Abstract:
Sustainable Agriculture Technologies (SATs) contribute significantly to increasing maize
production in Malawi; through improving soil fertility, addressing the effects of land
degradation, and increasing the adaptive capacity of farmers to climate change and variability. In
an effort to optimize the benefits of SATs, the Government of Malawi and other relevant
stakeholders in the agriculture sector promote SATs across all districts. Despite the efforts of the
stakeholders in scaling up SATs, the adoption of the technologies in maize farming remains low
in Mzimba South in Malawi. Therefore, a study was carried out from July to September 2019 to
investigate the influence of selected socio-economic factors on the adoption of SATs in maize
farming among the small-scale producers in Mzimba South. A multi-stage sampling method was
used to select a sample of 132 small-scale maize producing households. A researcheradministered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using t-tests, chisquare tests, and multivariate probit, ordered probit and ordinary least square (OLS) models at ?
level of .05. The study established that household size, education level, arable land size and
livestock ownership significantly influence the adoption of SATs. The results implied that the
producers should be trained in the timely and proper implementation of the SATs. In addition,
relevant stakeholders should promote livestock multiplication interventions; while promoting
effective crop-livestock integration measures. |
