Treadle Pump Irrigation in Malawi: Adoption, Gender and Benefits

Abstract

As part of their irrigation strategy, the government and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in Malawi are actively promoting the use of treadle pumps in smallholder irrigation. The positive impact of treadle pumps on food security and poverty reduction in Malawi and elsewhere in sub‐Saharan Africa is well documented. However, few studies have analysed the adoption dynamics and dissemination approaches of treadle pumps. This study uses a logit model to analyse the factors influencing treadle pump adoption among a stratified random sample of 100 adopters and 100 non‐adopters in two districts in Malawi. The results indicate that relatively well‐off farmers have a significantly higher probability of adopting the treadle pumps than poor farmers. This raises questions about dissemination approaches and targeting, because treadle pumps are typically geared towards poor smallholders. The study further indicates differences between male and female adopters. Female adopters are more likely to pay for subsidized treadle pumps in cash. Male adopters mostly acquire their pumps through a loan. Women tend to spend the additional income on food for the household while men tend to spend it mostly on non‐food items. It is therefore likely that treadle pump adoption by women will positively impact on household food security, though it also adds to women's workload. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Adopters and Non-Adopters of Low-Cost Household Latrines: A Study of Corbelled Pit Latrines in 15 Districts of Malawi

“…Similarly, a study in Malawi of treadle pump adoption, a low-cost water supply technology, found those with more education slightly more likely to adopt treadle pumps [13]. This could imply that low-cost technology promotion in rural Malawi should target adult education literacy groups and use community posters to increase adoption.…”

Smallholder Farmers and Climate Smart Agriculture: Technology and Labor-productivity Constraints amongst Women Smallholders in Malawi

“…Only a small number of studies have examined differentiated adoption dynamics and dissemination approaches between men and women. For instance, a study on the adoption of treadle pumps in Malawi found that women smallholder adopters are more likely to pay for subsidized treadle pumps in cash, whereas men smallholder adopters mostly obtain a loan (Kamwamba-Mtethiwa, Namara, De Fraiture, Mangisoni, & Owusu, 2012). Such findings may indicate that women have less access to financing than men in relation to irrigation technology access.…”

Combining Econometric, Cost–Benefit, and Financial Methodologies in a Framework to Increase Diffusion and to Predict the Feasibility and Sustainability of Irrigation Schemes: A Case Study in Kurdistan, Iraq

“…The irrigation project is more likely to be adopted (joined) by: poorer farmers (unlike in [12,16,17,19]), who rely more on agriculture than those who rely on livestock activities (like in [15,25]); farmers who have been informed or trained by governmental agencies (like in [14,18,24]), and who feel that they can obtain fair prices for outputs (like in [13]); literate farmers (like in [12,17]); farmers with positive expectations about the future; farmers who base their decisions on a maximization approach rather than on a habit approach. On the other hand, the irrigation project is less likely to be joined by farmers who feel that they obtain fair prices for inputs (like in [13,14]), who have direct access to product markets, and who have satisfactory access to the private credit (loans) market (similar to [12]).…”

“…Technological interventions ( [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]), in general, and irrigation projects ( [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]), in particular, often result in a low level of awareness among the target group and in a low level of successful diffusion of the project (i.e., dissemination of knowledge leading to participation) because farmers are rarely consulted a priori about their specific circumstances, priority problems, and expectations. a duration model in the U.S. to estimate the long-term trends in the adoption and diffusion of technologies designed to reduce environmental externalities from agriculture.…”