Increasing wheat yield for smallholder farmers with technology transfer

Abstract

Increasing crop yield for 100 million smallholder farmers in China presents a great challenge, although opportunities exist to increase yields based on field observations. We hypothesized that efforts to improve technology transfer to smallholder farmers could increase both yield and N-use efficiency for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in Quzhou county, China. Among 1,042 farmers surveyed in 2010−2013, average wheat yield was 7.1 Mg ha −1 , but yield varied widely depending on management practices (e.g., tillage, variety, sowing date, sowing rate, fertilization) and farm characteristics (e.g., population, labor, land size). On-farm trials confirmed that adoption of recommended management approaches, and fertilizer rates could increase yield by 7.1−19.7%. We recommended a technology package consisting of wheat varieties, sowing dates and rates, and fertilizer formulations. Local farmers were classified into three groups: those who used local farming practices (FP), received training two times per year (TP), and received training, field guidance, and help purchasing fertilizers and seeds (OTP). In 2010−2013, wheat yield in TP and OTP increased by 4.4 and 20.6% respectively, relative to FP, thereby increasing N-use efficiency by 10.7% and improving economic profits by 20.6% relative to FP. The adoption rate of the recommended practices by OTP farmers was 83.0%, compared with 64.3 and 55.5% for TP and FP farmers, respectively. In conclusion, continuous increases in wheat yield could be achieved by optimizing local technologies and improving technology transfer for smallholder agricultural production in China.

Utilisation of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Soil Information to Derive Soil Nutrient Management Zones for Banana Production in a Smallholder Farm

“…However, soil quality on smallholder farms in SA is progressively declining due to inappropriate land use and mismanagement of agricultural inputs [6]. This is mainly caused by a lack of knowledge of their soils, which results in smallholders adopting unsuitable practices that do not match the soil conditions of their land parcels [7]. Another major hindrance to agricultural production is that farmers lack a basic understanding of the spatial variation of soil properties in their fields [8].…”