Browsing by Author "Chanza, Samantha"

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    An avaluation of financial implications of legume technologies on smallholder cereal farmers in Central Malawi
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Chanza, Samantha; Hoffmann, Willem H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Agrisciences. Dept. of Agricultural Economics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Most Malawians are directly dependent on cereal production. Smallholder farmers in central Malawi have been affected by decline in soil fertility, due to crop harvest removals, soil erosion and leaching. The consequence is a decline of agricultural productivity leaving Malawi food insecure over the longer term. Nitrogen is the most affected of the soil nutrients. This necessitates a legume inclusion approach in production systems. Legume intercropping is promoted in the tropics with the aim to replenish soil fertility. The importance of legumes include: their potential to improve soil fertility through Biological Nitrogen Fixation, provide nutritional values to humans with their high amounts of proteins and income source for the rural smallholders farmers. This study was conducted to evaluate the financial implications on smallholder farmers regarding the implementation of BNF (Biological Nitrogen Fixation) and inoculant technologies in current production systems. It focused on certain districts in Malawi including: Ntcheu, Dedza, Mchinji, Salima and Kasungu. The main aim of the study was to; (i) determine current production systems used in the selected areas, (ii) assess the proposed alternatives based on research results, (iii) assess the practical implications of adoption of BNF and inoculation technologies on crop systems in the selected areas and (iv) determine the financial implications of the implementation of legume technologies on smallholders production systems. Group discussion methods were used to stimulate interaction among participants to describe the current production systems, to validate the outcome of trial results on farm level and to determine practical implications of adopting alternative systems. The method needed to be suitable for capturing the complex smallholder farming systems and collect data to evaluate profitability implications on farm level. Both gross margin and partial budget models were developed to determine the financial implications of the adoption of legume technologies. For each area a typical farm was used as the basis for comparing the before and after adoption financial situation of smallholder production systems. The crops typically included, in a system with maize, are: soy beans, common beans, cowpeas and groundnuts. Gross margins increased for all crops and for all the districts after the adoption of the legume technologies. Low crop yields before the adoption of the legume technologies are attributed to recycling of seed, low-yielding varieties or lack of legumes, insufficient fertilizer use and low levels of knowledge and skills. Intercropping system helps the farmers minimize risk against total crop failure and maximize cultivation per area. This lessens the challenges of small farms to some extent. Furthermore, the results reveal that farmers have benefitted financially from the implementation of legume technologies. The results have not been able to identify any negative implications on the adoption of legume technologies on the intercropping systems in the selected areas in Malawi. The gain from the inclusion of legume technology is, however, indicative of the low yield levels before the adoption. The legume technologies hold potential to contribute to productive and sustainable agricultural systems for the smallholder farmers in Malawi.