{"paper_id":"0bf4165f-5628-4b2b-94ef-b65e4e1f608e","body_text":"Farm-Level Adoption of Adaptation Practices: Impact on Maize Yield in Ethiopia’s Upper Blue Nile | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Farm-Level Adoption of Adaptation Practices: Impact on Maize Yield in Ethiopia’s Upper Blue Nile ASSEFA ABELIENEH BERHANU, Zewdu B. Ayele, Dessalegn C. Dagnew This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8298972/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Despite their potential to enhance smallholder resilience, evidence on the impact of Adaptation Practices (APs) on maize yields in Ethiopia remains limited. This study examines the effects of AP adoption on maize yield using data from 486 households, complemented by four focus group discussions and six key informant interviews, analyzed through descriptive statistics. While farmers adopt APs to mitigate challenges such as soil erosion, irregular rainfall, and maize diseases, constraints—including limited credit, inadequate awareness, and insufficient extension support—restrict broader uptake. The adoption of agroforestry, conservation agriculture, Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), and improved seeds increased average log maize yields by 20.98%, 17.8%, 34.94%, and 15.40%, respectively. Counterfactual analysis indicates that non-adopters could have achieved even higher potential gains—22.64%, 20.72%, -2.71%, and 21.95%—highlighting missed opportunities for yield improvement. These findings suggest that resource availability, knowledge access, and targeted support critically influence AP effectiveness. The study implies that promoting the adoption of agroforestry, conservation agriculture, and ISFM should be a policy priority, as these practices deliver the largest productivity gains. Addressing barriers faced by non-adopters—particularly access to credit, extension services, and knowledge—can substantially enhance maize yields and strengthen climate resilience among smallholder farmers. Climate Change Resilience Gender Disparities Adoption Barriers Conservation Agriculture Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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This study examines the effects of AP adoption on maize yield using data from 486 households, complemented by four focus group discussions and six key informant interviews, analyzed through descriptive statistics. While farmers adopt APs to mitigate challenges such as soil erosion, irregular rainfall, and maize diseases, constraints\\u0026mdash;including limited credit, inadequate awareness, and insufficient extension support\\u0026mdash;restrict broader uptake. The adoption of agroforestry, conservation agriculture, Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), and improved seeds increased average log maize yields by 20.98%, 17.8%, 34.94%, and 15.40%, respectively. Counterfactual analysis indicates that non-adopters could have achieved even higher potential gains\\u0026mdash;22.64%, 20.72%, -2.71%, and 21.95%\\u0026mdash;highlighting missed opportunities for yield improvement. 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