Your search found 16 records
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044567)
(0.12 MB)
There is ample empirical evidence that suggests the existence of gender discrimination when it comes to access to and subsequent use of productivity-enhancing farm inputs, specially those provided via market institutions, such as chemical fertilisers and hired labour. This discrimination is often found to be in favour of male farmers or male-headed households. Against this background, this focus contributes to building an understanding of the role of female education as a possible intervention that could mitigate such gendered agricultural input use disparities. A bivariate probit model on chemical fertiliser and hired labour use by households is estimated, using data collected in 2007 in rural Zimbabwe. This estimation strategy allows for interdependency between the input use decisions. Our results suggest that education significantly raises the probability of female farmers’ use of both chemical fertilisers and hired labour. Interestingly, this impact is found to be higher for femaleheaded households in communal areas as opposed to female-headed households in resettlement areas where eneficiaries of Zimbabwe’s Fast-track Land Reform Programme reside. This finding confirms the need to promote the education of women, particularly rural women, as part of interventions aimed at empowering female farmers, in the process countering and ending gender-based discrimination in accessing farm inputs.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045838)
(0.59 MB)
Using a production function, marginal productivity of farm inputs and benefit-cost analysis, we explore the economics of selected water control technologies. From the production function, all farm inputs, including irrigation water is found to have a significant and positive effect on yield. Marginal value products of farm inputs are found to be positive but their magnitudes differ by type of control structures, crop type, agro-ecology and regions. The net present values of all water control structures are positive. There is a favorable precondition for sustainable adoption of these controls technologies and institutionalizing some sort of cost recovery schemes. The level of education, the ratio of irrigated land allocated to irrigated annuals and perennials, access to markets and off-farm income are found to have significant effect on successful use of these control structures. Recommendations and policy implications are drawn accordingly.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046355)
(3.64 MB)
Since 2005, Government of Gujarat has been organising an annual, month-long, pre-monsoon Krishi Mahotsava (Agrarian Festival) campaign to expose farmer to new farming technologies and market opportunities, enhance their interaction with scientists and input suppliers, and improve their access to various government schemes. Krishi Mahotsava entails mobilisation of government machinery on a massive scale. But does it reach out to the farmer? This paper presents the results of a sample survey of 1445 farmers from across Gujarat to understand their perceptions about the Krishi Mahotsava campaign, its impact on them and their suggestions about how to enhance its usefulness to them.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049571)
(2.98 MB)
The coastal region of Bangladesh is prone to natural disasters and these events are expected to worsen as a result of climate change. Combined with anthropogenic factors, these events challenge livelihood opportunities, especially crop production. Waterlogging, tidal activity and the lack of proper drainage facilities are major constraints to agricultural production in these areas.
The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) tested, at pilot scale, the combination of innovative agricultural technologies with improved water management to overcome these challenges.
This report assesses this intervention by observing the effects, measuring the short-term impacts and understanding the perceptions. The results highlight the need to integrate the interventions into the local context, and acknowledge that institutions and markets need to mature to harness the benefits from innovations. It also underlines the potential of multi-scale interventions combining plot-level and farmer-led innovations, community management and rehabilitation of large schemes.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049728)
(0.34 MB)
Increased participation of women in the agricultural technology adoption decision by farm households is one of the key indicators of gender empowerment in the agricultural sector. This study examines whether women’s participation in the household decision to adopt agricultural technology affects the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), using data collected from 1,267 farm households from two Indian states of Bihar and Haryana. When we considered the sex of the household head (using a dummy variable for male-headed vs female-headed household) as a basis of analyzing the role of gender in the adoption of CSA, we found that women in Haryana had no role in the adoption of CSA. On the contrary, when we considered women’s participation in technology adoption decisions as a basis of gender analysis, we found that women’s participation in technology adoption decisions in Haryana is much higher as compared to Bihar. Consequently, the likelihood to adopt CSA is higher in Haryana than in Bihar. We also found that wealth, training, and access to extension and market positively influenced CSA adoption. Qualitative analysis shows that women farmers prioritize family food security rather than farm income, and therefore, they are more likely to focus on CSA to ensure food security.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049798)
(1.15 MB) (1.15 MB)
