scholarly journals Impact of Social and Institutional Factors on the Uptake of Conservation Agriculture: A Case of Zambia and Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Putso Nyathi ◽  
Thinah Moyo ◽  
Helena Posthumus ◽  
Joe Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Social System ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Many

Conservation agriculture (CA) involves the practice of three interlinked principles of minimum soil disturbance, a permanent soil cover and crop rotation. Despite the many stated benefits of the technology, its uptake in Africa has been slow. This study applies the theory of planned behaviour to investigate the attitudes, the role of the social system (social influence, by-laws and customs) and the institutional environment in the decision to practice CA principles and on the area under CA in Choma, Zambia and Nkayi, Zimbabwe. The study finds differing attitudes between districts towards CA outcomes. Local by-laws have a positive correlation with the practice of minimum soil disturbance but negative correlations with the practice of soil cover and crop rotation. Social influence and customs have significant relationships with the area under CA. Institutional support is perceived to be necessary for the practice of minimum soil disturbance but not so for the practice of crop rotation or on the area under CA. We conclude that the attitudes towards CA depend on the performance of the CA options promoted to farmers while the effects of the social system components and institutional factors on the uptake of CA depends on how the particular CA principle fits into the social and institutional environment in which it is promoted. We recommend agriculture extension services and policymakers to pay more attention to these issues in the promotion of CA.

scholarly journals Impact of Weed Control by Hand Tools on Soil Erosion under a No-Tillage System Cultivation

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 974
Author(s):  
Rafael Blanco-Sepúlveda ◽  
Amilcar Aguilar-Carrillo ◽  
Francisco Lima
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tropical Mountains ◽  
Litter Cover ◽  
Vegetal Cover

In conservation agriculture, the no-tillage cultivation system and the retention of permanent vegetal cover are crucial to the control of soil erosion by water. This paper analyses the cultivation of maize under no-tillage, with particular reference to the effect produced on soil erosion when weed control is performed by a hand tool (machete), which disturbs the surface of the soil, and to the behavior of the soil cover in these circumstances. The study area is located in the humid tropical mountains of northern Nicaragua (Peñas Blancas Massif Nature Reserve). The results obtained show that 59.2% of the soil surface was affected by appreciable levels of sheet and splash erosion, although the vegetal cover of the soil was relatively high (with average weed and litter cover of 33.9% and 33.8%, respectively). The use of machetes for weed control provoked considerable soil disturbance, which explained the high rates of erosion observed. Moreover, this form of soil management disturbs the litter layer, making it less effective in preventing erosion. The litter remains loose on the soil surface, and so an increase in soil cover does not achieve a proportionate reduction in the area affected by erosion; thus, even with 80–100% weed and litter cover, 42% of the cultivated area continued to present soil erosion.

The Expanding, Lop-Sided Universe of Social Influence and Law Research

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Demaine ◽  
Robert Cialdini
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Uneven Distribution ◽  
Everyday Lives ◽  
The Social ◽  
System 2 ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Many

This chapter explores “social influence and the law,” which we conceptualize as consisting of three parts: (1) social influence in the legal system, (2) the legal regulation of social influence in our everyday lives, and (3) law as an instrument of social influence. Within each part, we identify the primary topics that psychologists have studied empirically and review the existing research. The chapter thus highlights the many and varied contributions of psychologists related to social influence and the law. The chapter also reveals a marked imbalance in the social influence and law literature—the vast majority of psychological research falls within the first part, despite the fact that the second and third parts capture equally or more important topics from both legal and psychological viewpoints. We end the chapter by explaining this uneven distribution of effort and urging psychologists to take a broader approach to social influence and the law.

scholarly journals Knowledge and Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Technologies by the Farming Community in Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Tamilnadu State in India

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
M. R. Ramasubramaniyan ◽  
J. Vasanthakumar ◽  
B. S. Hansra
Keyword(s):  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
The State ◽  
Climatic Zones ◽  
Minimum Tillage ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Knowledge Levels

