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A climate for commerce: the political agronomy of conservation agriculture in Zambia

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Abstract

The promotion of conservation agriculture (CA) for smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa is subject to ongoing scholarly and public debate regarding the evidence-base and the agenda-setting power of involved stakeholders. We undertake a political analysis of CA in Zambia that combines a qualitative case study of a flagship CA initiative with a quantitative analysis of a nationally representative dataset on agricultural practices. This analysis moves from an investigation of the knowledge politics to a study of how the political agendas of the actors involved are sha** agrarian practices. From its initial focus on CA as soil conservation and sustainable agriculture, the framing of the initiative has evolved to accommodate shifting trends in the policy arena. In tandem with the increased focus on climate adaptation, we see an increased emphasis on private sector-led modernisation. The initiative has shifted its target group from the poorest smallholders to prospective commercial farmers, and has forged connections between its farmer-to-farmer extension network and private input suppliers and service providers. The link between CA and input intensification is reflected in national statistics as a significantly higher usage of herbicides, pesticides and mineral fertilizer on fields under CA tillage compared to other fields. We argue that the environmental and participation agendas are used to buttress CA as an environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural development strategy, while the prevailing practice is the result of a common vision for a private sector-led agricultural development shared between the implementing organisation, the donor and international organisations promoting a new green revolution in Africa.

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Notes

  1. Vouchers are for predetermined inputs or equipment through participating suppliers/agro-dealer shops.

  2. Farming Gods Way has since shifted name to Foundations for Farming.

  3. See Buttel (2001) for a genealogy of the literature on the political economy of agriculture and development sociology.

  4. Interview with CFU management in Lusaka, June 2015.

Abbreviations

CA:

Conservation agriculture

CAP:

Conservation Agriculture Programme

CFU:

Conservation Farming Unit

CSA:

Climate smart agriculture

DFID:

Department for International Development

FAO:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

NEPAD:

New Partnership for Africa’s Development

NGO:

Non-governmental organisation

Norad:

Norwegian Agency of Development Cooperation

RALS:

Rural Agricultural Livelihoods Survey

SAP:

Structural Adjustment Programme

SSA:

Sub-Saharan Africa

ZNFU:

Zambia National Farmers’ Union

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Acknowledgements

This research is funded by the Research Council of Norway. The authors are grateful to T.S. Jayne and Margaret Beaver at Michigan State University and Anthony Chapoto at Indaba Agriculture Research Institute (IAPRI) for providing access to the RALS12 data. We thank Olaf Erenstein at CIMMYT for providing helpful comments on uptake figures and to Pål Vedeld, Tor A. Benjaminsen and three anonymous reviewers for incisive and useful comments to earlier versions of this paper.

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  1. Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1430, Ås, Norway

    Ola Tveitereid Westengen

  2. Geography and Environmental Studies Department, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, Pb. 32379, Lusaka, Zambia

    Progress Nyanga & Douty Chibamba

  3. Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo, Pb. 1108, Blindern, 0317, Oslo, Norway

    Monica Guillen-Royo

  4. Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo, Pb. 1116, Blindern, 0317, Oslo, Norway

    Dan Banik

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Westengen, O.T., Nyanga, P., Chibamba, D. et al. A climate for commerce: the political agronomy of conservation agriculture in Zambia. Agric Hum Values 35, 255–268 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-017-9820-x

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