scholarly journals Over the Heads? Agricultural Expansion, Production and Marketing Experiences among Rural Farmers in Zambia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlupekile Ndhlovu ◽  
Simon Manda
Keyword(s):  
Local Development ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Agricultural Expansion ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

The post-2007 crisis-induced an agricultural expansion across Africa, but local level production and marketing experiences remain understudied. This study assesses the dynamics of agricultural expansion and small-scale farmers’ experiences in rural Zambia. Using a mixed research design, data were drawn from surveys, multi-level interviews, group discussions policy reviews and observations. Results show an agriculture expansion among small-scale farmers is underway due to favourable climatic conditions, land, and water availability, enabled by state subsidies, and an emerging market in commercial and supermarket outlets. However, farmers encounter production and marketing challenges related to poor tenure security, late delivery of inputs, and low financing. They face low and fluctuating prices, poor infrastructure, including low levels of mechanisation necessary to expand the production. Overall, despite an agricultural and land-use expansion taking shape, actual benefits for real transformation are largely missing – and currently over their heads. An argument is made that whilst policy actors continue to impress farmers to organise themselves to maximise benefits of an agricultural expansion, actual processes on how farmers can achieve this are missing in policy and practice. This necessitates a focus on multi-level processes aimed at addressing production, storage and marketing dynamics within a progressive coordination arrangement that centralizes small producers. Until that is addressed, the prospects for local development and poverty reduction for small-scale farmers under an agricultural expansion will be slender but continue to centrally reside in the state efforts to create enabling local and community environment that addresses real challenges. Overall, this study helps to extend the debate on diverse processes shaping rural transformation in Zambia and across sub-Saharan Africa, including the role and importance of agricultural expansion.

scholarly journals Coproducing Weather Forecast Information with and for Smallholder Farmers in Ghana: Evaluation and Design Principles

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 902
Author(s):  
Talardia Gbangou ◽  
Rebecca Sarku ◽  
Erik Van Slobbe ◽  
Fulco Ludwig ◽  
Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Weather Forecast ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Many West African farmers are struggling to cope with changing weather and climatic conditions. This situation limits farmers’ ability to make optimal decisions for food and income security. Developing more useful and accessible weather and climate information services (WCIS) can help small-scale farmers improve their adaptive capacity. The literature suggests that such WCIS can be achieved if forecast information is produced jointly by farmers and scientists. To test this hypothesis and derive design requirements for effective WCIS, we evaluated the outcomes of an experimental coproduction of weather forecasts in Ada, Ghana. The experiment involved a user-driven design and testing of information and communications technology (ICT)-based digital (smartphones and apps) and rainfall monitoring tools by 22 farmers. They collected data and received weather forecasts during the 2018/2019 study period. The results showed a positive evaluation of the intervention, expressed by the level of engagement, the increase in usability of the tools and understanding of forecast uncertainty, outreach capacity with other farmers, and improved daily farming decisions. The success of the intervention was attributed to the iterative design process, as well as the training, monitoring, and technical support provided. We conclude that the application of modern technology in a coproduction process with targeted training and monitoring can improve smallholder farmers’ access to and use of weather and climate forecast information.

scholarly journals The timing of agricultural production in hazard-prone areas to prevent losses at peak-risk periods: A case of Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandri Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Residual Moisture ◽  
Resilient Communities ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Hazard-prone areas in southern Africa experience many natural hazards, which include cyclones, floods and droughts. The severe climatic conditions of southern Africa have an especially large impact on the agricultural practices of small-scale farmers. These hazards should be mitigated to ensure more resilient communities and food security. This study mainly focuses on the timing of agricultural production in hazard-prone areas to prevent losses at peak-risk periods by adapting the agricultural cycle. This study focuses on the agricultural activities of small-scale farmers in Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique. A literature review is presented, and a mixed-method research design were followed to determine the timing of production followed by these small-scale farmers and its impact on production and food security. Although this study found that the small-scale farmers generally plant with the first rains, it is recommended by literature that early planting should be practised to ensure optimal production. It is also recommended that small-scale farmers should implement watermanagement techniques for dry periods, and when farmers practice late planting, the use of residual-moisture retention should be utilised as a mitigation measure. This will in effect ensure that the communities are less vulnerable during peak-risk periods by improving or ensuring food security. Therefore, adapting the planting and production time in these hazardprone areas at peak-risk periods could limit losses and increase communities’ resilience.

