Assessing the effect of conservation farming on coffee production in Sheema South Constituency, Sheema District South Western Uganda

Abstract

Conservation agriculture (CA) is based on three principles: minimum soil disturbance, maintaining a soil cover through mulching with crop residues or planting cover crops, and practicing crop rotations. CA is practiced in many parts of the world for its benefits to soil and ability to improve yields, among others. The study aimed at assessing the impact of conservation farming on coffee production in Sheema south constituency, South Western Uganda. It was guided by these specific objectives; characterizing the activities carried out by smallholder farmers under conservation agriculture on coffee production, establishing the factors affecting the use of different conservation activities by smallholder coffee farmers and establishing the effects of conservation technologies in coffee yields. The researcher used a descriptive research design which helped the respondents to fully reveal their views about the study variables. A sample size of 210 respondents was used. Simple random sampling was used to select coffee farmers whereas purposive sampling was used to select key informants. Both questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The study findings established that coffee farmers were using intercropping, mulching, organic fertilizer application and cover crops as major conservation practices but most of them were not fully using a combination of methods which affected their yields. Most of the respondents were using the mentioned practices since they had some knowledge and skills of using such practices in coffee production. The study established factors influencing the adoption of Conservation Agriculture as majorly; size of land, education level, farmer perception, house hold income, market access extension service provision followed by access to credit and inputs, source of labour used, age and gender. Further analysis indicated that land had significant relation on the adoption of conservation practices in coffee P<0.005. The study established that there was a slight low increase in yields of coffee after adopting conservation practices. This is because farmers were using sole practice than using a combination of practices and this affected the effectiveness of using such conservation practices hence a low increase in coffee yields and majority of them were having small plots of land under coffee production (67%) practicing coffee farming on less than 2acres. The study recommended that farmers be trained to enhance their skills, work with farmers and appreciate their views will help in overcoming the challenges facing the smallholder sector including use of basic tools and equipment, training farmers to enhance their skills and knowledge, working with farmers to appreciate their views and identifying the potential role of innovative technologies in improving productivity could all help increase adoption rates of CA, improving extension service delivery and improving on institutional support and incentive programs that could certainly be used to effectively increase further adoption in the region.