Factors Influencing Access to Integrated Soil Fertility Management Information and Knowledge and its Uptake Among Smallholder Farmers in Zimbabwe
Abstract
186 words
Lack of access to information and knowledge generated through
formal research has been identified as a major drawback to
adoption of agricultural technologies among smallholder farmers
in Zimbabwe. This study evaluated how farmers acquire, share
and use knowledge on integrated soil fertility management
(ISFM) for improved crop production and food security in Wedza
district of Zimbabwe. A questionnaire survey showed that
farmers’ preferred sources of ISFM information were national
government extension and farmer-farmer interactions, while
newspapers and non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) were
the least preferred. Learning-based meetings and field based
learning centres (LCs) constituted the major information and
knowledge sharing platforms. A logit regression analysis
revealed that uptake of ISFM technologies is influenced by
farmer resource group and farmers’ visit to LCs as a proxy for
interaction. Farmer experience, visits to LCs and access to
extension services were in turn the major factors influencing
farmers’ access to ISFM information. Extension, LCs and
farmer to farmer interactions were the prioritised methods of
farmer information knowledge sharing suggesting that support
is required for farmer knowledge platforms such as LCs that
provide a continuum for extension to farmer- farmer interactions.
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