%0 Journal Article
%T An Empirically Derived Conceptual Framework to Assess Dis-Adoption of Conservation Agriculture: Multiple Drivers and Institutional Deficiencies | Chinseu | Journal of Sustainable Development | CCSE
%A Andrew J. Dougill
%A Edna L. Chinseu
%A Lindsay C. Stringer
%J Home | Journal of Sustainable Development | CCSE
%D 2019
%R 10.5539/jsd.v12n5p48
%X Efforts of national governments and international agencies aimed at alleviating hunger and poverty are often undermined by lack of long-term adoption of agricultural innovations. Studies commonly explain farmersĄŻ adoption decisions using household general determinants, yet decision-making, particularly for under-resourced smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, is a complex process. Using the case of conservation agriculture [CA], this article analyses dis-adoption of agricultural technologies by examining multiple domains of MalawiĄŻs CA innovation system and how these influence farmer decision-making. It analyses institutional arrangements of CA promoters, national policies and farmersĄŻ experiences. From this, we empirically derive a multifaceted dis-adoption driversĄŻ framework to explain CA dis-adoption in smallholder farming systems. Our findings reveal that adverse features in national policies, institutional arrangements, technological attributes and social cultural dimensions all lead to unfavourable experiences of CA for smallholder farmers, which can culminate in dis-adoption. The CA dis-adoption driversĄŻ framework we develop in this study provides a useful troubleshooting tool. It can be used to guide improvements in the design and implementation of project-based interventions seeking long-term adoption of agricultural innovations across sub-Saharan Africa
%U http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/view/0/40898