Search

Since 2012, development actors have promoted supplemental irrigation from farm ponds to cope with rainfall variability in Burkina Faso, but few farmers have adopted the innovation. Although harvesting runoff water in ponds is an old practice in Sahelian Burkina Faso, farmers were not accustomed to irrigating crops with stored rainwater. In the context of low adoption rates of innovation, it is useful to understand the behavior and profile of those who do adopt innovations. This article analyzes farmers' adoption processes by focusing on their socio-economic characteristics and on stakeholders' social representations of the innovation. We conducted field surveys of 18 institutional actors and 33 adopters. Our results showed that farmers have favorable attitudes towards adoption and that institutional actors help strengthen these intentions by influencing farmers' social norms and capacities to act, but that the farmers' perceptions of difficulties, risk, and social norms prevent them from adopting. As supplemental irrigation from farm ponds is a labor-intensive innovation, farmers who cannot call on community labor or hire seasonal workers are limited in their adoption of the innovation. In addition, the fear of being subjected to mockery by members of the community or the fear of losing social prestige is a social norm that may limit the adoption of the innovation. We characterized the profile of adopters, who mainly have a low income but a high social status that allows them to receive support from policy-makers. Farmers have a preference for growing cash crops rather than subsistence crops the latter being the goal of most institutional actors. Our study showed that farmers' preferences and perceptions of social norms, as well as the characteristics of innovations, are important as socio-economic and technical factors in farmers' adoption processes.

Dans le gouvernorat de Kébili au sud de la Tunisie, les zones irriguées se sont fortement développées ces 30 dernières années. Le système oasien traditionnel, fondé sur des cultures organisées sur trois étages et sur les complémentarités entre agriculture et élevage, a été fragilisé. De nombreux agriculteurs se sont limités à la production de dattes, à la fois dans les oasis traditionnelles et dans les nouvelles zones irriguées. Le présent article mesure l'influence de la disponibilité en eau et de différents facteurs relatifs aux orientations des agriculteurs, sur leur décision de mettre en oeuvre des pratiques agricoles écologiquement intensives. Les principales pratiques étudiées sont la culture d'arbres fruitiers sous les palmiers et l'utilisation du fumier comme fertilisant. Cinquante agriculteurs, qui ont obtenu au début des années 2000 la gestion de terres agricoles dans la municipalité de Jemna, ont été interrogés. La disponibilité en eau est un facteur majeur facilitant les pratiques écologiquement intensives. Ces pratiques sont aussi favorisées par le fait que le revenu familial soit avant tout tiré de la parcelle dans la zone d'étude. Un autre facteur important est l'intérêt pour une gestion durable de l'exploitation agricole – au contraire d'une gestion visant une rentabilité à court terme. Des agriculteurs de Kébili, qui veulent faire de l'agriculture un projet économique et un projet de vie, sont ainsi prêts à mettre en oeuvre des pratiques écologiquement intensives. La baisse de l'agrobiodiversité observée dans les oasis traditionnelles du Sud tunisien n'est pas inéluctable, si l'accès à l'eau est amélioré et si de tels projets de vie fondés sur l'agriculture sont plus aisément réalisables.

In Benin, adaptation to climate change in the livestock sector has led cattle farmers to develop different livestock practices. Most research has focused on evaluating the effects of these practices on livestock productivity. However, information on the effect of these practices on carbon (C) sequestration in farmland soils is lacking. Soil C sequestration has been identified as a potential strategy to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the present study aimed at filling this gap. The calculation was one hand based on inventory data obtained from literature sources (excrement production of each cattle category, moisture content of each crop, ratio of crop residue to main product, and C content of the main product and excrement) and on the other hand on activity data (cattle herd size, manure applied, land use area, crop yield, and crop residues management) obtained from surveys carried out among 360 cattle farmers belonging to 3 cattle farming types. The results revealed that whatever the cattle farming type, annual C input from manure was higher (p˂0.05) than C input from crop residues. Annual C sequestration in farmland soil of farms integrating livestock with cereal-legume and forage crops was significantly higher (Type 2: 158.07 ± 1.79 kg C ha−1 year−1) followed by farms integrating livestock with cereal-legume crops (Type 1: 99.51 ± 0.95 kg C ha−1 year−1), which in turn had a higher value than farms practicing pastoral mobility (Type 3: 78.46 ± 0.70 kg C ha−1 year−1). These results highlight the potential for climate change mitigation through these farming practices. This is justified because the quantity of C sequestered in farmland soil of all cattle farming types was significant. Thus, for future research, it is necessary to include soil C sequestration in the calculations of farms' carbon footprint.

