Download Free The Determinants And Extent Of Crop Diversification Among Smallholder Farmers A Case Study Of Southern Province Zambia Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online The Determinants And Extent Of Crop Diversification Among Smallholder Farmers A Case Study Of Southern Province Zambia and write the review.

This study analyzed the determinants of crop diversification as well as the factors influencing the extent of crop diversification by smallholder farmers in Southern province. The study used secondary data from the Central Statistical Office of Zambia. Results from a double-hurdle model analysis indicates that landholding size, fertilizer quantity, distance to market, and the type of tillage mechanism adopted have a strong influence on whether a farmer practices crop diversification. Our findings have important implications for policies that are designed to enhance crop diversification. In particular, our results suggest the need for government to consider undertaking policies that will enhance farmers’ access to and control over land, that will provide farmers with improved access to agricultural imple-ments like ploughs, and that will bring trading markets closer to farmers.
The physical, institutional and policy environment; The determinants and effects of technology adoption; Determinants of other factors influencing technology adoption.
Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2020 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, University of Lusaka, language: English, abstract: The Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS) conducted in 2015 revealed that rural poverty stood at 76.6 percent and 23.4 percent for urban poverty respectively. To this effect, rural poverty still remains high and predominantly a rural phenomenon. This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the out-grower schemes on reducing poverty and answer the general research question on how effective were the out-grower schemes in reducing poverty in rural Zambia. Pragmatism was the philosophical view that underpinned the study and it applied to the mixed research method approach for this study. The convergent parallel strategy of the mixed research method approach was used. The target population was 50,000 smallholder farmers and a questionnaire with open ended questions (qualitative) and closed questions (quantitative) was administered to a sample size of 396 smallholders farmers. Simple random sampling was used to select smallholder farmers.Qualitative data was analyzed by using the inductive process of building from the data to broad themes and then to interpretation. Quantitative data was analysed by using the Chi-square tests to ascertain association between critical variables measured by categories of out-grower farmers and independent farmers. The T-tests compared the treatment and control groups on variables of interest. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to gauge the level of respondents’ disagreement (dissention) in responses while coefficient of consensus (CC) was used to gauge the level of respondents’ agreement (consensus) in responses, applied to the Likert scale and any other ordinal responses. The findings from the study revealed that the out-grower schemes implementation has contributed to a positive change in poverty reduction to smallholder farmers participating in the out-grower scheme. Further, out-grower farmers have improved their knowledge in understanding the operation of the out-grower scheme. Subsequently, the out-grower schemes have benefited the communities. In this regard, the study concluded that the out-grower schemes have been effective in reducing poverty in the rural areas of Zambia. The study recommended that there was need to address the issue of power imbalance between the out-grower farmers and the out-grower firms.
This book is a useful resource for government policy analysts, academics, students of higher education and business practitioners interested in African economies and the key economic issues these economies are facing in 2020. In the face of weak governance and growth globally, there is still a window of opportunity for countries in Africa to build on not only their traditional industrial capabilities, but also pave the way for positive developments in international trade and in the way governments tackle poverty and inequality. By focusing on four areas: (1) agriculture and livestock, (2) consumption, poverty and inequality, (3) financial services, employment and corporate governance, and (4) economic integration, international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), this book presents a series of empirical studies that examine important contemporary economic issues facing Africa. The book incorporates a range of methodological approaches, with some chapters providing case study analyses while others embrace more traditional forms of econometric testing.
Agricultural expansion has transformed and fragmented forest habitats at alarming rates across the globe, but particularly so in tropical landscapes. The resulting land-use configurations encompass varying mosaics of tree cover, human settlements and agricultural land units. Meanwhile, global demand for agricultural commodities is at unprecedented levels. The need to feed nine billion people by 2050 in a world of changing food demands is causing increasing agricultural intensification. As such, market-orientated production systems are now increasingly replacing traditional farming practices, but at what cost? The Agrarian Change project, coordinated by the Center for International Forestry Research, explores the conservation, livelihood and food security implications of land-use and agrarian change processes at the landscape scale. This book provides detailed background information on seven multi-functional landscapes in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Zambia and Burkina Faso. The focal landscapes were selected as they exhibit various scenarios of changing forest cover, agricultural modification and integration with local and global commodity markets. A standardized research protocol will allow for future comparative analyses between these sites. Each case study chapter provides a comprehensive description of the physical and socioeconomic context of each focal landscape and a structured account of the historical and political drivers of land-use change occurring in the area. Each case study also draws on contemporary information obtained from key informant interviews, focus group discussions and preliminary data collection regarding key topics of interest including: changes in forest cover and dependency on forest products, farming practices, tenure institutions, the role and presence of conservation initiatives, and major economic activities. The follow-on empirical study is already underway in the landscapes described in this book. It examines responses to agrarian change processes at household, farm, village and landscape levels with a focus on poverty levels, food security, dietary diversity and nutrition, agricultural yields, biodiversity, migration and land tenure. This research intends to provide much needed insights into how landscape-scale land-use trajectories manifest in local communities and advance understanding of multi-functional landscapes as socioecological systems.
The FAO estimated that five out of six farms in the world are operating less than two hectares of land, suggesting that small-holder farmers are producing over one-third of the global food. The cropping systems practiced by smallholder farmers play a vital role in agri-food production systems and help to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and provide livelihoods to millions across the developing countries. The performance of these cropping systems has a direct impact on achieving the multiple Sustainable Development Goals (2030) of No Poverty (SDG 1), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), and Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3). System intensification is now widely recognized as an essential pathway to achieve food and nutrition security in developing countries. The numbers of smallholder farmers are rapidly increasing in both developing and underdeveloped countries, however, they are increasingly facing challenges to run profitably. Cropping system intensification (CSI) could be one of the ways to make such production systems more remunerative for these farmers.
Presenting an overview of agroecology within the framework of climate change, this book looks at the impact of our changing climate on crop production and agroecosystems, reporting on how plants will cope with these changes, and how we can mitigate these negative impacts to ensure food production for the growing population. It explores the ways that farmers can confront the challenges of climate change, with contributed chapters from around the world demonstrating the different challenges associated with differing climates. Examples are provided of the approaches being taken right now to expand the ecological, physiological, morphological, and productive potential of a range of crop types. Describes the effects and responses of the macro and micro levels of crops under the different components of climate change Reports on the adaptation and resilience of food production systems within the changing climate Covers how plants cope with the changing climate including physiological, biochemical, phenotype, and ecosystem responses Provides an in-depth discussion on the importance of agricultural education connected to climate change Giving readers a greater understanding of the mechanisms of plant resilience to climate change, this book provides new insights into improving the productivity of an individual crop species as well as bringing resistance and resiliency to the entire agroecosystem. It offers a strong foundation for changing research and education programs so that they build the resistance and resilience that will be needed for the uncertain climate future ahead.