Adoption trajectories of sustainable agricultural practices for climate resilience in Ethiopia

This study examines the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adoption trajectories for three key sustainable agricultural practices in Ethiopia: crop rotation, chemical fertilizer, and soil and water conservation. Specifically, it investigates patterns of persistent adoption, new adoption, and non-adoption among farmers. While previous studies have largely examined adoption as a static decision, limited evidence exists on how farmers’ adoption pathways evolve and the factors influencing these trajectories. Using two waves of nationally representative panel data from the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) (2018/19 and 2020/21), this study applies an econometric approach to investigate how demographic, institutional, economic, and geographic factors influence farmers’ movement across different adoption pathways. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in farmers’ adoption trajectories, with access to credit and extension services, livestock ownership, household labor availability, and market access playing significant roles in sustaining or initiating adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. The findings demonstrate that adoption is a dynamic process influenced by multiple socioeconomic and institutional factors rather than a one-time decision. Therefore, policies aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and climate resilience must move beyond encouraging initial adoption to focus on long-term, sustained uptake. Enabling smallholders to better withstand environmental shocks and ensure sustainable livelihoods require specific institutional support, such as reinforced extension services, better rural finance, and greater market connectivity.