The Role of Social Capital in the Adoption of Conservation Agriculture:
The Case of likoti in Lesotho
Laura Silici, Theodor Friedrich and Amir Kassam
5th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture incorporating 3rd Farming Systems Design
Conference, 26-29 September 2011 Brisbane, Australia
Outline
• Lesotho: socio-economic and environmental constraints • The practice of Likoti• Materials and methods: source of the data, variables and
statistical tools (Bayesian Networks) • Results and discussion: impacts on sustainable crop
intensification • Results and discussion: the role of social capital and the
importance of participatory training • Conclusions and policy implications
Lesotho: Country Overview• High unemployment• Internal and external migrations• High rate of HIV/AIDS• Extensive land degradation• Low agricultural productivity• Recurrent food crisis
Reduced livelihood base (including farming) and high
vulnerability
Depleting social capital
The Practice of Likoti
Materials and Methods: Source of the Data• Two stratified sample populations of farmers (117 CA + 112
conventional) interviewed on socio-demographic features, food security status, wealth, social capital and community organization, farming and agricultural production
• Workshops and open interviews with key informants
• 123 composite soil samples tested for soil fertility and soil texture
• Yields recorded from a sub-sample of farmers
Results and Discussion: Impacts on Sustainable Crop Intensification
• Higher agricultural productivity, due to improved efficiency in the use of inputs and other resources
• Greater environmental sustainability due to improved soil structure and enhanced fertility
• Higher social sustainability• Accessibility to the technology by all social categories,
including the most vulnerable• Improved food security status
Results and Discussion: Determinants of the Adoption of CA in Lesotho
• Degree of trust and cooperation, especially when combined with a participatory approach pursued by committed trainers
• Economic incentives provided to vulnerable households in the very early stages of adoption
• Literacy and education (especially relevant in case of female adopters)
Conditional dependence among social capital and CA variables, adopter sub-sample
SOCIAL CAPITAL
ADOPTION OF CA
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
Conditional dependence among social capital and CA variables, evidence in the Location node (Lowland sites: poor participation lower CA knowledge)
Conditional dependence among social capital and CA variables, evidence in the Location node (Mountain sites: high participation better CA knowledge)
Conclusions and Policy Implications
• Social capital plays a significant role in the adoption and the performance of sustainable agricultural practices
• But... how “to invest” in social capital?– The choice of the most appropriate technology critically
depends on the preliminary assessment of social capital dimensions
– Social capital ‘enabling factors’ (e.g. education, capable agency of committed leaders, meso-institutions) can be consistently included in policy interventions