Adoption and intensity of adoption of conservation farming practices in Zambia
Adoption and intensity of adoption of conservation farming practices in Zambia
Adoption and intensity of adoption of conservation farming practices in Zambia
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subsidized <strong>in</strong>put provision is essential to design future programs for CF promotion –<br />
especially <strong>in</strong> locations with highly variable ra<strong>in</strong>fall.<br />
Eastern prov<strong>in</strong>ce demonstrates a different trend than the rest <strong>of</strong> the country <strong>in</strong> that there was<br />
an upward trend <strong>in</strong> the probability <strong>of</strong> <strong>adoption</strong> for an average household <strong>and</strong> no significant<br />
downward trend <strong>in</strong> the <strong><strong>in</strong>tensity</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>adoption</strong>. This suggests that the long history <strong>of</strong> CF<br />
activities <strong>in</strong> the prov<strong>in</strong>ce (comb<strong>in</strong>ed with its specific agro-ecological conditions suitable for<br />
CF) may have had an effect on <strong>adoption</strong> rates there. Given the still high dis-<strong>adoption</strong> rates <strong>in</strong><br />
this prov<strong>in</strong>ce, however, further research is needed to underst<strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>stitutional sett<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong><br />
various projects <strong>and</strong> how they affect the <strong>adoption</strong> <strong>of</strong> CF <strong>practices</strong>.<br />
To summarize: CF as practiced <strong>in</strong> <strong>Zambia</strong> seems well-suited to respond to the key agroecological<br />
constra<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> highly variable ra<strong>in</strong>fall patterns. The provision <strong>of</strong> extension services<br />
is another consistent <strong>and</strong> powerful explanatory variable <strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>adoption</strong> patterns.<br />
Better <strong>in</strong>formation on what exactly these extension services <strong>in</strong>cluded, <strong>and</strong> particularly the<br />
degree to which they <strong>in</strong>volved subsidized <strong>in</strong>puts, is needed before an assessment <strong>of</strong> the<br />
potential effectiveness <strong>and</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>ability <strong>of</strong> further extension efforts for promot<strong>in</strong>g CF can be<br />
made.<br />
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