Adoption of Small-Scale Irrigation Farming as a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice and Its Influence on Household Income in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa

Abstract

This article is concerned with the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice and its influence on household income in the Chinyanja Triangle. Chinyanja Triangle is a region that is increasingly experiencing mid-season dry spells and an increase in occurrence of drought, which is attributed largely to climate variability and change. This poses high agricultural production risks, which aggravate poverty and food insecurity. For this region, adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice is very important. Through a binary logistic and ordinary least squares regression, this article determines factors that influence the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice and its influence on income among smallholder farmers. The results show that off-farm employment, access to irrigation equipment, access to reliable water sources and awareness of water conservation practices, such as rainwater harvesting, have a significant influence on the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming. On the other hand, the farmer's age, distance travelled to the nearest market and nature of employment negatively influence the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming decisions. Ordinary least squares regression results showed that the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice has a significant positive influence on agricultural income. We therefore conclude that to empower smallholder farmers to respond quickly to climate variability and change, practices that will enhance the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming in the Chinyanja Triangle are critical, as this will significantly affect agricultural income. In terms of policy, we recommend that the governments of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, which cover the Chinyanja Triangle, formulate policies that will enhance the adoption of sustainable small scale-irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice. This will go a long way in mitigating the adverse effects that accompany climate variability and change in the region.

Editorial for Special Issue: “Livelihood and Landscape Change in Africa: Future Trajectories for Improved Well-Being under a Changing Climate”

“…Mango, Makate, Tamene, Mponela and Ndengu [17] Adoption, benefits and determinants of farmer-driven small-scale irrigation in southern Africa…”

“…The speed of the changes taking place and the negative impacts of many drivers, with no immediate solutions being evident, as well as limited existing opportunities, resulted in pessimism regarding how the younger generation is going to cope in the future. However, a few of the studies also showed how younger farmers were more likely to adopt new farming approaches and how youth, that have been working in towns and cities, may bring home new ideas with the potential for innovation (e.g., Akrofi-Atitianti et al [16], Mango et al [17], Östberg et al [19]). The next generation, who are likely to face some of the greatest impacts of climate change, are rarely included in the type of research covered in this issue's articles.…”

“…Interventions, such as climate smart agriculture (Akrofi-Atitianti et al [16]), small-holder irrigation (Mango et al [17]), and wildlife management alongside livestock production (Kariuki et al [14]) were seen to improve the incomes of farmers and pastoralists, but the ability to take-up such new practices and livelihood strategies was conditional on a range of factors that prohibited some households from participating. The result is that the majority of farmers continue to employ conventional farming methods.…”

Rainwater Harvesting for Agricultural Irrigation: An Analysis of Global Research

“…Countries with a low technological and institutional capacity to adapt to the rapid climate changes-such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, or Latin America, will suffer the negative impacts more intensely on all levels [24]. Within this context, food production systems that are more efficient in managing resources are required, particularly with respect to water [25,26]. Some authors recommend the joint use of different water resources and the development of infrastructures for the provision of non-conventional water sources [27][28][29][30][31]; considering this, one of the best alternatives is to adapt to the impacts of climate change using better rainwater management systems [32].…”

Regional Socioeconomic Changes Affecting Rural Area Livelihoods and Atlantic Forest Transitions

“…Therefore, human decisions taken in rural properties are valuable to understand land-use change, to better support public policy and to envision future scenarios [10][11][12]. The use of surveys in rural areas is a widespread research method to access land-use decision-making, and to understand landowners' perceptions on ecosystem services [13], climate change impacts on agriculture [14,15], forest management strategies by smallholders [16], and socio-environmental pathways of agricultural changes [17][18][19].…”