Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices
CONTEXT Soil salinization is a significant environmental challenge prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions, causing adverse effects on crop yields and jeopardizing household food security. Previous research has examined the influence of institutional dynamics and the adoption of sustainable land man...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Elsevier
2024
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148902 |
| _version_ | 1855539794403131392 |
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| author | Sheikh, Asjad Tariq Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar Mufti, Samaa Davies, Stephen Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay |
| author_browse | Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar Davies, Stephen Mufti, Samaa Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay Sheikh, Asjad Tariq |
| author_facet | Sheikh, Asjad Tariq Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar Mufti, Samaa Davies, Stephen Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay |
| author_sort | Sheikh, Asjad Tariq |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | CONTEXT
Soil salinization is a significant environmental challenge prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions, causing adverse effects on crop yields and jeopardizing household food security. Previous research has examined the influence of institutional dynamics and the adoption of sustainable land management practices in bolstering agricultural output, and some have investigated the interplay among socioeconomic determinants, institutional frameworks, and the uptake of climate-resilient and sustainable methodologies, or the association between soil health and agricultural productivity. Yet, there has been a lack of studies that considered this relationship altogether and their role in enhancing soil fertility.
OBJECTIVE
We investigate the relationship among socioeconomic and institutional factors, adoption of sustainable land management practices, and the resulting changes in soil fertility between 2016 and 2019 within the context of mixed crop-livestock farms in the three irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. A household survey was conducted in 2019 to complement soil attributes data collected by the Government of Punjab in 2016. Households that implemented sustainable land management practices between 2016 and 2019 were analysed to investigate the effect of various factors on soil fertility, including the adoption of sustainable land management practices and their influence on soil fertility dynamics.
METHODS
A structural equation model was employed to examine the relationship among exogenous variables, moderating variables, and endogenous variables, to explain their collective influence on soil fertility between the two periods.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The key findings highlight the significant role of institutional factors, including access to formal information channels such as extension services, demonstration trials, and credit facilities, alongside secure land rights, in predicting the adoption of sustainable land management practices such as gypsum application, laser land leveling, farmyard manuring, and agroforestry. Furthermore, specific SLM practices, particularly agroforestry featuring intercropping with Acacia spp. and farmyard manure application, exhibited positive impacts on change in soil organic matter, albeit with agroforestry showing a negative influence on soil phosphorus levels. The adoption of gypsum and LLL displayed positive effects on soil phosphorus levels over time, contrasting with LLL's adverse impact on soil organic matter.
SIGNIFICANCE
Our findings suggest that soil fertility benefits from policies enacted through public-private partnerships that lead to improved access to sustainable land management information, reduced credit barriers, establishment of local soil testing facilities, and expedited land entitlement processes. These findings highlight the critical role of collaborative partnerships and institutional arrangements in enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace148902 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1489022025-10-26T12:51:04Z Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices Sheikh, Asjad Tariq Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar Mufti, Samaa Davies, Stephen Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay soil fertility crops livestock farming systems land management sustainable land management CONTEXT Soil salinization is a significant environmental challenge prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions, causing adverse effects on crop yields and jeopardizing household food security. Previous research has examined the influence of institutional dynamics and the adoption of sustainable land management practices in bolstering agricultural output, and some have investigated the interplay among socioeconomic determinants, institutional frameworks, and the uptake of climate-resilient and sustainable methodologies, or the association between soil health and agricultural productivity. Yet, there has been a lack of studies that considered this relationship altogether and their role in enhancing soil fertility. OBJECTIVE We investigate the relationship among socioeconomic and institutional factors, adoption of sustainable land management practices, and the resulting changes in soil fertility between 2016 and 2019 within the context of mixed crop-livestock farms in the three irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. A household survey was conducted in 2019 to complement soil attributes data collected by the Government of Punjab in 2016. Households that implemented sustainable land management practices between 2016 and 2019 were analysed to investigate the effect of various factors on soil fertility, including the adoption of sustainable land management practices and their influence on soil fertility dynamics. METHODS A structural equation model was employed to examine the relationship among exogenous variables, moderating variables, and endogenous variables, to explain their collective influence on soil fertility between the two periods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The key findings highlight the significant role of institutional factors, including access to formal information channels such as extension services, demonstration trials, and credit facilities, alongside secure land rights, in predicting the adoption of sustainable land management practices such as gypsum application, laser land leveling, farmyard manuring, and agroforestry. Furthermore, specific SLM practices, particularly agroforestry featuring intercropping with Acacia spp. and farmyard manure application, exhibited positive impacts on change in soil organic matter, albeit with agroforestry showing a negative influence on soil phosphorus levels. The adoption of gypsum and LLL displayed positive effects on soil phosphorus levels over time, contrasting with LLL's adverse impact on soil organic matter. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that soil fertility benefits from policies enacted through public-private partnerships that lead to improved access to sustainable land management information, reduced credit barriers, establishment of local soil testing facilities, and expedited land entitlement processes. These findings highlight the critical role of collaborative partnerships and institutional arrangements in enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. 2024-06 2024-07-03T20:21:22Z 2024-07-03T20:21:22Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148902 en Open Access Elsevier Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar; Mufti, Samaa; Davies, Stephen; and Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay. 2024. Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices. Agricultural Systems 218: 103964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103964 |
| spellingShingle | soil fertility crops livestock farming systems land management sustainable land management Sheikh, Asjad Tariq Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar Mufti, Samaa Davies, Stephen Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| title | Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| title_full | Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| title_fullStr | Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| title_short | Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| title_sort | soil fertility in mixed crop livestock farming systems of punjab pakistan the role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices |
| topic | soil fertility crops livestock farming systems land management sustainable land management |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148902 |
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