Abstract

This study assessed the adoption of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices among farmers participating in the Third National Fadama Development Project in Imo State, Nigeria. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 128 randomly selected members of Fadama User Groups (FUGs) in Imo State. The analysis utilized simple descriptive statistical tools such as frequency distribution tables, percentages, mean, and mean score. The findings revealed that the major land management problems in the area were land fragmentation (97.42%), soil erosion (94.06%), flooding (91.41%), waterlogging (87.23%), and indiscriminate deforestation (76.02%). Additionally, the study highlighted SLM practices adopted by the farmers, including mulching (91.41%), cover cropping (85.21%), agroforestry (79.10%), and intercropping (78.11%). Farmers reported that the adoption of SLM practices had positive impacts on their farming activities, leading to an increase in crop yield (mean score = 3.68), improvement in soil organic matter content (mean score = 3.12), reduction in the risks of crop failure (mean score = 3.34), and decrease in the occurrence of flooding (mean score = 3.24). The study also identified important challenges faced by the farmers, including poor government support (95.31%), the nature of the land tenure system (62.50%), limited access to land for agroforestry (62.50%), and the destruction of farms by grazing cattle (62.44%). The study recommends that the Imo State government continues to provide support to the Fadama Project as a grassroots poverty intervention program in the state. Additionally, the project coordinating office should strengthen its supervision of the project community facilitators to prevent the diversion of inputs meant for the farmers.

Key words: Sustainable land management, farmers, adoption, Fadama III Project.