scholarly journals Successful small-scale irrigation or environmental destruction? The political ecology of competing claims on water in the Uluguru Mountains,Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Harrison ◽  
Anna Mdee
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
External Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Political ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Uluguru Mountains ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Nearby City

Abstract In the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania, an expansion in informal hosepipe irrigation by small-scale farmers has enabled the development of horticulture, and resulted in improvements in farmers' livelihoods. This has largely taken place independently of external support, and can be seen as an example of the 'private' irrigation that is increasingly viewed as important for sub-Saharan Africa. However, these activities are seen by representatives of government and some donors as the cause of environmental degradation and water shortages downstream, especially in the nearby city of Morogoro. As a result, there have been attempts to evict the farmers from the mountain. Negative narratives persist and the farmers on the mountainside are portrayed as a problem to be 'solved.' This article explores these tensions, contributing to debates about the formalization of water management arrangements and the place of the state in regulating and adjudicating rights to access water. We argue that a focus on legality and formalization serves to obscure the political nature of competing claims on resources that the case illustrates. Keywords: irrigation; Tanzania; ethnography; political ecology; water

scholarly journals Overview of holistic application of biogas for small scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 4-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egil R. Orskov ◽  
Kenneth Yongabi Anchang ◽  
Madhu Subedi ◽  
Jo Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

scholarly journals Genetic diversity of physical, nutritional and functional properties of cowpea grain and relationships among the traits

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Muranaka ◽  
Mariko Shono ◽  
Takao Myoda ◽  
Junko Takeuchi ◽  
Jorge Franco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
Nutrient Contents ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Cowpea is traditionally important as an affordable source of protein and minerals and of cash income in sub-Saharan Africa, especially for small-scale farmers who have limited options for food and cash crops. The development and deployment of cowpea varieties with improved nutrition and quality that meet the needs of farmers and consumers should enhance cowpea consumption and production in the region. We have identified genetic diversity in various grain quality-related traits of cowpea and relationships among the traits. Wide genetic variation and strong correlations among crude protein, Fe and Zn contents suggest the possibility of improving the concentrations of these nutritional factors simultaneously. Low associations among physical and nutritional properties of grain indicate the possibility of introgressing favorable traits utilizing identified genetic resources. However, narrow variation in amino acid (AA) composition suggests a lesser possibility of improving the contents of specific AAs in cowpea, but it gave a reliable nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor of 5.45 for the estimation of crude protein content. Several improved breeding lines were identified with low concentrations of flatulence-causing oligosaccharides and various favorable agronomic traits and nutrient contents. TVu-12802 had the highest contents of crude protein and high contents of micronutrients, with a low ratio of phytic acid to Fe and Zn contents.

scholarly journals Technological Innovations for Improving Cassava Production in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwige Gaby Nkouaya Mbanjo ◽  
Ismail Yusuf Rabbi ◽  
Morag Elizabeth Ferguson ◽  
Siraj Ismail Kayondo ◽  
Ng Hwa Eng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Research Systems ◽  
Genomic Tools ◽  
Cassava Production ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Cassava is crucial for food security of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. The crop has great potential to contribute to African development and is increasing its income-earning potential for small-scale farmers and related value chains on the continent. Therefore, it is critical to increase cassava production, as well as its quality attributes. Technological innovations offer great potential to drive this envisioned change. This paper highlights genomic tools and resources available in cassava. The paper also provides a glimpse of how these resources have been used to screen and understand the pattern of cassava genetic diversity on the continent. Here, we reviewed the approaches currently used for phenotyping cassava traits, highlighting the methodologies used to link genotypic and phenotypic information, dissect the genetics architecture of key cassava traits, and identify quantitative trait loci/markers significantly associated with those traits. Additionally, we examined how knowledge acquired is utilized to contribute to crop improvement. We explored major approaches applied in the field of molecular breeding for cassava, their promises, and limitations. We also examined the role of national agricultural research systems as key partners for sustainable cassava production.

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