Differences in farmer and expert beliefs and the perceived impacts of conservation agriculture

Abstract

Departing from the traditional agricultural model of input-heavy, intensive agriculture via the use of agrochemicals and irrigated water, many international development projects have started to promote conservation agriculture in developing countries. However, relying solely on technical expertise, largely generated outside the rural communities in which they are applied, often does not consider whether local ecological and culturally influenced beliefs are consistent with the technologies being promoted for adoption. We suggest these disconnects can be linked to differing ‘mental models’ of scientific experts and rural agricultural communities regarding the nature of farming dynamics and predicted impacts of introduced farming practices. Using an agricultural development project in Nepal as a case study, this research seeks to understand the relationship between trends in expert and rural farmer reasoning and predictions regarding the outcomes associated with development technology based on these beliefs. Further, we seek to compare these mental model-based differences with local environmental conditions (using soil measurements) and agricultural outcomes in terms of farm production (i.e. yield). While researchers’ mental models predicted that minimum tillage would improve yield, mental models from two of the three villages predicted that yield would decrease. Local soil and yield measurements support the farmers’ mental model predictions. Our results indicated that conservation agriculture techniques should not be applied universally, development practitioners should engage in a two-way learning with local communities to benefit from locally situated knowledge.