IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ibn/jsd123/v10y2017i1p156.html

Conservation Agriculture Promotion and Uptake in Mufulira, Zambia-A Political Agronomy Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Bridget Umar

Abstract

This study utilized 120 semi-structured interviews with smallholder farming households and two focus group discussions; as well as several key informant interviews with experts to explore the promotion and uptake of conservation agriculture (CA) in Mufulira, Zambia. Results reveal that ridges and flat culture continued to be the preferred tillage systems (97 per cent and 55 per cent respectively) despite the farmers having been trained in the use of a minimum tillage technique. None of the interviewed farmers perceived CA as a solution to any of their agricultural related problems. The NGO promoting CA in the district had framed it as suited for and claimed to target labour constrained HIV/AIDS affected households. Conversely, farmers complained that CA was challenging for them due to its high labour demands (23 per cent); poor harvests (18 per cent) and was unsuited to the rainfall patterns of the area (10 per cent). Local agricultural experts contested the promotion of basins in Mufulira. The framing of CA as a solution to labour constraints did not seem to hold in the study area. This effectively limited the contestation spaces available to the public officials with dissenting views on the suitability of basin CA in the district.

Suggested Citation

  • Bridget Umar, 2017. "Conservation Agriculture Promotion and Uptake in Mufulira, Zambia-A Political Agronomy Approach," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(1), pages 156-156, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:ibn:jsd123:v:10:y:2017:i:1:p:156
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/download/61720/35800
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/view/61720
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James Sumberg & John Thompson & Philip Woodhouse, 2013. "Why agronomy in the developing world has become contentious," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 71-83, March.
    2. Orr, Alastair, 2003. "Integrated Pest Management for Resource-Poor African Farmers: Is the Emperor Naked?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 831-845, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anders, Erin J. & Zulu, Leo C. & Jambo, Emmanuel R., 2020. "Limits to grain-legume technology integration by smallholder farmers: The case of time-sensitive labor demands and food security primacy in Malawi," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    2. Vandercasteelen, Joachim & Dereje, Mekdim & Minten, Bart & Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum, 2016. "Row planting teff in Ethiopia: Impact on farm-level profitability and labor allocation," ESSP working papers 92, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Beckmann, Volker & Irawan, Evi & Wesseler, Justus, "undated". "The Effect of Farm Labor Organization on IPM Adoption. Empirical Evidence from Thailand," Institutional Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources Discussion Papers 55767, Humboldt University Berlin, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    4. Lampach, Nicolas & To-The, Nguyen & Nguyen-Anh, Tuan, 2021. "Technical efficiency and the adoption of multiple agricultural technologies in the mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    5. Justice A. Tambo & Fredrick Mbugua & Solomon Agyemang Duah & Birgitta Oppong-Mensah & Christopher Yao Ocloo & Frances Williams, 2023. "Pest risk information, agricultural outcomes and food security: evidence from Ghana," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(6), pages 1667-1683, December.
    6. Skylar Lindsay, 2026. "Fermenting value on Vietnamese coffee farms: working knowledge and the production of quality," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 43(1), pages 1-17, March.
    7. James Sumberg & John Thompson & Philip Woodhouse, 2013. "Why agronomy in the developing world has become contentious," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 71-83, March.
    8. Joachim Vandercasteelen & Mekdim Dereje & Bart Minten & Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, 2018. "Labour, profitability and gender impacts of adopting row planting in Ethiopia," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 45(4), pages 471-503.
    9. Labarta, Ricardo A. & Swinton, Scott M., 2005. "Do Pesticide Hazards to Human Health and Beneficial Insects Cause or Result from IPM Adoption? Mixed Messages from Farmer Field Schools in Nicaragua," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19305, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    10. Korir, Josphat Kiplang’at & Ritho, Cecilia & Irungu, Patrick & Affognon, Hippolyte, "undated". "Factors Influencing Intensity Of Adoption Of Integrated Pest Management Package And Pesticide Misuse In The Control Of Mango Fruit Fly In Embu East Sub-County, Kenya," Dissertations and Theses 271765, University of Nairobi, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    11. Schut, Marc & Rodenburg, Jonne & Klerkx, Laurens & Kayeke, Juma & van Ast, Aad & Bastiaans, Lammert, 2015. "RAAIS: Rapid Appraisal of Agricultural Innovation Systems (Part II). Integrated analysis of parasitic weed problems in rice in Tanzania," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 12-24.
    12. Ciarli, Tommaso & Ràfols, Ismael, 2019. "The relation between research priorities and societal demands: The case of rice," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 949-967.
    13. Jalilov, Shokhrukh-Mirzo & Rahman, Wakilur & Palash, Salauddin & Jahan, Hasneen & Mainuddin, Mohammed & Ward, Frank A., 2022. "Exploring strategies to control the cost of food security: Evidence from Bangladesh," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    14. Barrera, Victor & Norton, George W. & Alwang, Jeffrey Roger & Mauceri, Maria, 2005. "Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Technologies: A Case Study of Potato Farmers in Carchi, Ecuador," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19400, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    15. vom Brocke, Kirsten & Kondombo, Clarisse Pulcherie & Guillet, Marion & Kaboré, Roger & Sidibé, Adama & Temple, Ludovic & Trouche, Gilles, 2020. "Impact of participatory sorghum breeding in Burkina Faso," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    16. Korir, Josphat Kiplang'at, 2016. "Factors Influencing Intensity Of Adoption Of Integrated Pest Management Package And Pesticide Misuse In The Control Of Mango Fruit Fly In Embu East Sub-County, Kenya," Research Theses 276445, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    17. Florence Bétrisey & Valérie Boisvert & James Sumberg, 2022. "Superweed amaranth: metaphor and the power of a threatening discourse," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 505-520, June.
    18. Corné J. Rademaker & Henk Jochemsen, 2019. "Faith in international agricultural development: Conservation Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(2), pages 199-212, June.
    19. Ola Tveitereid Westengen & Kristine Skarbø & Teshome Hunduma Mulesa & Trygve Berg, 2018. "Access to genes: linkages between genebanks and farmers’ seed systems," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 9-25, February.
    20. Guillaume Ollivier & Daniele Magda & Armelle Mazé & Gaël Plumecocq & Claire Lamine, 2018. "Agroecological transitions: what can sustainability transition frameworks teach us? An ontological and empirical analysis," Post-Print hal-02622145, HAL.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ibn:jsd123:v:10:y:2017:i:1:p:156. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Canadian Center of Science and Education (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cepflch.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.