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Can lead farmers reveal the adoption potential of conservation agriculture? The case of Malawi

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  • Holden, Stein T.
  • Fisher, Monica
  • Katengeza, Samson P.
  • Thierfelder, Christian

Abstract

This paper assesses the adoption potential of conservation agriculture (CA) and related technologies in Malawi, where CA appears appropriate to protect against land degradation and climate risks (droughts and floods). Estimation of adoption rates and their determinants is complicated by the relatively recent introduction of some of these technologies and limited awareness of CA principles and practices among the general population of smallholder farmers. We propose and use a lead farmer promoter-adopter approach, which relies on the promoters having had sufficient exposure and access to the technologies, their interest to adopt CA not having been distorted by excessive incentives, and them not being overly different from other smallholders in the target population. These conditions are reasonably satisfied in our application with a sample of 175 lead farmers from four districts in central and southern Malawi. Conditional on lead farmers being familiar with the technologies, we find adoption rates of 56% for organic manure and crop rotation, 26% for minimum tillage, 30% for mulching, and 12% for herbicide application. Lead farmers recommend CA and supporting agricultural practices to their followers at rates of 66% for organic manure, 49% for crop rotation, 45% for minimum tillage, 27% for mulching, and 6% for herbicide application. Assuming the validity of the promoter-adopter approach, these findings together suggest that, in central and southern Malawi, organic manure and crop rotation (in central Malawi only) have the highest adoption potential, mulching and minimum tillage come next, and herbicide application has the lowest potential. Ninety-seven percent of the lead farmers had adopted three or less of these technologies, full adoption of CA is therefore unlikely and suggest other reasons than information constraints as major impediments to its full adoption.

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  • Holden, Stein T. & Fisher, Monica & Katengeza, Samson P. & Thierfelder, Christian, 2018. "Can lead farmers reveal the adoption potential of conservation agriculture? The case of Malawi," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 113-123.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:76:y:2018:i:c:p:113-123
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.04.048
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    3. Autio, Antti & Johansson, Tino & Motaroki, Lilian & Minoia, Paola & Pellikka, Petri, 2021. "Constraints for adopting climate-smart agricultural practices among smallholder farmers in Southeast Kenya," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    4. Soumyadeep Banerjee & Abid Hussain & Sabarnee Tuladhar & Arabinda Mishra, 2019. "Building capacities of women for climate change adaptation: Insights from migrant-sending households in Nepal," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 587-609, December.
    5. Joanna Chilemba & Catherine Ragasa, 2020. "The Impact on Farmer Incomes of a Nationwide Scaling Up of the Farmer Business School Program: Lessons and Insights from Central Malawi," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(4), pages 906-938, September.
    6. Kazushi Takahashi & Rie Muraoka & Keijiro Otsuka, 2020. "Technology adoption, impact, and extension in developing countries’ agriculture: A review of the recent literature," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 31-45, January.
    7. Salaisook, Phastraporn & Faysse, Nicolas & Tsusaka, Takuji W., 2020. "Reasons for adoption of sustainable land management practices in a changing context: A mixed approach in Thailand," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    8. Mathieu Ouédraogo & Prosper Houessionon & Robert B. Zougmoré & Samuel Tetteh Partey, 2019. "Uptake of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies and Practices: Actual and Potential Adoption Rates in the Climate-Smart Village Site of Mali," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Dickson Mgangathweni Mazibuko & Hiroko Gono & Sarvesh Maskey & Hiromu Okazawa & Lameck Fiwa & Hidehiko Kikuno & Tetsu Sato, 2023. "The Sustainable Niche for Vegetable Production within the Contentious Sustainable Agriculture Discourse: Barriers, Opportunities and Future Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, March.
    10. Holden, Stein T., 2018. "The Economics of Fertilizer Subsidies," CLTS Working Papers 9/18, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 16 Oct 2019.
    11. Ragasa, Catherine, 2020. "Effectiveness of the lead farmer approach in agricultural extension service provision: Nationally representative panel data analysis in Malawi," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    12. Djenontin, Ida Nadia S. & Zulu, Leo C. & Richardson, Robert B., 2022. "Smallholder farmers and forest landscape restoration in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Central Malawi," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    13. Hongpeng Guo & Wenkai Zhao & Chulin Pan & Guijie Qiu & Shuang Xu & Shun Liu, 2022. "Study on the Influencing Factors of Farmers’ Adoption of Conservation Tillage Technology in Black Soil Region in China: A Logistic-ISM Model Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-16, June.

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