Exploring farmer’s perceptions towards the use of hydrogel technology to improve food security: A case study of Mvuma

Abstract

Global climatic changes are causing unprecedented droughts which are affecting moisture available for sustainable crop production. This has been due to elevated temperatures and decreasing rainfall day with the lack of rain for an extended period causes a considerable hydrologic imbalance along with depletion of soil moisture, crop damage, and yield reduction. Therefore, enhancing water retention in the soil is considered as a vital measure to combat the adverse impact of drought on crop production. A lot of innovation have brought about many agricultural technologies that have potential to improve agricultural productivity and food security in many economies but with relatively little success in the Southern Africa region due to different perceptions of farmers on these technologies. Such technologies as the use of hydrogels have been made available and these are known for enhancing the water-holding properties of soils and thereby improving water availability to crops. This reduces the impact of the droughts especially in the Southern African region. This is because the uptake of the technologies is a complex process. Smallholder farmers often experience issues of sustainability, constraints for adoption, and scaling-up throughout the uptake process of technologies. This indicates a need for a systematic and simultaneous understanding of sustainability, constraints for adoption, and scaling-up to better guide agricultural strategy and policy interventions. This study takes on a case study approach, using the demonstration and group discussions approach, scaling-up assessment (ScalA) method and four focus group discussions with a total of 60 smallholder farmers to assess the sustainability, constraints for adoption, and scaling-up of four technologies (use of hydrogel and mulch, hydrogel alone, mulch alone, no hydrogel and no mulch) in Mvuma. A trial to demonstrate proof of performance of the technology was first carried out before engaging the farmers on their perception of the technology. This trial was done four treatments of hydrogel with mulch, hydrogel alone, mulch alone and no hydrogel and no mulch as one treatment on maize growth under rainfed conditions. Maize variety, Valley Seeds PAN53 was tested under these treatments in a Randomized Complete Block Design. Plant growth parameters were quantified which were days to 50% germination, days to physiological maturity, plant height, number of cobs per plant and yield per hectare. A significant difference was observed on physiological maturity, plant height and yield among the treatments. Hydrogel with mulch resulted in more days to maturity (128 days), taller plants (187cm) and higher yield (3t/ha). This treatment was comparable to hydrogel only on the yield obtained. Therefore, it was concluded that hydrogel with mulch could enhance the growth of maize effectively under dryland conditions when moisture is limiting. The farmers perceptions were then assessed based on the field performance and how they also viewed the technology. The farmers perceived that the use of hydrogel was sustainable when mixed with mulch and had high adoption rate and possibility of scaling up. The most significant constraints for adoption experienced by the farmers are lack of technical physical inputs, marketing facilities, and know-how. The farmers’ perceptions partially indicated why the technologies is lacking in Mvuma and provide a basis for discussing targeted agricultural technology.