Early growing season temperature variation and fertilizer use among smallholder farmers

Abstract

This study examines the impact of early growing season temperature variation on fertilizer use among maize-producing smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. A unique, decade-long dataset collected at the plot level was integrated with climate data to construct weather variation indicators that are comparable across time and space. The findings reveal that smallholder farmers adapt their fertilizer application strategies in response to early growing season temperature variations. Heterogeneity analyses show that environmental factors such as altitude affect fertilizer use when farmers face early growing season temperature variations.