Diversity amongst farm households and achievements from multi-stakeholder innovation platform approach: lessons from Balaka Malawi

Abstract

Background: Understanding diversity of smallholder farm households is of critical importance for the success of development interventions. Farming households often will devise livelihood strategies that provide the best guarantee for survival and based on their socioeconomic vulnerability. This study examines how achievements from the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) approach through participation in innovation platform activities accrue to smallholder farming households of diverse socioeconomic status. The study is based on a representative sample of smallholder farmers from Balaka innovation platform found in Balaka district of Malawi. Balaka innovation platform was formed in 2009 with the aim of addressing key farmer problems of low crop productivity, lack of input and output markets, limited access to agricultural credit, low incomes and poverty in general. Through multi-stakeholder dialogue, the platform proposed activities meant to improve livelihoods of participants. Some of the activities include conservation agriculture adoption, crop diversification, improved communication through the platform, linking farmers to microfinance institutions and markets, collective market participation, joining farmer groups organised by the platform and various other activities. The main aim was to improve crop productivity, household incomes and food security. Results:A multivariate study that combines principal component analysis for essential data reduction and cluster analysis to classify typical farm households based on their socioeconomic characteristics and reported achievements from innovation platform activities was used. It is evident from the results that achievements from innovation platform activities are not uniform across farmer groups of different socioeconomic status. Conclusions:The upshots call for segregated approaches in promoting adoption of various livelihood improving activities, technologies and approaches through the innovation platform approach in smallholder farming areas such as the ones in Balaka, Malawi. Tactics selected by development partners to fight against smallholder farmer problems of low productivity low incomes and food insecurity should conform to farmer socioeconomic vulnerability for greater success.

Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…However, drainage works were perceived fastidious for farmers, and to overcome such challenges, marshland farmers decided to organize these works collectively. This is important because farmers are expected to get encouragement, inspiration and motivation from other fellow farmers when they work in groups (Makate & Mango, 2017).Despite farmers' efforts to manage and maintain marshlands for agricultural food production, pest outbreaks, such as millipede and fall armyworm infestation, were also perceived as apotential threat to crops. on one hand, millipedes destroy seeds; devastate sweet potatoes, cassava and taro fields and cause enormous losses, due to the poor quality of the harvests.…”

Farm Household Livelihood Strategies in Intermediate Zone of Jammu and Kashmir

“…Using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework as a base, the factors affecting farmer"s choices of livelihood strategies were divided into five types of capital: human, physical, natural, financial, and social (Table 1). The different explanatory variables used in the model were also used in previous studies as determinants of livelihood strategies by various researcher (Abdulai and Crole Rees, 2001;Escobal, 2001;Schwarze and Zeller, 2005;Croppenstedt, 2006;Rahut and Micevska Scharf, 2012;Agyeman et al, 2014;Yenesew et al, 2015;Khatiwada et al, 2017;Makate andMango, 2017, Shaheen, et al, 2017).…”

Use of information and communication technologies in small-scale dairy production systems in central Mexico

“…These systems are generally situated in rural areas and also share some limitations such as low access to credits, low technological level, low availability of land, and lack of professional training (Kuivanen et al, 2016). As a result, farmers have distinct skillsets and ambitions, leading to high variability and heterogeneity in the characteristics of production systems (Makate and Mango, 2017). Therefore, the lack of similarity among production systems further limits the adoption and dissemination of relevant technologies (Martínez-García et al, 2015a).…”

“…Studies (Makate and Mango, 2017;Makate et al, 2018;Martínez-García et al, 2015a) have focused on the characterization of production systems, using multivariate statistics with the aim of grouping farms with similar characteristics. Therefore, the characterization is considered to be a useful tool that enables the design of strategies for the extension services, communication and dissemination of technologies, taking into account the key characteristics, and needs of each identified group (Martínez-García et al, 2012).…”