Browsing by Author "Abegunde, Victor O."
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- With climate change complicating South African households’ ability in attaining food security, climate-smart agriculture has been a significant recommendation for small-scale farming households. This paper examined the contribution of CSA adaptation to household food security in King Cetshwayo District Municipality’s small-scale farming system. Also, the paper investigated the relative popularities of specific CSA practices and the factors that determined ‘ ‘household’s choices among them. It involved comparing two local municipalities—Mthojaneni and uMhlathuze; selected based on their agricultural potentials. Data collection was done, using structured questionnaires, from 327 small-scale farmers sampled through a multi-stage technique. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, composite score index, the binary logistic and multinomial logistic regression models. Findings reveal that adaptation of CSA practices has a significant and positive influence on household food security. Further analysis shows that gender significantly and positively influenced household food security in Mthonjaneni but had no significant influence in uMhlathuze. Household food security was significantly and positively influenced by farm income, income from non-farm sources, farming experience and household participation in Mthonjaneni and uMhlathuze. By contrast, household size and dependency ratio significantly but negatively influenced household food security in Mthonjaneni and uMhlathuze. This paper argues that small-scale farmers should incorporate CSA practices as much as possible to maximize their benefits and improve their productivity and chances of being food secure.
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- Current research focuses disproportionately on the characteristics of farmers to understand the factors that influence the introduction of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). As a result, there has been a failure to take a holistic view of the range of drivers and barriers to CSA implementation. Many aspects of technologies or practices that may encourage or inhibit the implementation of CSA and define its applicability are, therefore, not systematically considered in the design of interventions. The uptake of any practice should depend on both farmers’ characteristics and factors inherent in the practice itself. This paper, therefore, examines procedures for incorporating the applicability of CSA practices in a farm-level analysis based on the investigations conducted in King Cetshwayo District Municipality (KCDM) of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. How the farmers perceived the social, technical, economic, and environmental compatibility of the practices constituted the key goal of the inquiry. Data were collected through structured interviews using close-ended questionnaires, from a sample of 327 small-scale farmers (farmers with farm sizes of less than or equal to 5 hectares). The analysis made use of the Acceptance Level Index (ALI) and Composite Score Index (CSI). This paper establishes that, based on social compatibility, the farmers showed high acceptance for cultivation of cover crops (ALI = 574), agroforestry (ALI = 559), and diet improvement for animals (ALI = 554), based on technical compatibility, the use of organic manure (ALI = 545), rotational cropping (ALI = 529), mulching (ALI = 525) and cultivation of cover crops (ALI = 533) were highly accepted. With economic compatibility in perspective, the farmers showed high preference for mulching (ALI = 541), organic manure (ALI = 542) and rotational cropping (ALI = 515), while the use of organic manure (ALI = 524) was highly embraced based on environmental compatibility. Consequently, it is recommended that policies aimed at mainstreaming CSA technologies should pay adequate attention to their applicability in locations under consideration and emphasize the critical role of the provision of information on CSA technologies or practices.
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- Little attention has been devoted to the study of the economic implication of land conflict, especially as it relates to agriculture in Nigeria, despite increasing incidence of such conflicts and the crucial role of agriculture in the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. This study used data from the Southwest region of Nigeria to explore the prevalence and pattern of land conflict, analyse its determinants and assess its effect on agricultural production. Data were obtained with the aid of a structured questionnaire, from a survey conducted on a sample of 365 crop farmers who cultivated a total of 462 farm plots. Descriptive statistics, probit and multiple regression analytical techniques were used for data analysis. Reports of conflicts on plots were between 1983 and 2017, with most of the incidences (94.5%) occurring in recent years (2003–2017). Two patterns of land conflicts were identified in the study area: Farmer–Farmer (11%) and Farmer–Pastoralist (89%); the figures reveal that the majority of the conflicts were between farmers and pastoralists. The results further show that plot location, plot distance to farmer’s residence, nature of farming and soil quality had significant positive relationships with land conflict, while plot distance to nearby road had a significant negative relationship with land conflict. There was evidence of significant negative impact of land conflicts on crop production and farmers’ income; a reduction of 49% in crop production and as much as 74% reduction in income of farmers. Serious attention from policy makers and agricultural stakeholders on land-related conflicts would ensure sustainability in agricultural production and development.
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- Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a credible alternative to tackle food insecurity under the changing climate is gaining wide acceptance. However, many developing countries have realized that concepts that have been recommended as solutions to existing problems are not suitable in their contexts. This paper synthesizes a subset of literature on CSA in the context of small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa as it relates to the need for CSA, factors influencing CSA adoption, and the challenges involved in understanding and scaling up CSA. Findings from the literature reveal that age, farm size, the nature of farming, and access to extension services influence CSA adoption. Many investments in climate adaptation projects have found little success because of the sole focus on the technology-oriented approach whereby innovations are transferred to farmers whose understanding of the local farming circumstances are limited. Climate-smart agriculture faces the additional challenge of a questionable conceptual understanding among policymakers as well as financing bottlenecks. This paper argues that the prospects of CSA in small-scale agriculture rest on a thorough socio-economic analysis that recognizes the heterogeneity of the small farmer environment and the identification and harnessing of the capacities of farming households for its adoption and implementation.
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