The impacts of agricultural technology use on productivity and food security among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe: The case of Makonde district

Abstract

Zimbabwe’s semi-arid regions are characterized by high incidence of poverty, low rural incomes, low agricultural productivity, and food insecurity. These all lead to difficulties in sustaining rural livelihoods. Relatively little is known about the impacts of agricultural technologies on agricultural productivity and food security in the drier pockets of land located within the wetter regions of the country. This study explored the relationships between agricultural technology use (water harvesting, conservation agriculture, fertilizer/ manure application, and irrigation) and agricultural productivity and food security among households in Ward 15 of Makonde District in Mashonaland West Province. The methodology employed involved questionnaire interviews of 55 households selected using the stratified random sampling technique. Data analysis involved the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Hypothesis testing was done using the independent samples t-test and one-way between groups analysis of variance. Use of conservation agriculture resulted in significantly higher maize yields among smallholders. The t-test to measure the impact of using irrigation technology on crop yields indicated that there was a significant difference between mean yields of those practicing irrigation (Mean = 2.70 ton; SD = 2.30) and those not practicing it (Mean = 0.76 ton; SD = 1.19); t = 3.35 at the 0.2% level of significance. Therefore, development resources in semi-arid areas like Makonde District should be channeled towards agricultural technologies such as irrigation and conservation agriculture. Key words: Agricultural technologies, productivity, food security, smallholder, semi-arid, cropping patterns.