, sampled through a multi-stage random sampling process resulting in three independent samples from South-western, Central and Northern Uganda. Using logistic regression analysis and pooled data, we study the association between proximity to a FAI and other factors that influence the adoption of soil and water conservation farming practices by smallholder farmers in Uganda. Results Descriptive results show that at the aggregate level proximity to a FAI, the education level of the farmer and ownership of information and communication assets (radio and mobile phone) are significantly different between adopter and non-adopters of soil and water conservation farming methods in the research area. The econometric findings of the study suggest that proximity to a foreign agricultural investments (FAI) has weak but significant spillovers on soil and water conservation farming practices of smallholder farmers it their vicinity with possible site specific variations that warrant more in-depth investigation. The effect of proximity to FAI on the adoption of soil and water conservation farming practices is complemented by the education level of the farmer and access to means of communication (radio, and in particular mobile phone set) indicating the importance of information and also broader socio-economic conditions. Recommendation We recommend policies that enhance increased exposure of smallholder farmers to FAI especially those that help promote rural digital penetration through increased band width, FM radios and affordable data packages.