The participatory approach of Farmer Research Groups (FRGs) was used in Farmer Adaptation of Starter Technology (FAST) with small-scale farmers in Luapula Province, Zambia. The introduction of a starter technology proved to be a suitable method to induce self-help initiatives with farmers. Their first move in FAST related to the improvement of food security and income generation by the cultivation and marketing of new maize (Zea mays) varieties in wetlands during the dry and early rainy seasons. By informal on-farm seed multiplication the expenditure on external agricultural inputs was reduced. The technical aspects of the starter technology began with the integration of pasture legumes as a pioneer crop for green manuring purposes in maize production. In this respect, FRGs developed individual risk-aversion strategies to ensure early planting of the maize with the onset of the rains. The groups made adaptations such as biomass transfer, intercropping and crop rotations in order to integrate pasture legumes into current cropping systems for green manuring purposes.
Agronomic and Economic Performance Characteristics of Conventional and Low-External-Input Cropping Systems
