Soil Conservation Decisions and Upland Corn Productivity: A Philippine Case Study

This paper empirically investigates whether farmers who adopt soil conservation measures derive productivity gains. A twelve-year (1994-2006) panel data in Bukidnon, Philippines was used to quantify the indirect relationship between soil conservation technology adoption and upland corn productivity. A two-stage econometric analysis was done. First, the probability of adoption was estimated. The associated inverse Mill’s ratio obtained from the first stage was used to correct the second stage endogenous switching stochastic frontier model estimation of the determinants of corn yield.

Results showed that in normal times, upland corn productivity is positively affected by abatement of soil erosion. Results further suggest that farmers adopting soil conservation technologies become less flexible in their land use decisions during periods of drought, thereby experiencing lower yields than the non-adopters.