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Abstract
This paper focuses on how farmers respond with respect to the adoption of soil conservation measures to
governmental agricultural policies aiming at supporting smallholders. A simple micro-economic framework was
chosen to undertake an analysis of farmer choices among three activities; farming, adoption of soil conservation
measures and off-farm work. The model shows that governments have to be cautious when designing support
measures if improved resource management is a policy goal. In the design of such measures, attention has to be paid
both to (1) the distribution in land quality, and (2) the distribution in the net returns from adopting soil conservation
measures.