Dans le contexte de dégradation des sols, le compostage est essentiel pour la transition agroécologique des ménages agricoles. Toutefois, le taux d'adoption du compostage dans les ménages agricoles est faible. L'objectif de cette recherche était d'analyser l'effet de la technicité du compostage perçue par les agriculteurs sur son adoption. À cet effet, des données primaires ont été collectées sur un échantillon 343 agriculteurs à l'aide d'un questionnaire. Les données ont été analysées par les méthodes statistique descriptive et économétrique. Les résultats ont montré que la technicité du compostage perçue par les agriculteurs influence négativement son adoption. En revanche, la formation sur le compostage, la superficie cultivée et la participation à une organisation paysanne influencent positivement l'adoption du compostage. Ces résultats suggèrent que les acteurs du développement agricole devraient accélérer la formation des agriculteurs sur le compostage tout en développant des stratégies pour alléger sa technicité.

BACKGROUND. Cassava is an important crop for the survival of smallholder farmers in Cameroon. However, the cassava sector has a low production per unit area compared to the technological potential in this country. In this context, breeders have developed varieties based mainly on their potential in terms of yield and disease resistance. These varieties have been widely disseminated in Cameroon within the framework of development projects. However, these releases have not achieved the expected adoption and yield levels at the national level. Therefore, it appears important to rethink the determinants of dissemination with a broader examination of the cassava production system. RESULTS. This paper analyses varietal complementarity as a key strategy in support of optimizing the experimental and continuous use of cassava varieties by farmers in the Central and Eastern regions of Cameroon. These two regions account for 50% of the country's production. A total of 111 semi-structured interviews were conducted with farmers selected through purposive sampling in four villages in Central and Eastern Cameroon where improved varieties have been disseminated. The research revealed four types of complementarity, related to use, crop management, risk management and cultural complementarity. CONCLUSION. Our results argue for considering varietal complementarities practiced by farmers, within research and development programs to develop more effective breeding and dissemination approaches. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Seventy percent of smallholder farmers in Africa depend on rainfed farming systems, making them vulnerable to climate variability and extremes. Climate information services (CIS) adoption by smallholder farmers in Africa presents a promising solution for adaptation to climate variability. This paper unravels the complexities around climate services for smallholder farmers and explores opportunities to tailor CIS for the resources of smallholder farmers. We use a systematic literature review approach to assess how the human, social, physical/technical, natural and financial capitals may affect awareness, access and use of CIS by smallholder farmers. The study is based on 33 papers from Africa. Majority of the studies gave emphasis on education, information communication and technology literacy levels and advisory services as influencing CIS access, use and uptake. The results highlight that better resourced smallholder farmers have higher access and are more likely to adopt CIS. The human capital emerged as an important component of CIS adoption as it directly determines how the farmer makes decisions on the farm. The natural capital determines the specific preference for CIS when the financial and economic capitals enable farmers acting according to the information received. The social capital provides a basis for farmers to benefit from compounded resources. Thus, the livelihood resource capitals of the target farmers must be considered in CIS information production and dissemination to improve the chances of CIS adoption by vulnerable groups that is illiterate, women, elderly, farmers in agroecological zones prone to climate extremes and poorly resourced farmers.

