Demand-Driven Technologies for Sustainable Maize ... - IITA

385fertilizer since cash availability is considered as the most importantconstraint. Income from off-farm activities can be used to purchasefertilizer for crop production. Similar results were reported by Greenet al. (1993), who found that income from off-farm employmentsignifi cantly infl uenced farmers’ decisions to adopt the recommendedfertilizer application rate in Malawi.There was a higher tendency for farmers who owned thefarmland they cultivated to use fertilizer more intensively compared tothose who leased or rented their farmlands. The odds ratio (Exp(β)) for this variable was 5.140, which suggests that farmers whoown farmlands are almost 5 times more likely to use fertilizer moreintensively than those who borrow or rent the farms they cultivate.This is expected, because farmers tend to invest more in soil fertilitymanagement strategies if they own the land than when it is borrowedor rented.The results also support the hypothesis that previous year’s incomeand experience in maize farming have positive effect on decisionson fertilizer use. That is, farmers with more years of experience inmaize production are likely to use fertilizer more intensively. Years ofexperience in farming contribute to human capital development and,therefore, households that are more experienced in maize farming arelikely to be knowledgeable on the importance of intensive fertilizer usefor increased maize production.ConclusionsThe objective of this study was to identify farm-family specifi cvariables that were detrimental to the decision to use fertilizer andincrease productivity. Mineral fertilizer was the most important inputfor replenishing soils in the study locations, however, the rate ofapplication was found to be low due to high cost of fertilizer, lowoutput price/cash income of the household and lack of credit facilities.Engagement in off farm activities, previous year’s income, years ofexperience in maize farming, and type of land ownership had positiveeffect on household decision on fertilizer use. Structural transformationthat would encourage intensifi cation in the use of fertilizer in order toincrease productivity among rural farm families will need to take intoconsideration access to credit, not only for fertilizer but also to diversifyincome into off-farm sources. Engagement in off-farm activitiespromotes intensive use of fertilizer since cash availability is consideredas the most important constraints. Changes in the land tenure systemto ensure more security on land ownership is also indispensable forencouraging intensifi cation in fertilizer use.