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Dissertations, Theses and Plan B Papers -- Abstract

Knepper, Eric Teague. Factors Affecting the Use of Fertilizer by Small and Medium-Sized Farming Households in Zambia, 1997-2000. Master's Thesis, 2002. Major Professor: Jayne. 

Agriculture represents the main form of income for many families in rural Zambia and increasing incomes of the majority of the population is a crucial goal. The use of fertilizer is seen as an important way to improve agricultural output and productivity, and therefore incomes of rural households. Identifying characteristics of households that currently use fertilizer may lead to a better understanding of the constraints and opportunities to increasing fertilizer use. This paper uses three, nation-wide surveys to identify the factors that affect a household's use of fertilizer. The factors analyzed include market-characteristics, household-level characteristics, and geographical-level characteristics. The paper also analyzes factors that affect the total quantity of fertilizer a household uses. The factors found to significantly increase a household's likelihood of using fertilizer include total cropped area, ownership of farming assets, and proximity to a fertilizer depot. However, the most influential factors identified were transportation assets and level of district transportation infrastructure. These findings imply a straightforward policy response for government: improvements in transportation infrastructure may be among the most effective methods of increasing levels of fertilizer use and by extension the incomes of rural farming households.