<p>Tamilnadu State in India is one of the earlier beneficiaries of Green Revolution which contributed to multifold increase in agricultural productivity. Though the State has been progressive, it has also experienced the ill effects of over exploitation of natural resources through intensive agriculture. There is an urgent need to shift its focus from over exploitative intensive farming to more sustainable farming with optimal use of resources without causing imbalances. Conservation Agriculture (CA) offers potential solution which not only enhances the productivity but also maintains the environmental safety and ecological sustainability. With this at the backdrop, the present study was conducted during 2013-2014 in all the seven agro-climatic zones of Tamilnadu State in India covering 350 respondents to understand the knowledge and adoption levels of Conservation Agriculture among the farming community in the State. Three Conservation agricultural technologies namely, Minimum Tillage, Crop Rotation and Permanent Soil Cover were identified. Knowledge of the farmers about these technologies and their adoption by the farmers were studied. As regards the awareness and knowledge level of respondents majority of them do not have knowledge on minimum tillage (72.6%) and permanent soil cover (75.1%) but a vast majority is knowledgeable on crop rotation (71.1%). Farmer characteristics such as age, educational status and innovativeness of farmers played a significant impact on the knowledge levels of CA whereas number of years of experience in farming and land holding pattern did not have significant influence on the knowledge levels of farmers on CA. Among the knowledgeable farmers only 11.5% of farmers adopted minimum tillage, 27.6% of farmers adopted permanent soil cover and 78% adopted crop rotation. None of the farmers adopted CA as a whole comprising all the three components.</p>

scholarly journals Challenging conservation agriculture on marginal slopes in Sehoul, Morocco

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Schwilch ◽  
A. Laouina ◽  
M. Chaker ◽  
N. Machouri ◽  
M. Sfa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Cover ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Degraded Land ◽  
Tillage Practices

AbstractIn Sehoul, Morocco, the use of marginal land for agriculture became a necessity for the local population due to increased poverty and the occupation of the best land by new owners. Desertification poses an additional threat to agricultural production on marginal slopes, which are often stony and degraded. In a participatory process embedded in the EU DESIRE research project, potential sustainable land management measures were selected to address land degradation and desertification. Promising experiences with no-tillage practices elsewhere in Morocco had motivated the Moroccan government to promote conservation agriculture throughout the country. This combination of crop rotation, minimal soil disturbance and soil cover maintenance, however, had not yet been tested on sloping degraded land. Field trials of grazing enclosure combined with no or minimum tillage were conducted on the plots of two farmers, and trial results were analyzed based on stakeholders’ criteria. Results suggest that increased soil cover with barley residues improved rainwater use efficiency and yields only slightly, although soil water was generally enhanced. Soil moisture measurements revealed that no-tillage was favorable mainly at soil depths of 5 cm and in connection with low-rainfall events (<20 mm); under these circumstances, moisture content was generally higher under no-tillage than under conventional tillage. Moreover, stakeholder discussion confirmed that farmers in Sehoul remain primarily interested in animal husbandry and are reluctant to change the current grazing system. Implementation of conservation agriculture is thus challenged both by the degraded, sloping and stony nature of the land, and by the socio-economic circumstances in Sehoul.

scholarly journals How organic farmers practice conservation agriculture in Europe

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joséphine Peigné ◽  
Marion Casagrande ◽  
Vincent Payet ◽  
Christophe David ◽  
F. Xavier Sans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Green Manures ◽  
Biological Regulation ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Organic Farmers

AbstractThe interest of organic farmers in adopting conservation agriculture principles, including minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotation has been growing since the early 2000s. However, currently there is no network for organic farmers practicing conservation agriculture, and a lack of knowledge on how organic farmers implement conservation agriculture in practice. Consequently, few technical references are available for organic farmers when they start applying conservation agriculture practices, in particular on controlling weeds without the use of herbicides. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to explore the diversity of conservation agriculture techniques (i.e., reduced tillage, no-tillage and green manures) practiced among European farmers, and (2) to identify farmers’ main strategies for implementing conservation agriculture and the agronomic and environmental factors that determine these strategies. Strategies were identified by analyzing survey results on: (1) the type and degree of use of conservation agriculture practices by farmers, and (2) the effects it produces in terms of soil disturbance and soil cover (low, medium and high). We carried out a survey of 159 European organic farmers and collected 125 data sets on management of winter-sown crops. Among the conservation agriculture practices, reduced tillage was used by 89%, no-tillage by 27% and green manure by 74% of the 159 interviewed farmers. Green manures were more frequently used in northern Europe than in the south (below 45°N). Most of the farmers used crop rotations, with a mean duration of 6 years. A wide diversity of conservation agriculture practices were used, with farmers rarely using all three techniques (no-till, reduced till and green manures) within one system. The range of practices was grouped into five strategies ranging from intensive non-inversion tillage without soil cover to very innovative techniques with no-tillage and intercrops. The five strategies for conservation agriculture could be grouped into two larger categories based on weed control approach: (1) intensification of the mechanical work without soil inversion or (2) biological regulation of weeds with cover crops. The diversity of strategies identified in this study shows that organic farmers use innovative approaches to implement conservation agriculture without herbicides. This study's findings will help organic farmers to experiment with innovative practices based on conservation agriculture principles and also benefit conventional farmers who use conservation agriculture practices and would like to reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides.