Family succession is one of the most challenging problems of governance in agricultural systems in Brazil and worldwide. Dairy systems require particular attention in this regard, given their economic and social importance. Family succession necessitates a transfer plan for passing leadership over the dairy farm, usually from parents to their children. In this study, we sought to identify the influence of sociopsychological constructs of the theory of planned behavior on dairy farmers' intention to adopt succession planning. Questionnaires were administered to 160 dairy farmers in Paraná State, Brazil. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. The results showed that social pressure – subjective norms was the construct that most influenced farmers' intention to adopt succession planning, followed by attitude toward the adoption of succession planning. Farmers' perceptions of their ability to carry out succession planning – perceived behavioral control did not influence their intention to adopt this strategy. There was a significant positive correlation of farm size and number of lactating cows with intention to adopt succession planning, indicating that large-scale farmers have a higher probability of practicing succession planning.

Agroecological techniques (AET) have been recognized by many farmers, NGOs, and farmers' organizations (FOs) as a promising solution for slowing down the persistent soil fertility degradation in West African drylands. In the context of Burkina, the promotion of AET is the result of the interactions between NGOs and farmers' knowledge through the intermediation of FOs. Although numerous studies have highlighted the instrumental role of FOs in the dissemination of AET in Burkina, there are limited studies focusing on the historical dynamic of FOs' involvement in the promotion of agroecology. To address this gap, this study aims to answer the following questions: why and how do FOs get involved in the promotion of agroecological techniques, and how do they define the term agroecology or agroecological techniques? A multiple case study approach was used to provide the answer to these questions. The results from the case studies reveal that the FOs' promotion of AET is largely connected to their aim of fulfilling one of the following three goals: enhancing the productivity of commercial crops; improving the resilience of subsistence farmers; enhancing both the productivity of commercial crops and the resilience of subsistence farmers. The quest to achieve these goals explained their constant interaction with external partners to get the necessary assistance for the provision of agroecological support services to their farmers. Furthermore, the results of the study also reveal that the Farmers' Organizations' definitions of agroecology or agroecological terms are mostly associated with the interpretation of agroecology as a collective practice encompassing both economic and ecological aspects of Burkinabè agriculture. A broader insight is that while FOs can fulfill important roles in agroecology transitions this comes with diverse interpretations of agroecology, in which FOs facilitate the hybridization of existing farmers 'practices with those proposed by external actors

Due to the lack of studies about the sociocultural dimension of ecosystem services, we analyze in this work the perception of these benefits by family farmers who have agroforestry systems in the northeast of Pará, in the Amazon region. With this objective, we categorize forest restoration strategies based on primary data collection - interviews, semi structured questionnaire, illustrated questionnaire and Likert Scale. Through the relative perception based on the application of Likert scales, we observed that the farmers recognize the benefits provided by agroforest systems and natural landscapes, with high perception of ecosystem services in all the categories present in the Millennium ecosystem evaluation. Furthermore, the higher perceptions of ecosystem services are related to the group of farmers with a smaller area of forest reserve and bigger area of agroforest systems. The result suggests that loss of forest area, at the individual level, probably drives to a higher sense of the benefits of natural systems and thus, the increment in agroforestry systems constitutes an attempt to return to functions and benefits lost through environmental degradation over time. In general, support programs are necessary to strengthen the capacity of agroforestry systems to provide ecosystem services and increase biodiversity conservation.

En Haïti, les systèmes agricoles sont fortement vulnérables au changement climatique. Cette étude vise à analyser la pertinence d'une démarche de co-conception de stratégies d'adaptation des exploitations agricoles au changement climatique dans une zone hautement vulnérable telle que Haïti. Menée à Saint Michel de l'Attalaye, l'étude reposait : (i) sur la réalisation d'un diagnostic des performances technico-économiques de 24 exploitations représentatives des trois principaux types de stratégies d'adaptation observées, et (ii) sur la co-conception de stratégies innovantes avec un échantillon plus réduit de 9 agriculteurs. Les résultats de l'étude montrent que les performances initiales des 24 exploitations en termes de couverture des besoins caloriques du ménage, revenus, et émissions de gaz à effet de serre sont différentes pour les trois types de stratégies. La diversification des systèmes de production agricole joue un rôle crucial dans les performances mesurées. Les stratégies proposées par les 9 producteurs visent à accroître cette diversification tout en renforçant la place de la canne à sucre dans les systèmes de production, mais les changements pensés sont incrémentaux. D'autres boucles de co-conception pourraient être envisagées pour explorer avec les producteurs des changements de rupture articulant augmentation des capacités de production des exploitations et adaptation au changement climatique. Cette étude pilote en Haïti pourrait être répliquée dans d'autres zones hautement vulnérables afin de co-concevoir des systèmes innovants tenant compte des contraintes spécifiques auxquelles sont exposés les agriculteurs.

