Assessment of conservation agriculture adoption in Bolero EPA in Rumphi district of Malawi

Abstract

The study assessed factors that influence farmers‘ adoption of Conservation Agriculture and the challenges that farmers face in implementing Conservation Agriculture in Bolero Extension Planning Area (EPA). Data was collected from one hundred and twenty (120) respondents using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and stratified random sampling technique was used to identify respondents based on two categories that included none doers/none adopters and doers/adopters. The binary logistic regression model was used to examine factors that influence farmers‘ adoption of Conservation Agriculture and challenges that farmer‘s face. The dependent variable (Y) was dichotomized with a value of (1) if respondents have positive adoption and (0) if respondents have negative adoption. Eight (8) predictor independent variables were regressed against the binary dependent variable. The logistic regression model was evaluated using Goodness of fit Hosmer and Lemeshow (H-L) chi-squared, - 2 Log Likelihood, model coefficient chi-squared, and accuracy of prediction; overall. An open-ended questionnaire was also used to support interviews with fifteen (15) Agricultural Extension Development Officers working in the selected EPA. Secondary data were obtained from published and unpublished documents. The goodness of fit Hosmer and Lemeshow (H-L) test of the model shows 0.047 that is lower than 0.05 suggesting that the model fitted to the data well. The overall analysis of factors showed that out of eight (8) predictor variables, five(5) variables (Gender, marital status, education, income and land ownership) were significant predictors of farmer‘s adoption (P < 0.05). Out of the five significant predictor variables three had positive significant coefficient (Gender, education and income). The research also found out that strong culture of ridge based cultivation, Stover mining, livestock problem and multiplicity of maize Stover usage, scarcity of CA implements and herbicides; long break-even points of CA benefits and lack of clear guidelines for a specific CA practice were the main challenges that farmers face to adopt CA. Perceptions of non-adopters are that CA is generally labour intensive especially when it comes to soil cover where at least 30% cover is the minimum requirement. On the Page 3 of 37 other hand adopters cited reasons for sustaining the CA as the benefit achieved through reduction in labour requirements; availability of labour for other livelihood activities; increase in yield arising from strict management regime of CA even in years with erratic rainfall and noticeable reduction in the loss of the fertile top soil This paper shows that adaptation to climate change involves changes in agricultural management practices in response to changes in climate conditions. Adaptation often involves a combination of various individual responses at the farm-level and assumes that farmers have access to alternative practices and technologies available in the area which is key to transformative community development where local communities become active participants in influencing responses to climate change for local food production, gender equality, livelihood, health and nutrition.