Crop rotational diversity impacts soil physical and hydrological properties under long-term no- and conventional-till soils

Soil Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alhameid ◽  
Jasdeep Singh ◽  
Udayakumar Sekaran ◽  
Ekrem Ozlu ◽  
Sandeep Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Crop Species

Diversification of crop species and minimum mechanical soil disturbance are the interlinked principles of conservation agriculture that are beneficial in improving soil physical and hydrological properties, and hence crop productivity. The present study was conducted to assess the long-term impacts of crop rotational diversity and tillage on soil water infiltration (qs), soil water retention (SWR), pore size distribution (PSD), bulk density (ρb) and soil penetration resistance (SPR). The study was established in 1991 at Beresford, South Dakota, and included three crop rotation systems (2-year, maize (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max L.); 3-year, maize–soybean–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.); and 4-year, maize–soybean–wheat–oat (Avena sativa L.)) and two tillage systems (NT, no-tillage; and CT, conventional tillage). Soil samples were collected only under maize and soybean phases of the crop rotations. Our results showed that NT with 4-year rotation had the lowest ρb under maize and soybean phases (1.21 and 1.19 g cm–3 respectively) compared with the CT system. Similarly, NT with 4-year rotation decreased SPR by 20% compared to CT with 4-year rotation in the soybean phase. Soils managed under NT with 4-year rotation in the soybean phase retained 27, 28, 28, 32, 33, 31 and 26% more water compared with CT and 4-year system at 0–7.5 cm depth at 0, –0.4, –1.0, –2.5, –5.0, –10 and –30 kPa matric potentials respectively. A similar trend was observed for qs under the same treatments, in which it was 31% higher under NT than under CT, both with 4-year rotation. Data from this study showed that diversified crop rotation under NT enhanced soil physical and hydrological properties compared with CT with less diverse systems (e.g. maize–soybean).

scholarly journals ADOPTION OF CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE AND ANALOG FORESTRY IN BUI DIVISION, NORTHWEST REGION, CAMEROON

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-58
Author(s):  
TSI Evaristus ANGWAFO ◽  
KEMKIA Christian DANERNYUY
Keyword(s):  
Soil Cover ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Crop Rotations ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
The People ◽  
Traditional Societies ◽  
Northwest Region

Analogue forestry involves blending traditional knowledge and science to recover and valorise indigenous knowledge, creating systems that are familiar to traditional societies and meet the needs of contemporary forest-dependent communities. Conservation agriculture is based the principles of minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotations so as to achieve sustainable and profitable agriculture and improve farmers ‘livelihoods. Every farmer is a researcher, who experiments every season on his or her farm. Farmers who find something that works are likely to repeat it the next season, and to tell their friends about it. This study set out to examined the extent of the adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) and analog forestry (AF) in Bui, the sociocultural and economic benefits of these agricultural methodologies to the population. Feld observations, interviews and the administration of questionnaires was the methodology used. The data were analysed descriptively and by simple statistical techniques using SPSS. The findings posits that CA and AF have been greatly adopted thanks to the farmers, government and NGOs/CIGS in Bui Division. The adoption of these strategies have contributed at improving the socio-cultural, economic and environmental conditions of the people. Finally, the study concludes that there has been 81% adoption of CA and 61% adoption of AF which has significantly benefited the population through increase in source of income, environmental protection and drop in cost of production.

The Social System of the Welfare Hotel

1980 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-162
Author(s):  
VERNON L. ALLEN
Keyword(s):  
Social System ◽  
The Social
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