- Title
- The impact of beliefs and values on agricultural change: a case of Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme, Zimbabwe
- Creator
- Nyika, Emery
- Subject
- Agriculture -- Environmental aspects
- Subject
- Farms, Small
- Subject
- Agricultural productivity
- Date
- 2013-01
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25698
- Identifier
- vital:64469
- Description
- Since the mid 1970s there has been an increasing effort to raise the level of adoption of agricultural innovations in small-scale farming for improved production. NGOs and governments have engaged in a participatory approach not only to empower local people, but also to give them an opportunity to learn, access, and utilize innovations that have been introduced in the agriculture sector. However due to several factors small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe have failed to fully adopt these changes that would enhance their farming activities. Most of these farmers have rather preferred maintaining and practising their preliterate farming methods. Like most irrigation schemes Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme is self funded due to the fact that the government has failed to fund most of such projects. This has subsequently left projects such as the Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme to provide for their own agricultural needs. NGOs have in the past provided assistance to these small-scale farmers but mostly in cases of drought. This study is an assessment of the impact of beliefs and values on the adoption of agricultural change in Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme. The study investigates the extent to which beliefs and values have an effect on small-scale farmer’s access and utilization to adopting innovations. Research findings reveal that farming production in Murombedzi is low and the local farmers have been passive participants in gaining training and education that can assist them in gaining knowledge on the effectiveness of implementing innovations. However; the farmers prefer to maintain their traditional methods that have been effectively used by their fore fathers. It is a common belief among the informants that their ancestors are to be kept pleased at all times and this means practicing traditional farming which, for them, has proved to be effective in the past. As a result, this calls for an empirical research to be carried out at the grass roots level to explore the dynamics that influence the status quo on the ground. This study was conducted to help agricultural change to be implemented in small-scale farming for the benefit of agricultural production. The focus was on a local irrigation scheme that is self funded. Data was gathered using an ethnographic research design.
- Description
- Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2013
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (135 leaves)
- Format
- Publisher
- University of Fort Hare
- Publisher
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
- Language
- English
- Rights
- University of Fort Hare
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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Collections
UFH Department of Sociology and Anthropology
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details | SOURCE1 | Dissertation- Nyika.pdf | 7 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details |