Value of participative research for agricultural development: a decade of sustainable amadumbe production using integrated soil fertility strategies in Umbumbulu KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture provides an attractive alternative in areas where environmental and economic stresses have considerably reduced the cropping of staple crops over the last ten years in the rural smallholder agricultural space. The question arises, then, of how to build resilience with limited locally available resources in commercialising homestead agriculture in a traditional/organic production system whilst maintaining productive soils. This research uses mixed methodology spanning a decade to explore the potential of stakeholder cooperation with research and development in pursuit of resilient commercial farming as a rural livelihood strategy. An action learning process of participatory engagement validated a unique social engagement in communal space towards agricultural development and continuous sustainable production through visiting and involving five villages in Umbumbulu, namely Ezigeni, Ogagwini, kwaMahleka, Nungwana and kaRwayi (villages E, O, M, N and R). Within this, strengthening market involvement relying on locally available resources was implemented to adapt traditional farming practices that enable sustainable livelihoods through soil biological approaches. Researcher-managed on-farm experimentation was carried out in all five villages over three years, from 2006 to 2009. These experiments were embedded in participatory field work engaging at various levels that included individual homesteads, collective community level with farmer-field-school, as well as collaboratively with Ezemvelo Farmers Organization (EFO) to enhance the local agronomic practice of taro production in Umbumbulu South of KwaZulu-Natal. A decade later, both the explanatory and embedded designs were used as part of the mixed methods to explore quantitative results further and understand the communication process through which farmers share information to achieve a mutual understanding of the technology without researchers or research project support. As a result of the experimental trials, emergent best practice solutions were adaptable to the way of life in the community for market-oriented agriculture. Including legumes and mixed cropping systems as part of ecological technology intervention together with locally available organic amendments were likely to result in positive benefits for soil nutrition and crop productivity, thus building resilience and sustainability. Practical best practices whose variability defined a sustainable production system for the successful commercialisation of homestead agriculture were identified. The overall research impact was positively noted by the continued capacity of the soil to sustain productivity through high yields and maintained soil health and quality. Survey results revealed that village E showed a systemic integrity by displaying the wisdom of strong leadership, incremental technological integration and learning for sustainability. This highlighted the impact of an intervention prioritising the importance of local resources (knowledge and assets) in developing best technological practices, as well as the value of communalism and social cohesion for the survival of local agronomic norms and traditions while maintaining the productive capacity of soil resources. The impacts of research stand a good chance of being sustained when a diverse spectrum of agricultural stakeholders, including community gatekeepers, extension and advisory services, researchers, and farmers, are initially engaged as participants to create harmony and ensure a wide range of data collection on R&D, innovations, socio-economic challenges, and changes associated towards sustainable agriculture to discourage a silo mentality amongst stakeholders.