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Browsing by Author "Ngwira, A. R."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Conservation agriculture systems for Malawian smallholder farmers: Long-term effects on crop productivity, profitability
    Ngwira, A. R.; Thierfelder, Christian; Lambert, Dayton M. (Cambridge University Press, 2012)
    Conservation Agriculture systems seek to increase crop yield, recycle nutrients, and minimize production costs through crop residue retention, inter-cropping, and crop rotation. The study seeks to clarify how Conservation Agriculture influences farming profits, soil health, and crop productivity in two areas in Malawi - the drier farming village of Lemu of Bazale Extension Planning Area and in the high-rainfall farming village of Zidyana Extension Planning Area. The study also seeks to supplement lacking agronomic research in the identified areas. While both regions have different soil conditions, they both revealed marked improvements in crop yield, soil quality, water infiltration capacity, and improved economic profits with the adoption of conservation agriculture. However, cultural beliefs concerning agriculture pose an impediment to the widespread adoption of conservation agriculture in the region.
  • Risk and maize-based cropping systems for smallholder Malawi farmers using conservation agriculture technologies
    Ngwira, A. R.; Thierfelder, Christian; Eash, Neal S.; Lambert, Dayton M. (2013)
    Conservation agriculture (CA) offers the potential to increase yields, but the short-term risk of implementation can discourage adoption among risk-adverse, food-insecure smallholder farmers. This paper assesses the riskiness of CA adoption for farmers in Malawi. A six year study was conducted in 12 target communities in two agroecological zones which compared the risk of adopting CA techniques (no-till monocropped maize or no-till maize intercropped with a legume) against that of conventional agricultural practices (monocropped maize with tillage). Risk analysis was conducted using stochastic dominance, mean variance, relative risk criterion, target net return probability analysis, certainty equivalent and risk premium analysis. Using net returns data from both agroecological zones, each of these approaches calculated that CA presents lower risk than conventional agriculture. This also held true for the data from the lower altitude sites. However, at higher elevations, a less dramatic difference in net returns meant that CA would be preferred only by farmers who are not highly averse to risk; those who are highly risk averse would require a larger incentive.