Socio-cultural dimensions of farming, small farm households and conservation agriculture in Nyanga District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Conservation agriculture (CA) has been extensively promoted in Zimbabwe as a panacea to non-viable agricultural production, continual land degradation and shifting climates. However, the long-term adoption of the introduced technology has been varied and quite lethargic and has not yet entered into an exponential uptake phase despite more than two decades of research and development investments. There is extensive literature on barriers and constraints of CA adoption in Zimbabwe, but the impact of local socio-cultural factors (farmers’ prior experiences, farming practises, indigenous knowledge systems and values) on the adoption of this technology for rural farm households has largely been assumed. Improving understanding of socio-cultural factors that lead to dis‐adoption of this seemingly appropriate intervention is important to achieve sustained adoption and for ensuring long‐lasting impacts of agricultural development project interventions. Guided by an epistemological position, the study is designed as a single-site and in-depth inquiry grounded on people’s lived realities and experiences. Data was collected from Ward 30, Nyanga District (also referred to as the ward or Ward 30), through non-participant and participant observations, life history, extended visits and document reviews triangulated with key informant interviews.

The study found that farming households in the study area face challenges such as uncertain weather conditions, infertile soils, soil erosion, weed pressure, high input costs among other challenges which warranted an intervention like CA. In addressing some of these challenges, farming households make use of conventional and other emerging farming practises to guide their farming. However, there is a discernible and significant relationship between these farming practises arrangements and the lacklustre reception to CA. Apart from farming practices, farming in the study area is guided by the supernatural but these local belief systems and culture also played a role in the unenthusiastic reception of CA technology in the area. Indigenous knowledge systems were also found to be influential in resisting CA changes that were undesirable and of little relevance at farm and community levels leading to its abandonment or outright rejection. The research also found that certain socio-cultural aspects that were missed in CA implementation led to the technology abandonment. Simultaneously, socio-cultural aspects that were incorporated in CA implementation strategy led to farmers adopting the technology as early adopters. However, the farmers disentangled and modified the CA package to suit their local conditions. When farmers eventually abandoned the technology, the trends show that CA is replaced by conventional practises.

The study concluded that for CA and other agricultural development projects not to fall flat in Ward 30, socio-cultural factors need to be taken into account if small-scale farmers are to take up these farming methods successfully. This highlights a need to (a) collaboratively design agricultural programmes to better suit local needs and context with inclusive implementation arrangements; (b) emphasise climate resilience benefits of CA rather than economic benefits to manage rural farmers' expectations; (c) intensify multidisciplinary research that incorporates farmers' social, cultural and experiences to develop suitable and flexible CA packages.