La question de savoir qui est, ou non, agriculteur peut a priori sembler anodine, mais il n’en est rien du point de vue du droit. En effet, les définitions juridiques de l’agriculteur façonnent le métier de même que les enjeux agricoles. L’article qui suit présente une analyse historique des définitions juridiques de l’agriculteur au Canada et au Québec, et ce, de la fin du régime seigneurial jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Il se fonde sur les lois canadiennes et québécoises qui comprennent une définition juridique de l’agriculteur (versions historiques et actuelles), sur le matériel législatif disponible (règlements, décrets, etc.) et sur les débats de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec qui éclairent l’intention du législateur derrière les définitions adoptées dans les textes juridiques. Il en ressort une analyse des définitions juridiques de l’agriculteur qui ont durablement marqué la profession au Québec au cours de trois périodes charnières de l’agriculture québécoise, soit celles de la colonisation agricole, de la professionnalisation de l’agriculture et de la spécialisation agricole. Les résultats révèlent que les définitions juridiques de l’agriculteur sont tributaires de la double compétence juridique des législateurs, à la fois canadienne et québécoise, et qu’elles se sont essentiellement développées au regard des enjeux économiques de la filière agricole. Les mettre en perspective avec les trois dimensions du développement durable semble plus que jamais nécessaire pour assurer la transition des systèmes alimentaires québécois et canadiens vers plus d’équité et de durabilité., While the question of who is defined as a farmer in our society may seem trivial, it is not so from a law perspective. Legal definitions of the term farmer shape that profession and agricultural matters. This article presents a historical analysis of the different legal definitions of the term farmer in Canada and Quebec from the end of the seigneurial system to modern times. It is based on historical and current laws containing a legal definition of the term farmer, on legislative material (regulations, decrees, etc.) and on legislative debates of the National Assembly of Quebec that help to grasp the underlying intention of the legislator behind the definitions adopted in jure. The result is an analysis of the legal definitions of the term farmer that have had a lasting impact on the farming profession during three pivotal periods of Quebec agriculture, namely, agricultural colonization, professionalization of agriculture, and agricultural specialization. The research reveals that legal definitions of the term farmer draw on Canada’s dual legal system, and that they have been essentially developed with regard to the economic stakes in the agricultural sector. Such definitions should be compared and contrasted with the three aspects of sustainable development to ensure that the Quebec and Canadian food systems move towards greater equity and sustainability., Resumen: La cuestión de saber quién es, o no, un agricultor puede parecer trivial en un principio, pero no lo es desde el punto de vista jurídico. En efecto, las definiciones jurídicas del agricultor dan forma a la profesión misma, así como a las cuestiones agrícolas. El siguiente artículo presenta un análisis histórico de las definiciones jurídicas del agricultor en Canadá y Quebec, desde el final del régimen señorial hasta hoy. Este se basa en las leyes canadienses y quebequenses que incluyen la definición jurídica del agricultor (versiones históricas y actuales), en el material legislativo disponible (reglamentos, decretos, etc.) y en los debates de la Asamblea Nacional de Quebec que arrojan luz sobre la intención del legislador detrás de las definiciones adoptadas en los textos legales. El resultado es un análisis de las definiciones jurídicas del agricultor que han tenido un impacto duradero en la profesión en Quebec durante tres períodos fundamentales de la agricultura quebequense, a saber, los de la colonización agrícola, la profesionalización de la agricultura y la especialización agrícola. Los resultados revelan que las definiciones jurídicas del agricultor dependen de la doble competencia jurídica de los legisladores, a la vez canadiense y quebequense, y que se han desarrollado esencialmente teniendo en cuenta los desafíos económicos del sector agrícola. Ponerlos en perspectiva con las tres dimensiones del desarrollo sostenible parece más necesario que nunca para garantizar la transición de los sistemas alimentarios de Quebec y Canadá hacia una mayor equidad y sostenibilidad.