Mozambique is characterized by low agricultural productivity, which is associated with low use of yield-enhancing agricultural inputs. Fertilizer application rate averaged 5.7 kg ha-1 in Mozambique during the period 2006 to 2015, considerably low by regional targets, yet constraints that affect fertilizer use have not been thoroughly investigated. This study examined the constraints on fertilizer value chains in Mozambique to contribute to fertilizer supply chain strengthening. We used a combination of multivariate analysis and descriptive methods. Our findings indicate that fertilizer use has both demand and supply constraints. Key demand-side constraints include liquidity challenges, limited awareness about the benefits of using fertilizer, and low market participation, while the main supply-side constraints include high transaction costs, limited access to finance, and lack of soil testing results and corresponding fertilizer recommendations by soil type and crop uptake. These results suggest that scaling up the input subsidy program through vouchers (either paper-based vouchers or e-vouchers) with demonstration plots and effective targeting could drive up smallholders’ demand for fertilizer and fertilizer supply by strengthening a sustainable network of wholesalers and retailers. This would likely boost agricultural productivity.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049924)
(0.54 MB)
We report on a randomized field experiment designed to relax credit and risk constraints for agricultural activities. We conducted a study in a drought-prone region in northern Ethiopia among poor smallholders who depended on rainfed agriculture and were members of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP). Data were collected from over 1100 farmers in 32 rural villages over two years. We find that unconditional voucher transfers designated for the purchase of agricultural inputs significantly increased usage of seeds and fertilizers (a flypaper effect), raised the amount of farmland used (a complementary effect), and induced substitution of own effort by hiring casual labor (a local spillover effect). Subsidized rainfall insurance with reduced input vouchers produced weak average effects but greatly increased investments for farmers who were relatively more patient. We do not find heterogeneous effects by farmers’ risk attitudes, however, suggesting that the effects of insurance adoption were mainly determined by how farmers in the safety net made tradeoffs inter-temporally. Insurance demand dropped quickly with the reduction in subsidy and did not correlate with time or risk preference. Therefore, to improve cost-effectiveness, insurance programs should include procedures that help identify forward-looking farmers and encourage their adoption. While our results show that initial subsidies increase future insurance demand, the effect was small and thus initial subsidies would not be a cost-effective mechanism for financially sustainable insurance. Other complementary strategies on the design, promotion, and bundling techniques of insurance would be needed.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050138)
(0.53 MB)
Evidence shows that nonfarm livelihood activities are an important source of income for rural households and they may interact with farm activities in different ways. This article attempts to examine the investment linkage in which evidence is scarce in the study area. Also the paper examines the determinants of households’ nonfarm employment participation. The study uses household level data collected from 455 randomly selected rural families in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. Findings from the logit regression indicate that livestock holding, access to credit and male-headed households significantly increase nonfarm employment participation. Conversely, the possibility of nonfarm employment participation decreases with age, number of children, access to irrigation and remittance. Moreover, the propensity score matching estimates and auxiliary estimates using tobit and ordinary least square (OLS) consistently indicate nonfarm employment significantly decreases agricultural inputs investment. Similarly, participation in nonfarm activities significantly lowers investment in crop inputs. Further, findings from this study indicate that nonfarm livelihood activities may help in reducing rural poverty. Moreover, the study suggests that policies targeting enhancement of agricultural inputs investment should look at other options rather than relying on income generating nonfarm activities to increase agricultural inputs investment.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050144)
(6.06 MB)
Interventions of water harvesting technologies (WHTs) in drought-prone areas like the Tigray region (northern Ethiopia) is an option less strategy to alleviate food insecurity issues emanating from water scarcity. Hence, wide spectrums of WHTs were applied in Tigray Region in the last three decades. Thus, this study aimed to assess the WHTs and the subsequent contributions in ensuring households’ food security in Kilete-Awlaelo district of the Tigray Region. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a household survey (n = 246), focus group discussion, key informants interview, and field observation, and subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis on the SPSS environment. The explanatory power of the WHTs to food security was determined using a regression model. The result revealed that 64.6% of the households applied WHTs while 35.4% not. Though a statistically significant positive relationship (p < 0.05) between the WHTs (predictor) and PCC acquisition as food security parameter (predictand) was observed, the magnitude was not strong enough where only 6.1% of WHTs users and 0.81% of non-users had achieved the average standard PCC requirement (2100 kcal) from their farm production. Hence, strengthening and expanding the functional domain of the WHTs fitting to the socio-economic, environmental, and biophysical context of the locality is profoundly indispensable.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050306)
(2.73 MB) (2.73 MB)
Context: CVOID-19 induced significant economic and social disruptions in India. Rural households, including smallholders, were affected by loss in migrant income, livelihood and farm and non-farm incomes. During this lockdown, the Indian government enacted several emergency legislations to provide direct and indirect relief to workers and households. India’s COVID-19 social assistance package, namely, PM-GKY, announced in March 2020, was designed to provide immediate relief to the vulnerable population. The PM-GKY provided cash direct benefit transfers (DBT) and in-kind supports (IKS) through existing schemes.
Objectives: This study examines the impact of India’s government assistance package (known as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana or PM-GKY), announced immediately after the COVID-19 lockdown, on the procurement of agricultural inputs for the upcoming farming season.
