Assessment of the sustainability of agricultural technologies: a case of “bustani ya tushikamane” (ByT) Programme in Morogoro Region
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Date
2024-05
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
The sustainability of agriculture technologies is a topic of growing
importance in today's world, as the global population continues to
expand, and the demand for food and resources escalates. The
study aims to undertake a systematic assessment of the
sustainability of agriculture technologies, with a focus on factors
affecting sustainability and compliance of the technologies with the
Agro ecological principles using the Agroecological Criteria
Tool(ACT). The study employed cross-sectional research design
with a sample size of 90 participants. Quantitative data was
gathered through questionnaire, while qualitative data was collected
through interview, focused group discussion (FGD) and
observations. The analysis of the data involved both descriptive and
inferential statistics, as well as thematic analysis of qualitative
information. Factors like market availability (p = 0.000), training (p =
0.021), and cost of the agricultural technologies (p = 0.000)
significantly predicted the likelihood of sustainability of agricultural
technologies at 5% level of significance. Technologies introduced
under the ByT programme were highly sustainable (60%), followed
by medium sustainability (27.8%). The findings indicate that the
agricultural techniques implemented by ByT have adhered to
agroecological principles at every level, including efficiency (86%).
This encompasses methods aimed at decreasing the use of
resources such as water, pesticides, and fertilizers, while
simultaneously enhancing crop yield. It is concluded that training,
market availability, and cost of introduced agriculture technologies
are crucial factors influencing sustainability of agricultural
technologies. Also, the agriculture technologies introduced by ByT
program are highly sustainable. This study offers a holistic
perspective on the challenges and opportunities associated with
sustainable agriculture technologies. The study concludes with
recommendations that introduced agriculture technologies by
stakeholders should consider the cost of introduced technologies,
market availability of agriculture product and training of the technologies so as to ensure sustainability of those technologies.
Also, need of future research and policy interventions to foster the
sustainable adoption of agriculture technologies and advance the
overall sustainability of the agricultural sector.
Description
MA Dissertation
Keywords
Sustainability, Agro ecological practices, Small-scale farmers, Agriculture technologies.