Crop-livestock integration practices, knowledge, and attitudes among smallholder farmers: Hedging against climate change-induced shocks in semi-arid Zimbabwe
| dc.contributor.author | Musara, Joseph P. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Tibugari, Handsen | |
| dc.contributor.author | Moyo, Busani | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mutizira, Chinomukutu | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-10-26T17:18:19Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-10-26T17:18:19Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-10-29 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Domestic and international crops and livestock trade remain fragile among Zimbabwean smallholder farmers. Commercial crop-livestock integration in climate change vulnerable areas is low and sparsely documented. Practice, knowledge, and attitude indicators influencing participation of smallholder farmers in crop-livestock integrated platforms as a hedge against climate changeinduced risks and uncertainties were assessed. A survey with 240 farmers in Insiza district, Matabeleland province, Zimbabwe was conducted. A modified knowledge, attitude, and perception framework was used to analyze data from six wards supported by World Vision through supplementary livelihood programs on crop-livestock integration. Conventional crop-livestock (63%), mixed cropslivestock (25%), and traditional grains-livestock (12%) options were dominant. There was a thin presence of stakeholders with a limited number of local buyers, contracting companies, and agro-dealers who participate on these platforms. Farmers have the knowledge, positive attitude, and motivated perceptions about the potential of traditional grains-livestock mechanisms to reduce climate change welfare compromising factors. Unbalanced policies, limited financing, and uncompetitive marketing channels limit the uptake of this option. Traditional grains-livestock alternatives should be supported in semi-arid environments to reduce food, income, and nutrition insecurity. Publicprivate partnerships should establish value addition systems to increase the market size of traditional grainslivestock products and enhance commercialization. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.1515/biol-2021-0135 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://ir.gsu.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/59 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | De Gruyter | en_US |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | Open Life Sciences;2021; 16: 1330–1340 | |
| dc.subject | climate change resilience, smallholder farmers, semi-arid area, crop-livestock integration, stakeholder networking | en_US |
| dc.title | Crop-livestock integration practices, knowledge, and attitudes among smallholder farmers: Hedging against climate change-induced shocks in semi-arid Zimbabwe | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |