Constraints to farmers’ adoption of direct-seeding mulch-based cropping systems: A farm scale modeling approach applied to the mountainous slopes of Vietnam

Affholder, François; Jourdain, Damien; Quang, Dang Dinh; Tuong, To Phuc; Morize, Marion; Ricome, Aymeric

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2009.09.001

Cited by 67 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In the semi-arid regions, the use of crop residues as mulch is constrained by low biomass production and competition for use of crop residues with livestock. Table 5 shows how the practice of mulching declines and falls out in the drier areas of NR IV and V. Likewise, Table 5 shows a reduction in probability of using chemical fertilisers in drier areas, which would also contribute to the reduced intensity of CA adoption in NR III, IV and V. The CA practices under study involve considerable drudgery associated with manual digging of basins and they tend to increase labour requirements at least in the first years (Affholder et al, 2010;Mashingaidze, 2013). Results indicate that household size as a measure of family labour has a negative impact on adoption intensity, contrary to expectation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conservation agriculture has the potential to reduce water stress in crops, which is critically important in southern Africa as the region braces for the hotter and drier weather predicted by climate change models (Lobell et al, 2008). The benefits of CA have been validated empirically through various studies around the world such as those of Cavalieri et al (2009), Affholder et al (2010), Marongwe et al (2011) and Mazvimavi (2011). As a result, many institutions have invested in efforts to transfer this technology to smallholder farmers, particularly those of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Intensity of adoption of Conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

Pedzisa

Rugube

Winter‐Nelson

et al. 2015

Agrekon

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This article assesses the intensity of technology adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) techniques by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. It seeks to understand the drivers of CA adoption intensity in terms of the number of practices implemented using count data analysis. On average, the farmers in our sample adopt five out of 2 eight possible CA practices while only 7.4% use all eight practices in any one year. Practices such as digging planting basins (81.9%), applying manure (73.2%) and timely post-planting weeding (70.1%) are relatively popular, while adoption of crop rotation (22.8%) is comparatively rare. Productivity is positively correlated to the number of techniques used. Farmers adopting all the CA practices are the most productive, with an estimated maize yield of 2.50 tons/ha, compared with a yield of less than 1 tons/ha for those using three techniques or fewer. Results from a Poisson regression indicate that education, agro-ecology, non-governmental input support and extension support have a significant impact on adoption intensity. Subsidised inputs increase the number of components used, although access to those inputs was uneven across regions of Zimbabwe. Further, the number of CA components used in the previous season positively impacts current season adoption intensity, implying that promotions of CA technologies do have a persistent effect, even after those promotions end.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Intensity of adoption of Conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

Pedzisa

Rugube

Winter‐Nelson

et al. 2015

Agrekon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…& Mixed cropping systems, diversified crop rotation, use of cover crops, direct-seeding and mulch-based cropping systems (Affholder et al 2010;Agropolis 2013;Egger 1986;FAO 2009;Bommarco et al 2012) & Conservation tillage, minimizing soil compaction and soil detoxification (Agropolis 2013;Bommarco et al 2012;Cassman 2005) & Integrated pest management (Bommarco et al 2012;Cassman 2005;CIRAD 2008) & Improved fertilizer and nutrient management, regulation and monitoring of nutrient supply and fertigation (Agropolis 2013;Cassman 2005;CIRAD 2008;Egger 1986) & Biodiversity preservation and promotion of positive allelopathic effects (Brussaard et al 2010;CIRAD 2008).…”

Section: Practices Of Ecological Intensificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The blurred boundaries of ecological, sustainable, and agroecological intensification: a review

Wezel

Soboksa

McClelland

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

151

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The projected human population of nine billion by 2050 has led to ever growing discussion of the need for increasing agricultural output to meet estimated food demands, while mitigating environmental costs. Many stakeholders in agricultural circles are calling for the intensification of agriculture to meet these demands. However, it is neither clear nor readily agreed upon what is meant by intensification. Here, we compare the three major uses, 'ecological intensification', 'sustainable intensification' and 'agroecological intensification', by analysing their various definitions, principles and practices, and also their historical appearance and evolution. We used data from the scientific literature, the grey literature, the websites of international organizations and the Scopus and FAOLEX databases. Our major findings are: (1) sustainable intensification is the most frequently used term so far. (2) The three concepts ecological intensification, sustainable intensification and agroecological intensification overlap in terms of definitions, principles and practices, thus creating some confusion in their meanings, interpretations and implications. Nevertheless, some differences exist. (3) Sustainable intensification is more widely used and represents in many cases a rather generalised category, into which most current farming practices can be put so long as sustainability is in some way addressed. However, despite its wider use, it remains imprecisely defined. (4) Ecological and agroecological intensification do introduce some major nuances and, in general, more explicitly stated definitions. For instance, ecological intensification emphasizes the understanding and intensification of biological and ecological processes and functions in agroecosystem. (5) The notion of agroecological intensification accentuates the system approach and integrates more cultural and social perspectives in its concept. (6) Even if some boundaries can be seen, confusion is still predominant in the use of these terms. These blurred boundaries currently contribute to the use of these terms for justifying many different kinds of practices and interventions. We suggest that greater precision in defining the terms and the respective practices proposed would indicate more clearly what authors or institutions are aiming at with the proposed intensification. In this sense, we provide new definitions for all three intensification concepts based on the earlier ones.

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“…In mountain areas of Vietnam, simulation indicates that these methods increase labour and costs and would require financial subsidies for adoption (Affholder et al 2010).…”

Section: Reconciling Agriculture and Environmental Conservation: Oppomentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary progress in food production, food security and environment research

Acevedo

2011

Envir. Conserv.

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SUMMARYThis review examines contributions of interdisciplinary (ID) research to understanding interactions between environmental quality, food production and food security. Global patterns of food insecurity and crop production are reviewed in relation to climate, land use and economic changes, as well as potential productivity increases compatible with environmental conservation. Interactions between food production and global processes make food insecurity a complex problem that requires ID analysis at local to global scales. Census and satellite data contribute to understanding of global cropland distribution. Analysis of land-use change exemplifies research between natural and social sciences. Quantitative modelling of global climate change impacts indicates relatively greater potential food insecurity in developing countries. International food security is increasingly interconnected through economic globalization and incentives for increased food production are required. Societies may not be able to expand available cropland without significant environmental risks; enhanced land and water productivity are the major opportunities available to increase food production. This requires renewed efforts in ID work to design and implement sound and efficient agricultural management practices. Models need to be informed by data from field experiments, long-term measurements and watershed monitoring by ground and remote sensing methods. Agricultural intensification may spare natural land but lead to increased pollution and water demand; reconciling conservation and productivity is a critical need. ID work provides many opportunities for synergies including conservation agriculture at the local level, efficient use of inputs, smarter land use taking into account spatial patterns and landscape ecology principles, and improved water management at field, system, watershed and basin levels. Goal-directed ID research is crucial, since producers, practitioners and policy makers should be * Correspondence: Dr Miguel Acevedo e-mail: acevedo@unt.edu involved. Geospatial, biotechnological and precision agriculture technologies linked with models can help inform strategies to achieve sustainable food production increases that maintain environmental quality. Implementation also requires ID work to overcome impediments due to human factors and facilitate adoption by farmers.

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Constraints to farmers’ adoption of direct-seeding mulch-based cropping systems: A farm scale modeling approach applied to the mountainous slopes of Vietnam

Cited by 67 publications

References 23 publications

The Intensity of adoption of Conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

The Intensity of adoption of Conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

The blurred boundaries of ecological, sustainable, and agroecological intensification: a review

Interdisciplinary progress in food production, food security and environment research

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