Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi
Smallholder farmers face many challenges to improve their livelihoods and food security. Intensification of agricultural production can help to achieve these goals. Yet farmers are highly heterogenous in their strategies towards intensification, potentially following unsustainable intensification pa...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Springer
2023
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/14757 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10745-023-00413-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-023-00413-0 |
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| author | Timler, Carl J. Groot, Jeroen C.J. Snapp, Sieglinde S. Tittonell, Pablo Adrian |
| author_browse | Groot, Jeroen C.J. Snapp, Sieglinde S. Timler, Carl J. Tittonell, Pablo Adrian |
| author_facet | Timler, Carl J. Groot, Jeroen C.J. Snapp, Sieglinde S. Tittonell, Pablo Adrian |
| author_sort | Timler, Carl J. |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Smallholder farmers face many challenges to improve their livelihoods and food security. Intensification of agricultural production can help to achieve these goals. Yet farmers are highly heterogenous in their strategies towards intensification, potentially following unsustainable intensification pathways. Using Q Methodology, we ascertain different strategies regarding farm improvement and intensification of smallholder farmers in the Dedza and Ntcheu Extension Planning Areas in Central Malawi. These strategies were associated to coherent sequential choices as expressed in “managerial intensification pathways” (MIPs). Three main strategies emerged: Seed Saving Peasants, Aspirant Modern Farmers and Entrepreneurial Business(wo)men. These were subsequently linked to four MIPs. Seed Saving Peasants focus strongly on local seed systems and post-harvest protection of grains, but also allocate more labour to improving crop residue use and manure quality, thus pointing to a labour-oriented MIP. Aspirant Modern Farmers willingly adopt hybrid seeds and inorganic fertilizers but require more extension support; these farmers follow a technology-oriented MIP. Entrepreneurial Business(wo)men are early adopters of new technologies and benefit from improved access to market information and suppliers of new technologies and follow a sustainable technology-based or techno-ecological intensification pathway. This study shows that strongly contrasting perspectives on intensification exist among smallholders and it is expected that their preferred intensification choices will have diverging impacts on the sustainability of their farms. A diversity of extension, advice and incentive instruments will be needed to support farmer decision making towards sustainably intensified farms. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA14757 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA147572023-07-17T12:15:02Z Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi Timler, Carl J. Groot, Jeroen C.J. Snapp, Sieglinde S. Tittonell, Pablo Adrian Pequeños Agricultores Intensificación Malawi Sostenibilidad Smallholders Steering Systems Intensification Sustainability Smallholder farmers face many challenges to improve their livelihoods and food security. Intensification of agricultural production can help to achieve these goals. Yet farmers are highly heterogenous in their strategies towards intensification, potentially following unsustainable intensification pathways. Using Q Methodology, we ascertain different strategies regarding farm improvement and intensification of smallholder farmers in the Dedza and Ntcheu Extension Planning Areas in Central Malawi. These strategies were associated to coherent sequential choices as expressed in “managerial intensification pathways” (MIPs). Three main strategies emerged: Seed Saving Peasants, Aspirant Modern Farmers and Entrepreneurial Business(wo)men. These were subsequently linked to four MIPs. Seed Saving Peasants focus strongly on local seed systems and post-harvest protection of grains, but also allocate more labour to improving crop residue use and manure quality, thus pointing to a labour-oriented MIP. Aspirant Modern Farmers willingly adopt hybrid seeds and inorganic fertilizers but require more extension support; these farmers follow a technology-oriented MIP. Entrepreneurial Business(wo)men are early adopters of new technologies and benefit from improved access to market information and suppliers of new technologies and follow a sustainable technology-based or techno-ecological intensification pathway. This study shows that strongly contrasting perspectives on intensification exist among smallholders and it is expected that their preferred intensification choices will have diverging impacts on the sustainability of their farms. A diversity of extension, advice and incentive instruments will be needed to support farmer decision making towards sustainably intensified farms. EEA Bariloche Fil: Timler, Carl J. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology, Plant Sciences Group; Países Bajos Fil: Groot, Jeroen C. J. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology, Plant Sciences Group; Países Bajos Fil: Groot, Jeroen C.J. Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, Development Impact Unit; Italia Fil: Groot, Jeroen C.J. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; Mexico Fil: Snapp, Sieglinde S. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; Mexico Fil: Snapp, Sieglinde S. Michigan State University. Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Université de Montpellier-Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement. Agroécologie et Intensification Durable (AïDA); Francia Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Groningen University. Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences; Países Bajos 2023-07-17T12:04:13Z 2023-07-17T12:04:13Z 2023-06 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/14757 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10745-023-00413-0 0300-7839 1572-9915 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-023-00413-0 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Malawi .......... (nation) (World, Africa) 7000726 Springer Human Ecology (Published: 30 June 2023) |
| spellingShingle | Pequeños Agricultores Intensificación Malawi Sostenibilidad Smallholders Steering Systems Intensification Sustainability Timler, Carl J. Groot, Jeroen C.J. Snapp, Sieglinde S. Tittonell, Pablo Adrian Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi |
| title | Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi |
| title_full | Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi |
| title_fullStr | Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi |
| title_short | Strategies Steering Intensification Pathways of Farmers in Central Malawi |
| title_sort | strategies steering intensification pathways of farmers in central malawi |
| topic | Pequeños Agricultores Intensificación Malawi Sostenibilidad Smallholders Steering Systems Intensification Sustainability |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/14757 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10745-023-00413-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-023-00413-0 |
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