Methods: The study uses a quasi-experimental method and survey data from 1,789 smallholder households in three northern Indian states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh).
Results: The result suggests that the fungibility of funds received under the government transfer package was significant in alleviating credit constraints and increasing agricultural investments in agricultural inputs. The farmers who received benefits from the PM-GKY scheme spent significantly more on the procurement of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
Conclusions: The disbursement of cash transfers in the three states showed that emergency relief packages had reached the vulnerable sections of Indian society. Overall, 89-94% of households benefited from direct cash transfers. Perhaps lower transaction costs, minimal leakages, and immediate delivery make a strong case for direct cash transfers. The above advantages facilitate the provision of relief to a large proportion of vulnerable sections of Indian society in a short period.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051370)
(0.43 MB) (435 KB)
Credit constraint is often considered as one of the key barriers to the adoption of modern agricultural technologies and low agricultural productivity in low- and middle-income countries. Past research and much of the policy discourse associate agricultural credit constraints with supply-side factors, such as limited access to credit sources or high costs of borrowing. However, demand-side factors, such as risk-aversion and financial illiteracy among borrowers could also affect credit-rationing of smallholder agricultural households. This study investigates the nature of credit constraints, factors affecting credit constraint status, and the effects of credit constraints on adoption and intensity of use of three modern agricultural technologies – small-scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, and improved seeds. The paper also assesses whether credit constraints are gender-differentiated. Primary survey data were collected from sample farmers in Ethiopia and Tanzania, and Tobit and two-step hurdle econometric models were used to analyze these data. Results show that demand-side credit constraints are as important as supply-side factors in conditioning smallholders’ access to credit in both countries. We also find that credit is a binding constraint for the decision to adopt technologies and input use intensity in Tanzania but not statistically significant in Ethiopia. Results suggest that women are more likely to be credit constrained (from both the supply and demand sides) than men in both study countries. Based on these findings, we suggest that policies should focus on addressing both supply- and demand-side credit constraints to credit access, including through targeted interventions to reduce risk, such as crop insurance, and to strengthen the gender sensitivity of credit policies.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H051769)
(2.75 MB)
Small water infrastructure in Nigeria needs to be utilized more efficiently. There are over 900 small reservoirs across the country. Many of these have yet to be put to productive use within the Ogun watershed in the Ogun Osun River Basin. This study investigates the challenges and opportunities for improving the use of small reservoirs for farmer-led irrigation in a sustainable way. The 20 small reservoirs investigated showed varying degrees of degradation of the hydraulic structures, poor embankment maintenance evidenced by the observed erosion, overgrown shrubs, spillway cracks and failures, and siltation of the reservoir. Poor water management and irrigation practices due to weak technical capacity are also observed. There needs to be a precise governance arrangement or policy supporting water use in such a situation. The economic interests and considerations of the farmers determine the irrigation activities around the reservoirs. Regulations and management of the reservoirs were based on what was considered appropriate by the farmers. With the increasing interest in the use of small reservoirs as water sources for farmer-led irrigation in Nigeria, increased capacity building and training, access to agricultural inputs, finance, and the transformation of commodity associations to water users’ associations would contribute to improving the productivity of small reservoirs.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051991)
(2.94 MB) (2.94 MB)
It is interesting to note that the country of Iran is essential in terms of energy production and consumption, and the economy of Iran is mainly dependent on energy revenues. Therefore, thermal and hydropower plants consume water to produce various energy carriers. Considering that Iran is suffering from water stress, the nexus of water and energy becomes very important. This paper frames a comprehensive structure for Iran's energy subsystem within the Water, Energy, and Food (WEF) nexus system. The energy subsystem's supply and demand side in the proposed framework are formulated using data and physic-based equations. The presented framework addresses most interactions between WEF subsystems in a dynamic and adaptive setting. It is shown that through analysis of binding interactions between WEF, different management scenarios can boost the flexibility of the supply and demand side of the energy subsystem. In addition, by incorporating this framework, the water subsystem will manage the allocated and consumed water on the supply side and arrive at the most desirable outcome for the water sector. Also, the optimal cropping pattern could be evaluated based on energy consumption.
