Failing to Yield? Ploughs, conservation agriculture and the problem of agricultural intensification: An example from the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe

Baudron Frédéric, Andersson Jens A., Corbeels Marc, Giller Ken E.. 2012. Failing to Yield? Ploughs, conservation agriculture and the problem of agricultural intensification: An example from the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe. Journal of Development Studies, 48 (3) : 393-412.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2011.587509

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Quartile : Q2, Sujet : ECONOMICS / Quartile : Q3, Sujet : PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

Liste HCERES des revues (en SHS) : oui

Thème(s) HCERES des revues (en SHS) : Economie-gestion

Résumé : Agricultural intensification, or increasing yield, has been a persistent theme in policy interventions in African smallholder agriculture. This article focuses on two hegemonic policy models of such intensification: (1) the 'Alvord model' of plough-based, integrated crop-livestock farming promoted in colonial Zimbabwe; and (2) minimum-tillage mulch-based, Conservation Agriculture, as currently preached by a wide range of international agricultural research and development agencies. An analysis of smallholder farming practices in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley, reveals the limited inherent understanding of farmer practices in these models. It shows why many smallholder farmers in southern Africa are predisposed towards extensification rather than intensification, and suggests that widespread Conservation Agriculture adoption is unlikely.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : système de culture, pratique culturale, intensification, petite exploitation agricole, plante de culture, agriculture intensive, agriculture alternative, agriculture extensive, non-travail du sol, politique de développement, développement agricole