Determinants and multidimensional outcomes of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in irrigated areas of Uzbekistan

Abstract

Adoption of agricultural technologies, particularly modern ones, remains relatively low in many developing and low-income economies. While adoption has traditionally focused on boosting productivity and income, there is growing attention to the environmental and social dimensions of technology use in agriculture. This study focuses on four sustainable agricultural practices (SAP’s), such as crop rotation, manure application, drip irrigation, and laser levelling, commonly promoted for sustainable intensification, and examines their effects on three outcome dimensions such as farm revenue, sustainability of farming practices, and gender wage gap among seasonal farm workers. The study draws on nationally representative survey data from 1,225 farmers collected in 2024 in Uzbekistan, and employs multivariate probit models to analyze determinants of SAP adoption and treatment effect models to assess adoption impacts. The results reveal that determinants of adoption across the four SAPs are largely technology and context-specific, although a small set of factors emerges as consistently important across practices, namely perceived benefits and challenges of adoption, access to training, social networks and information channels. Drip irrigation emerges as the most promising technology that improves multiple outcomes, particularly when combined with other practices. These findings underscore the need for practice-specific policy design and for promoting context-appropriate technology bundles that can jointly advance economic, environmental, and social objectives.