Currently, due to water scarcity, the use of treated wastewater is being promoted, however, it warns about the risks of its use in agriculture without prior treatment. In Mexico, the Mezquital Valley region, Hidalgo has more than a century dedicated to agriculture with a wastewater irrigation system. The objective of this article was to know the environmental perception of the farmer of the Mezquital Valley regarding the use of wastewater and environment care. Twenty-five interview were carried out in nine municipalities of the region, which were analyzed with the axial coding method and the use of the Atlas.ti software. It was concluded that most farmers do not associate their agricultural activity with environmental damage., En la actualidad, derivado de la escasez hídrica se está promoviendo el uso del agua residual tratada, sin embargo, se alerta sobre riesgos de su uso en la agricultura sin tratamiento previo. En México, la región del Valle del Mezquital, Hidalgo tiene más de un siglo dedicado a la agricultura con un sistema de riego de aguas residuales. El objetivo de este artículo fue conocer la percepción ambiental de los productores agrícolas del Valle del Mezquital para conocer su perspectiva del uso del agua residual y el cuidado al ambiente. Se realizaron 25 entrevistas en nueve municipios de la región, las cuales se analizaron con el método de codificación axial y el uso del software Atlas.ti. Se concluye que la mayoría de los agricultores no relacionan su actividad agrícola con el deterioro ambiental., Actuellement, en raison de la pénurie d'eau, l'utilisation des eaux usées traitées est promue. Cependant, des risques liés à leur utilisation en agriculture sans traitement préalable sont signalés. Au Mexique, dans la région de la Vallée du Mezquital, Hidalgo, l'agriculture est pratiquée depuis plus d'un siècle en utilisant un système d'irrigation avec des eaux usées. L'objectif de cet article était de comprendre la perception environnementale des producteurs agricoles de la Vallée du Mezquital afin de connaître leur perspective sur l'utilisation des eaux usées et la préservation de l'environnement. Vingtcinq entretiens ont été réalisés dans neuf municipalités de la région, et ils ont été analysés à l'aide de la méthode de codification axiale et du logiciel Atlas.ti. Il en ressort que la plupart des agriculteurs ne font pas le lien entre leur activité agricole et la dégradation de l'environnement.

Dans le contexte de l'agriculture tropicale, la faible adoption de nouvelles variétés proposée par la recherche agronomique interpelle la mise en oeuvre de programmes de sélection participative décentralisée (SPD). La fonctionnalité de ces derniers reste cependant peu documentée. Nous questionnons cette dernière en posant l'hypothèse qu'elle est reliable à la génération de différentes ressources dans l'activation des capacités à innover collectivement. Ce test est méthodologiquement renseigné par un dispositif d'enquête dans le cadre d'une SPD sur le riz pluvial dans les Hautes Terres de Madagascar. Les résultats révèlent des changements liés à la participation à cette SPD dans les systèmes de production (utilisation d'autres types de fertilisation, application des techniques de semis en carré pour faciliter le sarclage) et la réutilisation des nouvelles variétés testées. Ils confirment aussi le renforcement du lien social par la structuration d'une organisation paysanne. Ils caractérisent enfin les principales capacités à innover qui ont été renforcées, notamment celles qui conduisent à comprendre un système complexe et apprendre à agir collectivement.

Evaluating the impact of agricultural practices helps policymakers and farmers in their decision-making. In Zambia, most households depend on agricultural activities, in particular maize production. This paper examines the impact of the adoption of residue retention on households' maize yield in northern Zambia. We used the propensity score matching (PSM) method. By using the probit model, we also determined the factors that influence the adoption of residue retention. The results show that adopting residue retention has a positive and significant net effect on household maize yield. Residue retention traps moisture in the soil and improves soil structure. This suggests that a greater focus on this aspect is required to encourage more farmers to adopt residue retention to improve maize yield. Government policies can be structured to promote residue retention among smallholder farmers.

