Browsing by Author "Shariq, L."
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- Comparative Economic and Gender, Labor Analysis of Conservation Agriculture Practices in Tribal Villages in IndiaLai, Cynthia; Chan, C.; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Shariq, L.; Roul, P.; Idol, Travis; Ray, Chittaranjan; Evensen, Carl (International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA), 2012)Marginal land use and subsequent natural resource degradation is a common issue among tribal villages in the Kendujhar district of India. In this study, Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies at an experimental site, specifically the practices of intercropping and minimum tillage, were compared to conventional tillage practices of three tribal villages (145 households total) in this district. The impacts of CA implementation on gender, labor, and economic (yield and profitability) factors compared to conventional tillage practices were evaluated and used to make recommendations for future policy initiatives.
- Constructing community fuzzy cognitive maps to promote adoption of conservation agricultural production practicesHalbrendt, Jacqueline; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Shariq, L.; Gray, S.; Lai, Cynthia (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2011)FCM was used to identify and map the factors involved in decision-making regarding the adoption of conservation agricultural practices in three villages in Central Nepal. Face-to-face interviews with farmers were conducted to develop an initial list of relevant factors, followed by extensive surveys conducted with both farmers and in-country NGO staff and researchers to develop the “mental models” used by these groups to guide decision-making. Mental models of the groups were quantitatively compared to determine differences between stakeholder groups. The results show significant differences between farmers and experts, as well as between villages. Such variation in the perception of agricultural practices can be attributed to differences in formal training, farming experience, soil conditions and culture. This research can be applied to improve understanding of cultural decision-making and values for improved transfer of sustainable agricultural technologies.
- Development of an integrated approach for introducing conservation agricultural practices to the tribal communities of Odisha, IndiaHalbrendt, Jacqueline; Shariq, L.; Lai, Cynthia; Idol, Travis; Ray, Chittaranjan; Roul, Pravat K.; Mishra, K. N. (Bangkok, Thailand: Funny Publishing, 2013)The smallholder farmers in the tribal areas of Odisha State, India have struggled to produce adequate crop yields under their current low input, continuous mono-crop farming system. The introduction of a Conservation Agriculture Production System (CAPS) has been proposed as a method to mitigate degradation of soils occurring under current farming practices and to improve crop yields while minimizing the use of additional inputs. The objective of this project was to develop an alternative cropping system to provide sustainable income and crop yields for the tribal farm families in the district of Kendujhar, Odisha State, India. Three approaches for maize production were introduced, incorporating the primary principles of CAPS: minimum tillage, crop rotation, and continuous soil cover. The CAPS treatments included combinations of no-till, maize-cowpea intercrop, and relay-cropping with a cover crop. The methodology followed an integrative, sequential approach to evaluate the agronomic, environmental and economic effects of different CAPS treatments on farm households. A complete randomized block design experiment with eight treatments and three replications was conducted from June to December 2010 to evaluate changes in yield, labor, and input costs for different CAPS approaches. A socioeconomic survey was conducted in the village to assess the farmer practices, inputs, labor demands, and crop yields. The results were then incorporated into a representative farm household model to evaluate the impact of these treatments on potential farm income. Results of the experimental plots showed that no-till maize intercropping with cowpea had the best outcome as the highest yielding CAPS scenario with the greatest prospect for income generation and sustained household food security. This approach, with its emphasis on the integration of site-specific crop production outputs, labor demands, and market analysis, will help to introduce the concept of CAPS to farmers, while developing sustainable farming systems and securing livelihoods for rural India.
- Using fuzzy cognitive mapping to understand farmers' perception of sustainable agricultural practices for enhanced food security in NepalHalbrendt, Jacqueline; Gray, S.; Crow, S.; Shariq, L.; Tamang, Bishal B. (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2012)With the world population having reached unprecedented levels, the need for improved food security and sustainable agricultural practices has become all the more pressing. This is especially relevant for subsistence farmers, such as those in the Mid-hill region of Nepal, who typically rely on crop yields for sustenance and have limited access to opportunities for income generation. Although promoting agricultural development in areas like the Mid-hill region has been a priority for NGOs and researchers, gaps in understanding the knowledge and values of rural communities remains a challenge to a the adoption of such technologies. Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) is an approach that identifies the key factors and relative importance of such factors in the decision-making processes within a community. FCM was used to identify and map the factors involved in decision-making regarding the adoption of conservation agricultural practices in three villages in Central Nepal. Face-to-face interviews with farmers were conducted to develop an initial list of relevant factors, followed by extensive surveys conducted with both farmers and in-country NGO staff and researchers to develop the “mental models” used by these groups to guide decision-making. Mental models of the groups were quantitatively compared to determine differences between stakeholder groups. The results show significant differences between farmers and experts, as well as between villages. Such variation in the perception of agricultural practices can be attributed to differences in formal training, farming experience, soil conditions and culture. This research can be applied to improve understanding of cultural decision-making and values for improved transfer of sustainable agricultural technologies.