Browsing by Author "Nkala, Peter"

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    Assessing the impacts of conservation agriculture on farmer livelihoods in three selected communities in central Mozambique
    (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 2011) Nkala, Peter
    Agriculture is the major source of livelihood for more than 80% of the people in Mozambique. Many years of cropping using slash-and-burn practices has resulted in negative environmental impacts which result in low crop productivity, food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition. During the last 20 years there have been a number of initiatives by rural development and research organizations working in partnership with the government to introduce environmentally friendly, more efficient and sustainable technologies, so as to restore soil fertility, improve moisture conservation and ensure increased crop productivity. Among these technologies, conservation agriculture has been promoted since 2007 by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) in central Mozambique. Conservation Agriculture builds on three principles: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotation. This study assesses the alleged livelihoods benefits of conservation agriculture for smallholder farmers. These benefits include improving productivity, household income, food security and subsequently alleviating poverty. First, the benefits of conservation agriculture in southern Africa as reported in the literature were reviewed. Then empirical data was collected in the communities of Nhanguo, Pumbuto and Ruaca in central provinces of Manica and Sofala in Mozambique. The data was used to assess the differences between 75 households who had adopted (some) conservation agriculture techniques and 90 households who had not adopted any conservation agriculture techniques. Furthermore, how smallholder farmers are redesigning conservation agriculture was examined. Finally, the energy and labor efficiency of conservation agriculture was assessed. The results show that vulnerable livelihoods, lack of access to agricultural assets, lack of institutions supporting smallholder farmers are among the factors explaining the slow adoption of conservation agriculture in central Mozambique. Under these conditions conservation agriculture has only a weak impact on livelihood outcomes, mostly through a slight improvement in crop productivity. Farmers are actively engaged in redesigning all the three principles of permanent soil cover, minimum tillage and crop rotation, thus indicating that promoting conservation agriculture as a package may not be suitable for all categories of smallholder farmers. Finally, comparing energy use within conservation agriculture and conventional agriculture shows some efficiency gains. The study concludes that conservation agriculture is a complex technology whose short- and long-term benefits are not fully apparent. If smallholder farmers are to adopt the technology, a participatory approach to adapting the technology to their need might be more promising than the current transfer-oftechnology approach.
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    The conundrum of conservation agriculture and livelihoods in Southern Africa
    (African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2011) Nkala, Peter; Mango, Nelson; Corbeels, Marc; Jan Veldwisch, Gert; Huising, Jeoroen
    Low crop productivity, food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition; inadequate farming knowledge and skills, implements and inputs are characteristic of smallholder agriculture in Southern Africa. Many researchers argue that conservation agriculture can guarantee higher crop productivity, food security,improved livelihoods and environmental protection, better than the unsustainable traditional systems of slash and burn practices. In this paper, we present the results of a meta-analysis of over 40 academic publications to review conservation agriculture’s role in influencing desired livelihood outcomes in Southern Africa. We conclude that the effectiveness of conservation agriculture towards better livelihood outcomes in Southern Africa remains debatable, especially when supportive government policies are lacking.
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    Do Urban Community Gardens Matter? : The Case of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe
    (Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2012-04) Sithole, Mkhokheli; Nkala, Peter; Dube, Nqobizitha
    This paper discusses the role of urban agriculture with a special focus on community gardens in urban food security and poverty alleviation in the three high density suburbs of Magwegwe North, Nketa and Nkulumane in Bulawayo metropolitan province of Zimbabwe. Urban agriculture in Zimbabwe is in two forms; one that violates local authority by-laws whereby open pieces of land are haphazardly cultivated and the form comprising authorised cultivation of urban gardens close to residential areas or on allocated land though, with limited renewable user rights, by the local authority to farmers. The study focuses on the different beneficiaries, crops grown, output and their contributions to the household diet and income. The research is largely qualitative and uses primary data collected from 15 interviews, 5 focus group discussions and observations on beneficiaries of community gardens in Magwegwe North, Nketa and Nkulumane high density suburbs. The results indicate that community gardens have become a significant source of fresh produce but the shortage of resources inputs, and environmental health risks remain paramount obstacles to realising the full potential of these gardens. We conclude that community gardens do increase access and household food security, diversity of diet and contribute immensely to poverty alleviation among urban households.