Abstract
The adoption of conservation agriculture among small-scale farmers is still low despite the proven economic and environmental benefits of the technology. This study was conducted in Ingwe Municipality in Kwa-Zashuke, Ward 8, in KwaZulu-Natal province. The main aim of the study was to determine the factors that influence the adoption of no-till conservation agriculture (CA) in the study area and to explore farmers’ perceptions of no-till CA and the impact of no-till CA on maize yield. A quantitative approach employing a cross-sectional design was used to gather data. Stratified random sampling was employed and a total of 185 small-scale farmers (97 adopters and 88 non-adopters) were sampled. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistics and econometric modeling using the logistic regression model. Findings show that farmers’ positive perceptions were positively correlated with higher maize yields. While an increase in extension visits, age, education and farmers’ positive perceptions significantly increased the likelihood of a farmer adopting no-till CA, an increase in land size was negatively related to no-till CA adoption. The findings confirm the important role of extension in the promotion of no-till CA, particularly the intensity of the extension services. The study recommends a deliberate effort by all stakeholders to promote the participation of young people in farming and tailor-make current no-till CA programs to suit the illiterate households. The capacity of extension programs to adequately support farmers should be enhanced through improvements in extension services. There is also need to change people’s mindsets and the way they view no-till CA.
Highlights
The recognition of no-till conservation agriculture (CA) as a solution to food security, biodiversity and water scarcity challenges is gaining momentum worldwide [1]
The results show that farmers who participated in the study were elderly. This conforms to the demographic structure of South Africa where most of the elderly are found in the rural areas and young people in the urban areas [41,42]
It is expected that households with a higher number of household members are more likely to adopt no-till CA since it is assumed that larger families have more labour available for farm operations such as weeding, which is critical in no-till CA [43]
Summary
The recognition of no-till conservation agriculture (CA) as a solution to food security, biodiversity and water scarcity challenges is gaining momentum worldwide [1]. Amongst the major challenges faced by small-scale farmers are soil erosion and the efficiency in which the limited water is used [4,5,6]. Agriculture remains one of the most important components of most African economies [7] and its success is based on the foundation of good soils and efficient utilization of the available water resources, among other factors. In this regard, no-till CA plays an integral role in minimizing soil disturbance and water loss [6]. The crop is planted directly into the preceding year’s crop residue, retaining more than fifty percent of the residue on the soil surface for the entire season
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