14 Anbacha, A.; Mapedza, Everisto; Joshi, Deepa; Nigussie, Likimyelesh; Puskur, R.; Nchanji, E.; Mukhopadhyay, P.; Nortje, Karen; Enokenwa Baa, Ojongetakah; Jacobs-Mata, Inga; Zewde, Y.; Ketema, D.; Roothaert, R.; Lutomia, C.; Gartaula, H. N. 2023. CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa and CGIAR Initiative on Gender Equality: Stakeholder Consultation Workshop. Proceedings of the Stakeholder Consultation Workshop, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 31 January 2023. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa; CGIAR Initiative on Gender Equality. 22p.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052223)
(1.12 MB)
A stakeholder consultation workshop was conducted by the CGIAR Initiatives on Diversification in East and Southern Africa (Ukama Ustawi) and Gender Equality on 31 January 2023 at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop aimed to identify and address barriers that limit participation of women and youth and how these are addressed in an ongoing "Veggies for People and Planet" program at the World Vegetable Center. The workshop also sought to investigate existing opportunities and recommend possible integrated solutions for more equitable and inclusive value chain development.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052842)
(3.78 MB) (3.78 MB)
Before the 2020-2022 war, the food system in Tigray supported the livelihoods of most of the population, with 80% of Tigrayans relying on smallholder agriculture for food and income. The major crops were cereals, cultivated by 90% of farm households, with vegetables and root crops grown by 26% of farmers. The conflict that erupted in 2020 had devastating impacts on the food system, farmers and their livelihoods, but the extent of the impact on vegetable production is not documented.
This rapid assessment was thus undertaken to understand the situation before, during and after the conflict, on vegetable systems, including irrigation which is a key resource for production. A total of 10 focus group discussions and 24 key informant interviews were carried out in July and August 2023, in the Southern, Southeast, Eastern and Central zones of Tigray. The main vegetables grown before the conflict included pepper, tomato, cabbage, onion, and potato. There was also an increasing trend in vegetable production, the use of irrigation, and irrigation infrastructure development. Inputs such as fertilizer and seed were provided through the national and regional governments.
The conflict led to a disruption of the vegetable and irrigation systems as crops and infrastructure were destroyed, transportation blocked, and labor reduced due to migration. Inputs such as seeds and fertilizers became unavailable. Food insecurity increased and most people shifted their production patterns to prioritize cereals instead of vegetables. However, vegetable consumption reportedly increased as the vegetable market was not there and households opted to substitute common bean-based side dishes with vegetables because beans were not available or accessible.
The situation after the conflict is that vegetable production remains low with only 30% of total irrigable land being utilized, down from 70% pre-conflict. A diversity of vegetables is still be grown, however, including tomato, onion, peppers, cabbage, Swiss chard, and lettuce, among others. Most producers are selling their vegetables for income while little is kept for consumption. Food insecurity continues to be the greatest challenge, as most households cannot produce because of the loss of productive assets, and ability to purchase food is limited because of the loss of employment and income.
As efforts are channeled towards the recovery of the livelihoods in Tigray, vulnerable groups including refugees and internally displaced persons face the most challenges in recovering. Key interventions to support the vegetable and irrigation systems should concentrate on improving access to and availability of seed, and irrigation infrastructure, improving market linkages, and improving awareness of vegetables for nutrition and health, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052918)
(2.10 MB) (2.10 MB)
In sub-Saharan Africa, productivity risks stem from weather variability, while environmental risks include soil nutrient depletion due to unsustainable farming practices that include monoculture, inadequate or lack of soil and water conservation measures, and low-nutrient application. As a result, shifts from the prevailing fallow system to permanent cultivation lead to soil degradation. The present study aimed to quantify the fluxes of biomass, nutrients, and nutrient balances from different fertilizer sources to de-risk the challenges related to agriculture and the environment in Mali. A farm household survey was conducted over two years (July 2018 to June 2020) with 45 households. The survey enabled us to categorize farm households into three typologies: high resource endowment (HRE), medium resource endowment (MRE), and low resource endowment (LRE). Data on sustainability indicators from cropland, livestock, farm input use, and redistribution units enabled the analysis of biomass and nutrient flow dynamics from households to farmlands and vice versa. The nutrient monitoring (NUTMON) tool generated nutrient flows and balances. Results showed that the total annual biomass collected per hectare by HRE (22.3t) is significantly higher than that collected by MRE (13.4t) and LRE (5.35t) farms (P < 0.001). Compared to LRE (10.3 t ha 1 year 1 ), HRE and MRE farmers produced six times (60 t ha 1 year 1 ) and three times (34 t ha 1 year 1 ) more manure, respectively. Farm households with better endowment status observed a higher rate of nutrient utilization. For the major crops, nutrient application rates of HRE farms in kg ha 1 (cotton: 12.6 N, 4.2 P, 18.2 K) and (maize: 9.18 N, 2.34 P, 10.7 K) were significantly higher than that of MRE and LRE farms (P < 0.01). The study confirms that household endowment status determines farmlands' nutrient flows and fertility levels. Quantifying biomass transport and understanding nutrient flow dynamics enable the derivation of context-specific solutions to reduce risks associated with productivity and the environment.
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