The Impact of Farmer to Farmer Extension on Smallholder Household Grain Food Self-Sufficiency: A Case Study of Manicaland and Masvingo Provinces, Zimbabwe
Journal Title: Scholars Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 6
Abstract
Agriculture extension plays an important role in poverty reduction, economic growth, rural development, sustainable development and livelihoods, and household food security. The farmer to farmer extension approach is seen as one effective strategy for delivering extension services to smallholder farmers. This study sought to assess the impact of the farmer to farmer extension on household grain food self-sufficiency using a sample of 479 smallholder farmers selected randomly from 6 districts in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces of Zimbabwe. The study found that on average the sample households were food secure with a grain food self-sufficiency index of 1.20. In terms of the distribution, 51% of the sample households had grain food self-sufficiency above 100% while 29% of the households had grain food self-sufficiency below 50%. Farmer to farmer extension has a positive and significant impact on household grain food self-sufficiency. Other variables that have a positive and significant impact on household grain food self-sufficiency are farming experience, agricultural income, farm commercialization, soil fertility, household wealth, agro-ecological zone V, area planted to crops and farm profitability. On the other hand, the number of years in a farmer group, off farm sources of income for the household head, household size, access to irrigation, and private input suppliers and contractor’s extension support had a negative and significant impact on household grain food self-sufficiency. Given the positive contribution of the farmer to farmer extension to household grain food self-sufficiency, the study recommends that the government put in place measures to actively promote the approach to compliment the public extension service. Farmers also need to be trained in improved farming practices so that they can increase their productivity and agricultural incomes as the study found that farmers who were profitable and earning high agricultural income were more grain food secure.
Authors and Affiliations
Lighton Dube
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP381860
- DOI -
- Views 110
- Downloads 0
A Study of Conflict and Threat to the Use of Land in Gongulon Town of Borno State
Abstract: The study was carried out to assess threats to use of land and conflicts in uses of land around Gongulon Town, Borno state. Structured Questionnaires were administered randomly to two groups of twenty farmers a...
Effects of Vitamin E (α-Tocopherol acetate) on Serum Lipid Profile, Ca and P Levels of Broilers Exposed to Heat Stress
The present study presents effect the diet of broilers exposed to heat stress, which the diet was added vitamin E on serum glucose, total protein, triglyseride, total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins (HDL), low den...
Effect of spacing and irrigation regimes on the growth and biomass production ofFaidherbiaalbidatransplants
The study aimed to examine growth performance of Faidherbiaalbida (Del.) A. Chev. Under field conditions as influenced by different spacing and irrigation regimes. It was conducted in Soba, ten kilometer south of Khartou...
An Assessment of Vulnerability and Risks of Climate Change and Possible Solutions to Enhance Resilience to Adapt To the Change in Meru County, Kenya
Kenya like other sub-Saharan African countries face uncertainty and potential risks of climate change and have been integrating climate considerations into various legal and governance instruments for some time. Notably,...
Impact of Bio-Fertilizer on Growth and Yield of Two Sunflower (Helianthus annuusL.) Hybrids at Shambat, Sudan
The study was conducted at the Demonstration Farm, Sudan University of Science and Technology, College of Agricultural Studies, Shambat, during two successive summer and winter growing seasons of 2012 to study the effect...