Abstract

A sustainable increase in agricultural productivity is essential in assuring food security in developing countries. Low soil fertility is a major contributing factor to the current vicious cycle of low agricultural productivity and inadequate livelihoods among smallholder farmers. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) is one way of achieving sustainable agricultural development, but improving soil fertility through ISFM requires interventions that match the behavioural inclinations of farmers and their decision making. Using survey data on 125 commercial pen-urban farmers growing kale (Brassica oleracea) around Nairobi, Kenya, this study examined two conceptual approaches for measuring ISFM attitudes. A Rasch model, where the odds ratio for engaging in an ISFM practice is given by the difference between farmers' attitude and the difficulty of the practice in terms of behavioural cost, identified ISFM attitudes as a unidimensional concept. However, assessing attitudes based on a standard valence method raised problems of construct validity. Accounting for behavioural costs as determinants of ISFM, in addition to other pecuniary costs, may improve our understanding of how farmers deal with complex choices in the ISFM context. Our findings suggest that high behavioural costs in relation to use of human faeces as manure, use of crop residues and transport impede adoption of ISFM practices vital to increased productivity. These findings can be used to develop ISFM communications and improve the efficacy of different interventions intended to increase potential uptake of ISFM practices. (C) 2015 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Sub-Saharan African country; Peri-urban farming; Behavioural cost; Valence; Rasch model

Published in

NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences
2015, Volume: 74-75, pages: 17-26
Publisher: ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOC AGR SCI

SLU Authors

• Lagerkvist, Carl-Johan

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
SDG12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
SDG17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Applied Psychology
Food Science
Business Administration


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2015.06.001

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/73785