Sustainability of conservation agriculture adoption and the role lead farmers play in Zimbabwe

Authors

  • Joe Stevens University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • P Nyathi University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • M Salomons Canadian Food Grains Bank, Winnipeg, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3221/2021/v49n2a12783

Keywords:

Lead farmer, conservation agriculture, extension, sustainability

Abstract

Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been promoted widely in Zimbabwe through several organizations, including government and non-governmental organizations, to help address food insecurity. The sustainability of donor led interventions has been questioned as they are of limited duration, and some research has reported that farmers stop practicing CA when a project ends. However, agriculture extension services are reported crucial in adopting new agriculture technologies; hence, continued access to services is crucial for the sustainable uptake of CA. The use of farmer-led extension approaches has been used to reach more farmers at low cost to promote CA and for sustainability. The study evaluates the sustainability of CA practices as well as lead farmers roles after the end of Christian Care project activities. The findings reveal continued adoption of CA principles, albeit on a small scale. We conclude that CA has become part of the traditional farming system and recommend labour-saving technologies for the uptake of CA on a greater scale. Government extension support has also continued, although lead farmers played a minor role in these extension activities. Lead farmers alone cannot sustainably provide extension services without institutional support. The recommendation is that public extension systems work closely with lead farmers in communities to efficiently reach farmers and ensure better coordination between NGOs and government extension activities.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

ANDERSSON, J. A., 2007. Agricultural advisory services; A background paper for “Innovating through science and technology”. Chapter 7 of the WDR, 2008 July 2, 2007.

ANDERSSON, J. A. & D’SOUZA, S., 2014. From adoption claims to understanding farmers and contexts: A literature review of Conservation Agriculture (CA) adoption among smallholder farmers in southern Africa. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment (187): 116–132. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.08.008

ARSALAN, A., MCCARTHY, N., LESLIE, L., ASFAW, S. &, CATTANEO, A., 2013. Adoption and adoption intensity of conservation agriculture practices in Zambia. ESA Working Paper No 13-01, FAO.

DAVIES, K. E., 2008. Extension in sub-Saharan Africa: Overview and assessment of past and current models, and future prospects. Journal of International Agriculture and Extension (15)3: 15-28.

FAO, 2010. Farming for the future in Southern Africa: An introduction to conservation agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), REOSA Technical Brief 01 Regional Emergency Office for Southern Africa (REOSA).

GILLER, K. E., WITTER, E., CORBEELS, M. & TITTONELL, P., 2009. 'Conservation Agriculture and Smallholder Farming in Africa: The Heretics View'. Field Crops Research (114): 23–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2009.06.017

FISCHER, M., HOLDEN, S. T. & KATENGEZA S.P., 2017. Adoption of CA technologies among follower farmers: How strong is the influence of lead farmers, Working Paper, Norwegian University of Life sciences. https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/2481019.

HANYANI-MLAMBO, B. T., 2002. Strengthening the pluralistic agriculture extension system, A Zimbabwe Case Study. Agriculture Research Council.

KASSAM, A., FREDRICH, T., DERPISCH, R.& KIENZLE, J., 2014 . Worldwide adoption of conservation agriculture http://www.ctic.org/media/pdf/WCCA/wcca2014_Kassam_global%20adoption%20-%20extended%20abstract-%20finalRev.pdf accessed July 2015.

KIPTOT, E., FRANZEL, S., HEBINCK, P.& RICHARDS, P., 2006. Sharing seed and knowledge: Farmer to farmer dissemination of agroforestry technologies in western Kenya. Agroforestry Systems 68 (3): 167-179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-006-9007-8

KIPTOT, E & FRANZEL, S., 2015. Farmer-to-farmer extension: opportunities for enhancing performance of volunteer farmer trainers in Kenya, Development in Practice, 25(4): 503-517. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2015.1029438

KHAILA, S., TCHUWA, F., FRANZEL, S.& SIMPSON S., 2015.The Farmer-to-Farmer Extension Approach in Malawi: A Survey of Lead Farmers. ICRAF Working Paper No. 189. Nairobi, World Agroforestry Centre. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5716/WP14200.PD. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5716/WP14200.PDF

MARONGWE, L., KWAZIRA K., JENRICH, M., THIERFELDER, C., KASSAM, A.& FRIEDRICH, T., 2011. An African Success: The case of Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Agriculture Sustainability 9(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3763/ijas.2010.0556

MAZVIMAVI, K., TWOMLOW, S. J., BELDER, P.& HOVE, L., 2008. An Assessment of the Sustainable Adoption of Conservation Farming in Zimbabwe. Global Theme on Agro ecosystems Report No 39, Bulawayo Zimbabwe, ICRISAT, p60.

MAZVIMAVI, K. & TWOMLOW, S.J., 2009. Socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing adoption of conservation farming by vulnerable households in Zimbabwe. Journal of Agricultural Systems (101):20–29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2009.02.002

MAZVIMAVI, K., NDLOVU, P V., NYATHI, P; & MINDE, I. J., 2010. Conservation Agriculture Practices and Adoption by Smallholder Farmers in Zimbabwe. Poster presented at the Joint 3rd African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE) and 48th Agricultural Economists Association of South Africa (AEASA) Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 19-23, 2010.

NYAMANGARA, J., MASVAYA E.N., TIRIVAVI, R. & NYEGERAI, K., 2013. Effect of hand-hoe based conservation agriculture on soil fertility and maize yield in selected smallholder areas in Zimbabwe. Soil and Tillage Research(126): 19-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2012.07.018

NGWIRA, A., JOHANSEN, F. H., AUNE, B., MEKURIA, M.& THIEFELDER, C., 2014. Adoption and extent of adoption of conservation agriculture practices among smallholder farmers in Malawi, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 69 (2): 107-119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.69.2.107

PEDZISA, T., RUGUBE, L., WINTER-NELSON, A., BAYLIS, K. & MAZVIMAVI, K., 2015. Abandonment of Conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Journal of sustainable development. 8 (1): 69-82; Canadian Centre of Science and Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v8n1p69

TAYE, H., 2013. Evaluating the impact of agricultural extension programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and prospects’, African Evaluation Journal 1(1): 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/aej.v1i1.19

THIERFELDER, C. & WALL, P. C., 2010. Investigating conservation agriculture systems in Zambia and Zimbabwe to mitigate future effects of climate change. Journal of Crop Improvement(24):113-121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15427520903558484

UNDP, 2012. African Human Development Report 2012. Towards a Food Secure Future: New York, USA, United Publications.

VINCENT, V. & THOMAS, R.G., 1960. An Agro Ecological Survey of Southern Rhodesia: Part 1-Agro-Ecological Survey. Government Printer ,Salisbury.

WALL, P. C., 2007. Tailoring conservation agriculture to the needs of smallholder farmers in developing countries: Journal of Crop Improvement (19);137-155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J411v19n01_07

ZIMBABWE CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE TASKFORCE, 2012. Farming for the future: A guide to conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe, 2nd Edition, Zimbabwe Conservation Agriculture Taskforce.

ZIMBABWE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT REPORT, 2017. Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) 2017 Rural Livelihoods Assessment Report, Harare.

ZIMSTAT, 2012. Census 2012: Preliminary Report. Zimbabwe Statistical Agency. Harare, Zimbabwe.

Downloads

Published

2021-12-09

How to Cite

Stevens, J., Nyathi, P., & Salomons, M. (2021). Sustainability of conservation agriculture adoption and the role lead farmers play in Zimbabwe. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension (SAJAE), 49(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3221/2021/v49n2a12783

Issue

Section

Articles