How the characteristics of innovations impact their adoption: An exploration of climate-smart agricultural innovations in South Africa

Senyolo, Mmapatla Precious; Long, Thomas B.; Blok, Vincent; Omta, Onno

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.019

Cited by 153 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The use of organic manure, mulching and crop rotation were considered relatively cheap for adaptation and implementation and as a result, were highly accepted based on the financial implication. This finding reflects the assertion of Senyolo et al [35], in their study on how the characteristics of agricultural techniques impact their acceptance, that affordability is a significant factor that can impact the possibilities of agricultural techniques being beneficial to farmers. Aryal et al [30], while studying the factors affecting the adoption of CSA by farmers in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India, point out the significance of economic capital in successful CSA adoption and implementation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Mainstreaming Climate-Smart Agriculture in Small-Scale Farming Systems: A Holistic Nonparametric Applicability Assessment in South Africa

2020

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Current research focuses disproportionately on the characteristics of farmers to understand the factors that influence the introduction of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). As a result, there has been a failure to take a holistic view of the range of drivers and barriers to CSA implementation. Many aspects of technologies or practices that may encourage or inhibit the implementation of CSA and define its applicability are, therefore, not systematically considered in the design of interventions. The uptake of any practice should depend on both farmers’ characteristics and factors inherent in the practice itself. This paper, therefore, examines procedures for incorporating the applicability of CSA practices in a farm-level analysis based on the investigations conducted in King Cetshwayo District Municipality (KCDM) of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. How the farmers perceived the social, technical, economic, and environmental compatibility of the practices constituted the key goal of the inquiry. Data were collected through structured interviews using close-ended questionnaires, from a sample of 327 small-scale farmers (farmers with farm sizes of less than or equal to 5 hectares). The analysis made use of the Acceptance Level Index (ALI) and Composite Score Index (CSI). This paper establishes that, based on social compatibility, the farmers showed high acceptance for cultivation of cover crops (ALI = 574), agroforestry (ALI = 559), and diet improvement for animals (ALI = 554), based on technical compatibility, the use of organic manure (ALI = 545), rotational cropping (ALI = 529), mulching (ALI = 525) and cultivation of cover crops (ALI = 533) were highly accepted. With economic compatibility in perspective, the farmers showed high preference for mulching (ALI = 541), organic manure (ALI = 542) and rotational cropping (ALI = 515), while the use of organic manure (ALI = 524) was highly embraced based on environmental compatibility. Consequently, it is recommended that policies aimed at mainstreaming CSA technologies should pay adequate attention to their applicability in locations under consideration and emphasize the critical role of the provision of information on CSA technologies or practices.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Mainstreaming Climate-Smart Agriculture in Small-Scale Farming Systems: A Holistic Nonparametric Applicability Assessment in South Africa

2020

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“…Implementing agricultural innovations is key for coping strategies in the contexts of climate change and food security (Senyolo et al 2018;Bommarco et al 2018). The agricultural sector is still the central focus for rural development, especially in remote areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among these theoretical models, the main challenge remaining is how agricultural innovations can be disseminated efficiently and effectively through outscaling and upscaling, given varying site conditions and diverse target groups (Senyolo et al 2018). While pro-poor approaches focus mostly on small-scale farmers, the question of the right setting for agricultural innovations persists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such research should be long term and monitored over time in order to arrive at sustainable improvements. Agricultural innovations should be continually optimized in response to changing conditions (Tomich et al 2018;Mutabazi et al 2015, Senyolo et al 2018, Below et al 2015. Furthermore, an adequate incentive structure is a necessity for the long-term adoption of successful techniques (Nhantumbo et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trans-SEC’s food security research in Tanzania: from constraints to adoption for out- and upscaling of agricultural innovations

et al. 2018

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“…Recently, some conservation technologies have been promoted under the label of climate smart agriculture to promote sustainable agricultural intensification and to contribute to food security [13,14]. Lack of credit, input and output market failure, land and labor constraints, and lags between adoption and perceived benefits [15,16] are among the reasons for low adoption rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Secret to Getting Ahead Is Getting Started: Early Impacts of a Rural Development Project

2018

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Abstract:Interventions in rural development projects vary in their likely time to impact. Some offer rapid payoffs after minimal learning and investment, while others offer larger payoffs but entail delays and may require learning or significant investment of labor and capital. Short-term impacts included reductions in stored grain losses due to improved silos and increase in household savings due to increased participation in savings groups. The least poor are most likely to invest labor and capital in slow-to-accrue payoffs like soil erosion abatement from building conservation structures. Our results suggest that targeting project interventions by asset level can enhance impacts.

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How the characteristics of innovations impact their adoption: An exploration of climate-smart agricultural innovations in South Africa

Cited by 153 publications

References 42 publications

Mainstreaming Climate-Smart Agriculture in Small-Scale Farming Systems: A Holistic Nonparametric Applicability Assessment in South Africa

Mainstreaming Climate-Smart Agriculture in Small-Scale Farming Systems: A Holistic Nonparametric Applicability Assessment in South Africa

Trans-SEC’s food security research in Tanzania: from constraints to adoption for out- and upscaling of agricultural innovations

The Secret to Getting Ahead Is Getting Started: Early Impacts of a Rural Development Project

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