Sustainable agricultural practices: implications on maize yields, household incomes, and food security
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Date
2024
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) are often promoted as a
way to improve sustainable development in agriculture, resulting in
subsequent economic growth and development on both national and
global scales. The global endorsement of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) has directed attention towards initiatives
to expand the utilization of SAPs in developing nations. These
countries are facing challenges due to population expansion and
increased household incomes, which are negatively impacting the
sustainability of natural resources. Nevertheless, the current
information is insufficient to clarify the implementation of bundled
SAPs comprised of intercropping, crop rotation, manure, improved
maize seeds, crop residual practices, and associated impacts on
several end measures, such as crop yields, household incomes, and
food security among smallholder maize farmers in Tanzania. This
argument is driven by an integrative framework that merges the
theories of utility maximization with the diffusion of innovation.
Consistent with prior research, this approach recognizes adoption as
a complex activity by a number of factors. Motivated by this
phenomenon, the study examined (a) rate and intensity of adoption
of bundled SAPs; (b) determinants of adoption of bundled SAPs; (c)
impact of adopting bundled SAPs on yields and household incomes;
(d) impact of adopting multiple SAPs on food security, nutrition, and
poverty indices among smallholder maize farmers in Morogoro
region. The data were collected through household and key
informants’ interviews. The structured questionnaires were
administered to 470 farming households in Kilosa and Mvomero
districts in Morogoro region. Data were analyzed using descriptive
and quantitative methods.
The multivariate regression analysis was used to analyze the
determinants of adoption of multiple SAPs. The results reveal that
age, gender, family size, education level, farm size, livestock
ownership, access to extension services, production shocks, and distance from the market, had a significant influence on the adoption
of multiple SAPs. Moreover, the results demonstrate that there were
six significant pairwise correlation coefficients across SAPs,
indicating that smallholder maize farmers have the potential to adopt
SAPs concurrently. The findings support the study’s claim that the
adoption of bundled SAPs is significantly influenced by socio-
economic and institutions factors.
Ordered probit analysis was employed to analyze the adoption
intensity of bundled SAPs. The findings reveal that education level,
occupation, farming experience, sex of the household head, farm
size, plot ownership, geographical area, participation in farmers'
organizations, and production diversity, significantly impacted the
degree to which SAPs are adopted. Moreover, there were notable
disparities in the degree of adoption intensity in contrast to the
adoption rates. The findings are in line with the study’s claim that
socio-economic factors have significant impact on the number of
SAPs adopted.
An analysis utilizing multinomial switching regression to analyze the
impact of adopting bundled SAPs on crop yields and household
incomes demonstrates that the adoption of multiple SAPs had
significant economic impacts on both maize yields and household
incomes through various combinations comprised of manure,
improved maize varieties, crop residual, intercropping, and crop
rotation.
The endogenous switching regression model was employed to
assess the impacts of adopting SAPs on food security, nutrition and
poverty indices. The findings reveal that the adoption of improved
maize varieties, crop residue use, and crop rotation practices had
significant and positive impacts on household's food security and
nutrition. In addition, the adoption of improved maize varieties had
the most significant impact on poverty indicators, highlighting its
capacity to mitigate poverty among small-scale farmers. The study suggests these. Policymakers and agricultural
development organizations need to take these significant factors into
account when planning, promoting, and enabling the implementation
of SAPs. Second, when developing methods to spread the adoption
of SAPs, it is crucial to consider the interrelatedness of these SAPs
and ascertain an efficient combination of various practices to
enhance maize production and household incomes.
Third, increasing awareness, providing education to farmers
regarding the advantages of using SAPs, and implementing
strategies to alleviate the impacts of climate change. Fourth, the
implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing agriculture
production through the adoption of SAPs. These initiatives should
implement a targeted approach aimed at reaching food-insecure
households and disadvantaged agricultural households, with the goal
of eradicating hunger and correcting nutritional deficiencies among
these vulnerable populations.
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Thesis
Keywords
Sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs), Yields, Incomes, Food security, Smallholder maize farmers, Tanzania