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Participatory Technology Development and Transfer: The Key to Soil Fertility and Water Management Technology Adoption in Zimbabwe. Report No. 2

There are few non-farm engines of growth and poverty alleviation in most sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. This implies that smallholder agriculture is likely to remain the major source of rural growth and livelihood improvement for a long time to come, as well as the center of individual nation’s economic growth (World Bank 1997). Many sources continue to establish that the persisting impoverishment of rural SSA is due to declining land productivity under an increasing population that uses low input farming methods (IFAD 1994; World Bank 1996; Woodhouse 2002). In addition, farmers have invested little in soil fertility management and crop yield despite decades of research (Ryan and Spencer 2001; Mapfumo and Giller 2001; Scoones 2001). The consequence of this is widespread accelerated erosion, degradation of soils, and deforestation (Hoffman and Ashwell 2001). As the natural resource base is degraded, it is becoming increasingly difficult for resource-poor farmers to maintain their livelihoods and quality of life.