Linking soil fertility management practices to perceptions of soil fertility status among smallholder farmers in Kabarole District and Fort Portal City, Western Uganda

Abstract

Declining soil fertility remains a major constraint to agricultural productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Uganda. This study assessed the adoption of soil fertility management practices and their association with perceived soil fertility status among smallholder farmers in Kabarole District and Fort Portal City, Western Uganda. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 randomly selected farmers. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between perceived soil fertility status and adoption of management practices. Results showed that 77.3% perceived their soils as having low fertility, mainly due to continuous cropping, soil erosion, and deforestation. Conservation tillage (53%), mulching (46%), and manure application (35%) were the most adopted practices, although overall adoption remained low. Moreover, binary logistic regression revealed that conservation tillage (OR = 1.92, p = 0.037) and manure application (OR = 3.34, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with farmers reporting low soil fertility, whereas chemical fertilizers (OR = 0.36, p = 0.022) and intercropping (OR = 0.42, p = 0.011) were associated with fertile soils. These findings highlight the need to promote integrated soil fertility management practices and validate farmers' perceptions through laboratory soil analyses to guide evidence-based interventions.