Abstract
A study was conducted in Hai and Lushoto districts, Northern Tanzania to establish the farmers’ perception of soil fertility problems and their attitudes towards integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) for coffee, thereby identifying the appropriate intervention strategies. The study was based on a structured questionnaire involving 126 respondents. Both farmers’ awareness of the problem and their attitudes were highly significant (at p<0.01). Age, household size, and adoption of improved coffee varieties, affected farmers’ awareness significantly (p<0.05). As for farmers’ attitudes, six of the eight predictors were significant (p<0.05). Age, household size, adoption of new varieties and total farm income were highly significant (p<0.01). Age, total land under coffee and total off-farm income negatively affected farmers’ attitudes. As farmers get older, they tend to refrain from innovation. Larger farms are likely to exert more pressure on the available organic resources. With multiple farms, distant farms are likely to receive less attention. When off-farm income was considered, multiple ventures compete for the farmers’ time, resources and attention. For the two districts, ISFM interventions will make a better impact to younger and more energetic farmers with sufficient lands for commercial coffee production and to farmers who depend largely on this resource for their livelihood. Key words: Soil fertility, farmers’ perception, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), coffee, Tanzania.
Highlights
Coffee is one of the major export crops in Tanzania contributing to 23% of the agricultural GDP (Anonymous, 2007)
With the mean coffee farming experience of 30 years, it implies that most of the coffee farmers in the study districts have immense experience in their business, and their perception of soil problems and best ways to manage soil fertility should be considered in devising appropriate integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) packages (Douthwaite et al, 2002)
The results from this study led to the following conclusions: The perception of soil fertility degradation as a problem in the study areas is influenced by several household and farm variables
Summary
Coffee is one of the major export crops in Tanzania contributing to 23% of the agricultural GDP (Anonymous, 2007). It contributes directly to the livelihoods of over 420,000 farm families and indirectly to over 2 million people employed in the coffee value-chain industry (Carr et al, 2003). Arabica coffee contributes 65% of the Tanzanian total coffee export. The Tanzanian coffee, especially the washed Arabica is one of the best in the world ranked among the rare category of “Colombian Milds” used to blend other inferior coffees. Coffee is grown in many countries in East and Central Africa. According to statistics from International Coffee Organization (ICO, 2011), total production for the six countries was 10.6, 11.4 and 12.9 million bags for 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Soil Science and Environmental Management
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
