Title: Assessment of the impact of incentives on adoption of sustainable land management: a case study of Chesower Sub-county, Bukwo District, Uganda

The overall aim of this study was to assess the impact of incentives on sustainable land management (SLM) adoption. The study focused on Chesower Sub-county in Bukwo District in Eastern Uganda, and its objectives were to: (1) assess the extent of adoption of SLM technologies with the use of incentives, (2) identify the challenges faced by farmers in using SLM technologies, and (3) identify strategies for addressing the challenges faced by farmers in adoption of SLM technologies. The study was based on survey questionnaire data as well as a literature review and secondary data on SLM and the study area. The survey questionnaire was administered to 40 farmers in Chesower Sub-county, using a systematic sampling method where a household list was used as a unit for selecting survey participants. Most of the respondents said that they had received inputs and services and that they were using SLM technologies. They also said that they were required to practice SLM by the organisations giving the support. This implies that the provision of incentives may influence farmers’ decisions to undertake SLM practices. The main challenges in using SLM technologies included limited finances for purchasing inputs and hiring labour, as well as soil erosion because control measures are not practiced by all farmers at the landscape level, making it uneconomical for an individual farmer to invest where erosion control structures are required. The respondents suggested strategies to address challenges to adoption, such as provision of financial support, soft loans for purchase of inputs and farm equipment, increased awareness about good farming practices, and collective action to increase co-operation amongst farmers. The study’s findings suggest that a combination of short term and long term incentives would be an effective approach to enhance and maintain SLM adoption in rural communities of Uganda.