Understanding farmers’ indicators in climate-smart agriculture prioritization in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).
This book (PDF), published by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) presents a study that identifies indicators that farmers use to prioritize agricultural innovations, in general and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in particular. The study was held in Kilolo and Mbarali Districts in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania. Using a participatory approach, the study finds that yield, income, cost, labour, availability of inputs and equipment, time, and knowledge are important indicators for farmers to prioritize agricultural practices that they implement. Several practices were selected for the proposed CSA demonstration plots. Men and woman out of Kilolo and Mbarli chose different practises and the authors suggest that the findings out of the selected practises have several implications for policy. First, there is need to increase awareness of farmers about CSA practices, particularly those that they prioritize. Secondly, the finding that farmers perceive poor soil fertility but do not prioritize soil fertility management practices implies the need to promote adoption of such technologies. Thirdly, a bottom-up approach that involves working with farmers to prioritize agricultural practices suitable for their specific agro-ecological zone and preferred by either the men or women is important to inform investment of limited resources to increase food security and resilience to climate risks while minimizing trade-offs. The findings highlight indicators that influence farmers’ adoption of agricultural practices as well as constraints to implementation.