Abstract
Traditional cultivation methods in Namibia are characterised by cultivating the same type of crops persistently on the same piece of land, using a disc or mouldboard plough with minimal to no fertilizer application. This study assessed the knowledge level of farmers' on conservation agriculture and the household factors,which influence farmers to take up conservation agriculture in the Omusati Region of Namibia. Both socioeconomic and biophysical data were collected through household face-to-face interviews from 40 households located in seven constituencies of the Omusati Region. The results showed that technological know-how, limited agricultural inputs and implements for conservation agriculture hindered the uptake of conservation agriculture. In addition, lack of crop residues for mulching purposes and little understanding of the importance of crop rotation were identified as barriers to practice conservation agriculture. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, gender, marital status, education level, crop field size and farming period did not significantly influence the adoption of conservation agriculture. The study indicates that there is a need to encourage the use of climate smart agriculture technologies such as conservation agriculture, which minimizes the negative impacts of dry spells in order to maximize crop production and increase farmers' understanding on the principles of conservation agriculture. Thus, strategies and policies to reduce poverty need to consider local contexts, social norms and values. In this regard, engagement of local farmers and demonstration of the short and long-term benefits of conservation agricultural practices offer promising entry points.
Highlights
In Namibia, as with many countries in Southern Africa, there is a continued and increasing pressure on land resources to raise food production and reduce poverty in rural livelihoods
The sample survey indicated that 48% of the respondents were above the age of 55 years while 37.5% were between the ages of 45-55
Of the farmers who had noticed a change in yield difference, 77% were satisfied with their crop yield after adopting conservation agriculture (CA) while 23% were not satisfied
Summary
In Namibia, as with many countries in Southern Africa, there is a continued and increasing pressure on land resources to raise food production and reduce poverty in rural livelihoods. The reduced yields of important food crops are attributed to the increase in frequency and intensity of cyclical droughts, the use of rudimentary farming practices and the low input nature of the conventional farming systems in the country (Hase, 2013). This is coupled with the lack of incentives to farmers for engaging in optimal land management policies that would speed up the need for technological change, leading to low agricultural productivity and increased food insecurity (Ali et al, 2017). Very few farmers use farming practices that physically conserve the soil, and as a result, farmers are trapped in a vicious circle of poverty and hunger as the soils continue to degrade unabated
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