Contribution of agroecological practices to household food availability: experience from Farmer Research Network (FRN) project in Singida district
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Date
2022
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
This study assessed the contributions of agroecological practices to household food avail-
ability in Singida district. Specifically, the study intended to: (i) determine the extent of
implementation of agroecological practices among FRN farmers and non-FRN farmers in
Singida district; (ii) examine the contribution of agroecological practices to household
food availability by comparing FRN and non-FRN farmers; (iii) assess farmers’ percep-
tions towards implementation of agroecological practices as a means of improving food
availability; and (iv) determine factors influencing farmers in implementing agroecolo-
gical practices in the study district. Using the "With and Without" approach, a sample size
of 160 respondents was selected, 80 from two villages where farmers were trained on
agroecological practices (the "With FRN group") and the other 80 from two villages
where farmers were not trained on agroecological practices (the "Without FRN group").
Both quantitative and qualitative primary data were collected for triangulation purposes. A
structured questionnaire was administered to 160 household respondents and a checklist
used in and in-depth interviews with eight key informants (KIIs). Besides, four Focus
Group Discussions (FGDs), one in each village were conducted. Quantitative data was
analysed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer soft were,
while qualitative data analysed using content analysis.
Descriptive statistics involving the calculation of means, frequencies and percentages were
computed. A chi-square test was used to determine associations between the extent of im-
plementation of agroecological practices and membership of the household in the FRN. A
multiple linear regression model was used to determine possible determinants influencing
the implementation of agroecological practices. Content analysis was used to Analyse
qualitative data. The findings showed that the overall extent of implementation of agroecological practices
was moderated (73.8%). Most FRN farmers had more food than non-FRN farmers be-
cause they were trained in agroecological practices and imparted knowledge and skills that
influenced FRN farmers to implement the practices, eventually contributing to increased
crop yield and thus food availability in households. The finding from the Chi-square Test
revealed that the implementation of agroecological practices had a significant contribution
to households (p-value = 0.000). The FRN farmers had adequate food available to their
families than non-FRN farmers. In terms of perception, farmers had a positive perception
towards the implementation of agroecological practices as a technology to enhance food
availability. In contrary, farmers had a negative perception of the ease of implementation
of agroecological practices, indicated that it was a cumbersome task to practice some
agroecological technologies such as contour ridges and nine seeded holes. Furthermore,
the findings of the multiple regression model indicated that household income, training on
agroecological practices, age, benefits from practising agroecology, land ownership, farm
distance and education level of the household head had significantly influenced the imple-
mentation of agroecological practices at a p-value = 0.05 level of significance.
Based on the findings, the study concluded that farmers in the study district implementa-
tion of agroecological practices at moderate level. This was likely due to the intensiveness
of most agroecological practices; however, the FRN project's training influenced small-
holder farmers to implement agroecology. Also, agroecological practices have a signific-
ant contribution to household food availability. Farmers who were moderately involved in
the implementation of agroecological practices had adequate food availability. The posit-
ive perception of farmers towards agroecological practices to enhance food availability is
an indication that farmers have the possibility to be familiar with and implement agroeco-
logical practices so as to improve soil fertility and increase crop productivity, thus leading to food availability. The study also concludes that household income, training attainment,
benefits obtained from practising agroecology, land ownership and the education level of
the household head are important determinants for agroecological practices implementa-
tion in Singida district. As these factors increase, the implementation of agroecological
practices also increases. While the age of the household head and farm distance had an in-
verse relationship, as the farmer aged, the implementation of agroecological practices de-
creased. Also, the longer the distance in which the farm is located, the more difficult it is
to implement agroecology. Therefore, farmers whose farms are located far from
homesteads find it difficult to implement agroecology since it is easy to manage them.
The study recommends that the FRN project, in collaboration with other development
agents, should put more emphasis on promoting agroecological practices in order to in-
crease the level of their implementation. This can be done in different ways, including the
provision of specialised equipment to reduce the intensiveness of some of the practices
and other inputs. Because agroecological practices contribute significantly to household
food availability, farmers who implemented agroecological practices had adequate food
availability compared to their counterparts. Therefore, there is a need to scale up training
agroecological practices to reach a wider community, including farmers outside FRN vil-
lages. Farmers had a positive perception of the implementation of agroecological prac-
tices, so local government authorities and other stakeholders should promote agroecolo-
gical practices transformation to encourage farmers to continue implementing agroecolo-
gical practices. The Government and other stakeholders should insist more on improving
training services to increase the implementation of agroecological practices. Training will
help to increase farmers’ awareness, knowledge and benefits associated with implement-
ing agroecology. Also, the study recommends diversification of income sources on the
farmers’ side by engaging in both on-farm and off-farm activities such as petty business to increase income, which in turn will enable them to invest in the implementation of agroe-
cology practices.
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Agroecological practices, Household food availability, Farmer research network, Singida district