Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the banks agreed to administer an agricultural loan if he switched back to tobacco
farming. Unwilling to do so, he sold his farm and became manager of a farm located
in northern Zimbabwe. It was there in the early 1980s that he developed minimum
tillage technology in response to declining yields. This development was originally
motivated by cost and conservationist concerns, but it quickly became shrouded in
much deeper meaning. He had a revelation that there were no natural God-given
mechanisms that inverted the soil; rather, soil was naturally protected by a blanket
of leaves and grass (Oldreive 2009).
On the basis of this revelation, the promotion of conservation agriculture became an
act of faith for some, where agronomic practice took on religious meaning, and the mulch
cover consisting of a “thick blanket of fallen leaves and grass” became known as “God's
blanket” (Andersson and Giller 2012). Oldreive was able to transform the dialogue and
vocabulary surrounding the technological framework of the agricultural scientist (that
of no-till farming) and create messages that draw on the religious background of the
smallholder. The idea of faith-based agricultural extension has led several evangelical
churches and faith-based organizations to promote conservation agriculture just as they
do the gospel, with a missionary-like zeal that paints a picture of the misguided ways of
the nonbelievers and drawing on the strengths of those who have “converted.”
In addition to the Judeo-Christian approaches to the promotion of conservation
agriculture, extension may seek to build on indigenous beliefs and traditional, spiri-
tual values. A profound respect for ancestors and desire for their guidance when
faced with choice is a common element within many sub-Saharan African cultures.
An interviewer once asked a Ghanaian farmer to imagine that he had been given a
millet variety that yielded three times as much as the current variety under cultiva-
tion. A hypothetical situation was created in which the millet crop fails and the
farmer was asked what he would then do. In response, the farmer said that in accor-
dance with his beliefs, he would consult the ancestors via the village soothsayer. If
the ancestors were unhappy with the variety, he would abandon the plot immediately
and not return to the area where the variety was planted (Millar 2007).
Falvey (2005) claims that today's paradigm of agricultural science is concerned
with problem-solving technology, and not with the philosophy or ethics that go beyond
the pursuit of overcoming constraints. Falvey (2000, 2004) refers to the nature of mod-
ern sustainable agriculture and the perpetuity of uncertainty that is associated with
attempts to sustain outputs with constant technological innovation. He argues that the
real insights of science and its resulting innovation occur only when spiritual dimen-
sions are engaged. The Alliance of Religions and Conservation estimates that >90%
of the African population self-identifies as Christian or Muslim, with nearly all of
the population holding traditional, indigenous beliefs. Consequently, there is a strong
foundation of faith on which to engage the smallholder in agricultural development.
In coming to understand how the choices of small farmers are framed, we must
take into account their worldviews and how those perspectives provide meaning to per-
ceived choices. Recognizing that what is regarded as sacred is more likely to be treated
with care and respect, Paul Sagan noted that a much wider and deeper understanding
of science and technology is needed that incorporates the vital role of religion (Sagan
and 32 Nobel Laureates 1990). Consequently, the science of the agricultural scientist
may find a natural compatibility with the deeply rooted beliefs of the smallholder.
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