Integrated Soil Water and Nutrient Management and Dry ... - Icrisat

Compared to the control group, the MF and joint MF-FFS approaches
make the largest impact on new varieties and planting methods, the pure FFS
on soil fertility, and the PAE on soil and water conservation. Caution is needed
when interpreting these results. Farmers explained that most of the changes
they made under the MF scheme were compulsory. Farmers implemented
these changes in order to graduate and obtain a certificate and badge which, in
turn, enabled them to receive priority for land resettlement, agricultural
credit, extension, and farm input distribution programs. By contrast the
changes under the FFS and PAE approaches were voluntary and farmers made
them to improve yields.
When asked why they made changes in their farming practices, FFS and
joint MF-FFS graduates reported that they had discovered that there is a
difference between old methods and new ones, new methods work well in
their conditions and are easy to follow and implement, and new methods are
more profitable than the old ones. PAE graduates explained that they were
primarily applying water conservation practices. Master Farmer graduates
indicated that they were following extension agents’ instructions because the
extension officer moves around to check that farmers are doing the right thing,
and because farmers get punished if they are found not implementing
recommended practices. Clearly, the greater impact of FFS on soil fertility
practices is because learning by discovery and carrying out experimental trials
convince farmers that the new technologies give a competitive rate of return
on investment under farmers’ conditions, while learning-by-doing develops
farmers’ skills and experience to apply the techniques in their fields and make
better decisions about the technologies, thereby reducing likelihood of failure
and risk. The greater impact of PAE on soil and water conservation is that the
technologies are labor intensive and households are able to resolve labor
constraints through collective action and labor-sharing work parties.
Because of higher adoption rates of improved soil fertility management
practices, FFS graduates have average sorghum and maize yields that are 5% to
32% higher than those of control farmers (Table 14). Combining the MF and
FFS results in higher mean yield differences.
Table 14. Average sorghum and maize yields of FFS and non-FFS farmers during a
severe drought year, southern Zimbabwe, 2001/02.
MF MF /FFS FFS PEA Control Sig.
Crop
Maize 376 224 142 207 107 0.000
Sorghum 138 128 71 102 67 0.000
43