Agricultural Sciences

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Browsing Agricultural Sciences by Subject "Agriculture--Zambia"

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    Farming Systems and Soil Management in serenje, Zambia
    (2011-03-23) Chisha, Sikazwe J
    Under increased population pressures, extensive methods of arable cultivation give way to intensive ones. The whole agricultural policy area then becomes central in influencing and further determining production trends and, consequently, the farming system that evolves. In most developing countries, political considerations1dominate agricultural policy. Rarely is sufficient attention given to the efficient use of scarce natural resources, let a'lone to soil conservation measures. This neglect usually leads to lower incentives to producers and to soil problems which reduce yields and could eventually make cultivation uneconomic. Extension methods are often simplistic and crop based, with emphasis on yield maximisation. Resource poor farmers are often neglected by extension services, nor do they benefit from cheap agricultural credit. Whereas the chemical fertility of the soil can easily be restored, the maintenance oC the physical properties of the soil requires continuous careful husbandry and conservation measures. Husbandry practices that maintain maximum plant cover and raise the organic matter content of the soil and thereby improve water and nutrient a v a i l a b i l i t y , are seen as more appropriate than (x) mechanical conservation measures that are costly to construct and maintain. Intercropping and rotations of maize with legumes and other cash crops (each with an attractive incentive) and application of agricultural lime is seen as a way forward in evolving a more sustainable and efficient farming system. This dissertation analyses, within the above framework, the farming system and soil management in Serenje District - Zambia. Whereas most analyses and examples are for Serenje, generalisation could be made for other rural districts of Zambia.
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    Techinical and Allocative efficiency of smallfolder maize farmers in Zambia
    (2012-10-08) Chiona, Susan
    Maize is Zambia’s staple food and is widely grown by smallholder farmers throughout the country. The productivity of this crop has been persistently low despite various private and public sector interventions. This paper determines the technical and allocative efficiency of smallholder maize farmers in Zambia. Most studies on efficiency in Zambia have used parametric methods to estimate efficiency. These methods ignore the importance of individual farms. This study appreciates individual farms and hence opts to use a non-parametric method of estimation, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). It further links the observed efficiency or inefficiency to farmers’ socio-economic characteristics through regression analysis. The DEA results indicate very low levels of technical and allocative efficiency among smallholder maize farmers. Technical efficiency scores range from 0.071 through 1 while allocative efficiency ranges between .001 and 1. On average, farmers are 30 percent technically efficient and only 1.18 percent of the farmers are fully efficient. Allocatively farmers are 12 percent efficient with only 0.33 percent being efficient. This means that on average, the level of inputs (land, labour, seed and fertilizer) used by farmers can be reduced by 70 percent while costs can be reduced by 88percent without affecting the current level of output. Regression results have shown that use of certified hybrid seed, livestock ownership, and education attainment of household head improves both technical and allocative efficiency. The same results further show that involvement in community agricultural activities, use of mechanized tillage methods and use of organic or chemical fertilizers improves technical efficiency among farmers. Farmers who used certified hybrid seed are likely to get higher yields while farmers belonging to agricultural association or are involved in community agricultural activities are expected to have better access to extension services than those who are not. Based on these findings, policy makers in agriculture should focus on strategies to reduce input use while maintaining current production or increase output from the current level of inputs. Policy makers should therefore promote ownership of livestock which acts as a social buffer and allows farmers to access expensive but efficiency promoting technologies like fertilizer and certified seed while encouraging use of affordable mechanized tillage through draught power to reduce on the time and labour spend in maize production. Given that certified hybrid seed and fertilizer use improves efficiency and that farmers use improper application rates, policy makers should devise strategies on how best to provide extension services to farmers to help them appreciate both the use of and adherence to recommended application rates to improve productivity. Improved extension services will help improve the level of output from the current level of inputs. Farmers groups should be encouraged and strengthened to improve access to market information and other extension services as results have shown that farmers belonging to associations are more efficient.