Smallholder Farmers' Integration of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in Maize IPM: A Case Study in Zambia

<p>This study analyzes the degree of crop diversification and factors associated with crop diversification among 479 smallholder farmers in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces of Zimbabwe. The Herfindahl index used to estimate diversification, while the Tobit model evaluated factors associated with crop diversification. The mean crop diversity index is 0.54. On average households in Nyanga and Bikita are the most diversified with indices of 0.48 and 0.49 respectively. The most specialized households are in Mutasa and Chiredzi with indices of 0.62. An analysis by gender shows that male headed households are slightly more diversified than female headed households. The Tobit model indicates that gender of head of household, education, number of livestock units, access to irrigation, membership to a farmers group, access to markets, farming experience, farms on flat terrain, farmer to farm extension, routine extension, agro-ecological zone and household income are significant contributors to increasing crop diversification. In turn, crop specialization is significantly associated with off-farm employment, soil fertility, farmers who are happy with extension contacts per year, farmers trained using the farmer field school approach and farmers who receive NGO extension support.</p>

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Building insurance through an NGO

Agricultural Finance Review ◽

10.1108/afr-12-2015-0057 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 119-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marie-Christine Bélanger

Keyword(s):

Design Methodology ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Crop Insurance ◽

Specific Training ◽

Close Collaboration ◽

Agricultural Insurance ◽

Content Type ◽

Level Of Education ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

Purpose – This paper is based on a crop insurance implementation currently undergoing in Haiti. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a program tailored to rice production in the Artibonite Valley, the challenges and opportunities that are arising from the exercise as well as pitfalls and ways to avoid them. Design/methodology/approach – The Système de Financement et d’Assurances Agricoles en Haïti’s approach for the development of crop insurance is in accordance with 13 concepts considered essential in the implementation of agricultural insurance programs. The case study is presented through each of these 13 fundamental concepts. Findings – The paper provides an insight on challenges any organization will face when implementing crop insurance for smallholder farmers. It points out notably that close collaboration of executing agencies with local partners is essential from data collection through insurance development and delivery and that all participants should receive a specific training tailored to their level of education and understanding. Social implications – Haiti is one of the poorest countries on the planet. Smallholder farmers could benefit a lot from crop insurance. It could help them stabilize their income when facing crop losses due to natural hazards or uncontrollable natural events. Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to share real case studies exposing challenges faced when implementing crop insurance for smallholder farmers.

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Identification and prioritization of farmers' innovations in northern Ghana

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170514000374 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 537-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Justice A. Tambo ◽

Tobias Wünscher

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Household Survey ◽

Northern Ghana ◽

Plant Residues ◽

Simple Method ◽

Pests And Diseases ◽

Innovation Contest ◽

Scientific Validation ◽

Livestock Diseases

AbstractFarmers are innovators and experimenters and not just adopters of introduced technologies. The innovations developed by farmers could complement the highly promoted externally driven technologies in addressing the numerous challenges facing agriculture. The aim of this paper was to identify outstanding innovations developed by smallholder farmers in northern Ghana, and prioritize the high potential ones for further scientific validation or dissemination. Using an innovation contest that rewards farmers' creativity, we identified 29 promising innovations. Additionally, 19 innovations were scouted through a household survey. The innovations are largely extensive modifications of existing practices or combinations of different known practices in unique ways to save costs or to address crop and livestock production constraints. While some of the identified innovations can be recommended or disseminated to other farmers, most of them may require further validation or research. However, validating all of these innovations will be very expensive and time-consuming. We propose the multi-criteria decision-making analysis (MCDM) as a simple method to prioritize farmers' innovations. Using this method, we find that among the most promising innovations are those involving the control of weeds, pests and diseases using plant residues and extracts, and the treatment of livestock diseases using ethnoveterinary medicines. We briefly explain the six most highly ranked innovations. This case study from northern Ghana provides further proof that smallholder farmers develop diverse and spectacular innovations to address the myriad challenges they face, and these need to be recognized and promoted. We also conclude that contest and MCDM are useful methods that can be applied in unearthing and prioritizing farmer innovations, respectively.

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Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Plant Disease Management

Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology ◽

10.9734/ajaees/2021/v39i1030704 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 377-380

Author(s):

Hari Prasanna Sahu ◽

Rakesh Roshan Satapathy

Keyword(s):

Disease Management ◽

Plant Disease ◽

Insect Pest ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Technical Knowledge ◽

Harvest Management ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Sustainable Environment ◽

Indigenous Technical Knowledge ◽

Plant Disease Management

The origins of indigenous technical/traditional knowledge are local, rural &community. It's utilised in forecasting of weather for better seed germination, soil, water, and soil fertility management, disease and insect pest control of plants & animals, and post-harvest management, among other things. India has a variety of indigenous agricultural practises which are still popular in organic agriculture in India's many states and are sustainable, environment friendly, profitable, and cost-effective. This review paper contains an overview of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Plant Disease Management to help researchers in the future.

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