The presence of zoonotic diseases adversely affects livestock production and farmers' livelihood in communal areas. A lack of awareness about zoonotic diseases among rural farmers results in economic losses and health risks. The far north-eastern corner of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa, is home to large numbers of communal livestock farmers who live adjacent to wildlife reserves and international borders. There have been reports of zoonotic and trade-sensitive diseases in the area, but farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in this regard are poorly understood. This study investigated the KAPs of communal livestock farmers in far northern KZN regarding livestock and zoonotic diseases found in the livestock–wildlife interface and determined the constraints and challenges faced by communal livestock farmers. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 504 livestock farmers at 45 dip tanks between August and November 2020, using a closed-ended questionnaire. Although the overall level of knowledge regarding animal disease transmission was fairly good (score: 53.2%), 25.4% and 21.4% of farmers had moderate and poor knowledge, respectively, about zoonotic disease transmission and prevention. Over 40% of the farmers were not aware of the zoonotic nature of wildlife and livestock diseases. Older farmers, despite their lower level of education, were more knowledgeable on animal diseases and had better practices in regard to zoonotic disease prevention and management compared to younger ones. The majority of farmers cited the lack of water, insufficient grazing land, stock theft, the restriction of animal movement, and animal diseases as the most significant challenges they faced regarding animal production. The results indicate the need for extension programs that target educating livestock farmers to improve their knowledge of these diseases.

L'association de cultures avec les oliviers – arbre emblématique de la région – est une pratique ancienne en Méditerranée. Cette agroforesterie est reconnue pour fournir de multiples services écosystémiques. En Tunisie, l'un des plus importants pays producteurs d'huile d'olive, les systèmes agroforestiers à base d'oliviers sont peu documentés. Ce travail vise à caractériser les principaux systèmes oléicoles agroforestiers existants au nord et au centre du pays, et à comprendre les raisons qui sous-tendent leur adoption. Pour ce faire, une analyse cartographique a d'abord été réalisée pour appréhender la diversité des milieux oléicoles à l'échelle nationale. Vingt-et-un systèmes oléicoles différents ont été identifiés. Sur cette base, un diagnostic agronomique sur deux sites représentatifs de cette diversité a permis de caractériser la structure des systèmes agroforestiers à l'échelle parcellaire. Cinq types de systèmes agroforestiers à base d'oliviers se distinguent en fonction du choix des espèces associées : cultures maraîchères, polyculture, arbres fruitiers, pâturage pour le cheptel et grandes cultures. Une série d'enquêtes a enfin été réalisée auprès d'agriculteurs pour comprendre les choix d'agencement de ces systèmes et la perception qu'ils en ont. Leur mise en place et les pratiques culturales des agriculteurs sont souvent déterminées par des contraintes économiques ou foncières, et non d'intérêts agronomiques et environnementaux.

For centuries, quinoa cultivation was centered only in the Andean countries, and recently it has spread to all regions of the world. Although the number of exporting countries has increased, Bolivia and Peru remain the world's leading producers and exporters. Today, more than 125 countries are experimenting with or cultivating quinoa. The expansion of the crop has only been possible due to the genetic diversity of seeds maintained by generations of farmers in the Andes. As access to quinoa genetic resources in Andean countries remains limited, this implies that the development of new varieties relies on a narrow genetic base relative to the theoretical potential of the species. The use of improved varieties has increased, especially with the emergence of new countries sourcing seed from commercial varieties to start cultivation. To cope with the increasing effects of climate change, it is essential to increase the resilience of crop by taking advantage of their genetic diversity. The current global crisis can only be overcome in the North or in the South by establishing new partnerships for access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits of their use. In the last 30 years, quinoa from the Andean countries gained a position in global markets and improved the quality of life of producers. However, at the end of 2015, producer prices collapsed. Quinoa development is dynamic, and now Andean producers face different scenarios with new competitors and new concerns. Being aware of the new reality is essential to face the new challenges responsibly. Analysis at different scales is fundamental, as is promoting local diversity and cooperating towards innovative production systems and inclusive processes that benefit everyone.