Transforming failing smallholder irrigation schemes in Africa: a theory of change

Pittock, Jamie; Bjørnlund, Henning; Rooyen, André F. van

doi:10.1080/07900627.2020.1819776

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…Theoretically, market prices are a critical consideration when farmers decide on crop choices in irrigation schemes (RUKUNI et al, 2006). The result of this study confirms the hypothesis that the prices of commodities in markets positively influence farmers to produce more of a commodity in any given market ceteris paribus as put forward by Pittock et al (2020). Table 1 shows that the prices of the chosen crop enterprise are not comparable with those of the non-selected crops and hence there is motivation to migrate towards the more rewarding crops in production plans by the smallholder farmers as they attempt to enhance income security.…”

Section: Market Prices For the Respective Crops And Household Incomessupporting

confidence: 72%

“…This is a red signal that points towards the inability of farmers to maintain their own irrigation infrastructure. The consequence is that the schemes have to date been characterized by low production and minimal direct contribution to the national economies (Pittock et al, 2020).…”

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These contractual opportunities have opened up avenues for the smallholder farmers to gain strides in food and income security due to easier access to reliable input and output markets. Of concern however is that due to the demands of the contractors, crops such as maize, sugar beans, cabbages and onion continue to dominate production cycles in most smallholder irrigation schemes (Pittock et al, 2020). This has crowded out other potentially viable enterprises and value chain actors and as such, the competitiveness of Nharira irrigation scheme, as is the case with most smallholder irrigation schemes remains questionable today and into the foreseeable future.…”

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this regard, distance to the market increases the transaction costs (MABHAUDHI et al, 2016) of accessing sugar beans buyers thereby discouraging the utilisation of certain sugar bean marketing channels. The dynamics of marketing channel access are also of profound importance across numerous other crops globally as reported by Pittock et al (2020).…”

Section: Distance To Markets and Number Of Buyersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Constrained crop enterprise choices by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Musara

Watetepa

Bandason

et al. 2021

Cogent Social Sciences

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Smallholder irrigation schemes are critical in sustaining livelihoods of communities in the drier areas of Zimbabwe. The performance of these schemes as food and incomes safety nets has been questionable over recent times. Using a multinomial logit model, the study examines factors affecting smallholder irrigation farmers' selection of crop enterprises in their crop mix decisions. The paper uses cross-sectional data from 136 small holder irrigation farmers at Nharira irrigation scheme in Bikita district of Zimbabwe. A self-administered questionnaire, which was supported by key informant interviews, was used for collecting primary data on crops produced, sales made and specific household variables such as incomes and age of principal decision makers. Secondary data on contested variables such as sales and incomes were referenced. The data shows that the age of household head, association to membership groups, number of buyers available in the markets and the prices of respective crops significantly (p < 0.05) affects the choice of enterprises. The results also show that small scale irrigation farmers' decision making is constrained by lack of effective information dissemination mechanisms

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Section: Market Prices For the Respective Crops And Household Incomessupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distance To Markets and Number Of Buyersmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Constrained crop enterprise choices by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Musara

Watetepa

Bandason

et al. 2021

Cogent Social Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Irrigation projects have not yielded expected returns and have suffered from poor governance, lack of market integration, and the degradation and consequent abandonment of irrigated land [17]. Pittock, Bjornlund and van Rooyen argue that the underperformance of irrigation in Africa is due to central control, which has resulted in a misalignment between government objectives and the needs of farmers [18].…”

Section: Water Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergence, Development, and Energy-Intensive Infrastructure in Africa: A Review of the Evidence

Ramachandran

2021

Sustainability

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The structural changes in an economy that accompany its growth to high-income status have been predictable in Europe, the United States, and Asia, characterized by declining employment in agriculture and rising levels of urbanization driven by jobs in the modern industrial sector. As agricultural productivity rises, the share of people employed in agriculture declines, and both urbanization and employment in manufacturing increase. Food prices fall relative to wages, causing the share of income spent on food to decline to very low levels. Asian countries have followed a similar path, although at a much faster pace. Africa, however, is different. Despite a high share of the population in urban areas, most African countries have yet to see significant increases in agricultural productivity that might drive industrial growth and jobs. The rising share of urban population has not been matched by increases in agricultural productivity, falling food prices, or the emergence of a viable industrial sector. Available evidence shows that agricultural yields in Africa are low and food is costly, while the share of employment in agriculture remains high. For the process of structural transformation to get underway, African countries must invest in the manufacture of fertilizer, develop better methods of water control, improve transportation, and invest in cold storage. Each of these interventions requires significant amounts of energy, including energy from fossil fuels, and they are not replaceable—countries have managed structural transformation in different ways but to date none have leapfrogged the process.

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Escaping chronic poverty: long-term impacts of an agricultural development program

Nienkerke,

Sawant,

Jörin

et al. 2024

Environ Dev Sustain

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There is a need for groundbreaking initiatives to come to the rescue of the world’s rain-fed regions, especially in the face of the current climate and food crises and the associated reversal of previous advances in poverty reduction. However, there is little evidence of successful programs, which can inform the development of proactive policies to meet these urgent challenges. Can sustainable agricultural intensification enable marginalized, smallholder farmers to break out of chronic poverty? In this study, we scrutinize the Wadi concept, an integrated farming system that includes water resource development, soil conservation, cultivation of fruit trees, and intercropping on degraded land. We use a mixed-methods approach that involves surveying 1860 households, which were randomly sampled from a population of 188,231 participants across four Indian states, encompassing a variety of geographical regions. This is the first investigation into the effects of integrated farming systems on livelihoods on such a large scale and spanning 23 years. We compare the household participants of the program with the non-participants and run a linear regression analysis, ceteris paribus, comparing farmers who established integrated farming systems at different points in time over the period 1990–2017. Significant progress in several socioeconomic factors can be observed, such as higher incomes (the annual income of a typical participant has increased from INR 30,000 to 100,000 or even more), diversified income sources, positive life changes, higher life satisfaction and better perspectives for children, as well as environmental benefits. The Wadi program’s effectiveness in providing sustainable development pathways implies benefits to be gained from scaling it up. By thoroughly assessing its potential to help farmers escape chronic poverty and build resilience, this study provides evidence of the Wadi concept’s success that can enrich the science-policy dialog on development programs.

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Transforming failing smallholder irrigation schemes in Africa: a theory of change

Cited by 23 publications

References 25 publications

Constrained crop enterprise choices by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Constrained crop enterprise choices by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Convergence, Development, and Energy-Intensive Infrastructure in Africa: A Review of the Evidence

Escaping chronic poverty: long-term impacts of an agricultural development program

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