Farmers’ participation in soil fertility management research process: Dilemma in rehabilitating degraded hilltops in Kabale, Uganda

Abstract

Participation of farmers in agricultural technology development and environmental management is vital for achieving impact that benefits the rural poor. Women, the main land users and responsible for household food security could improve welfare of the household members with technologies that improve soil productivity thus increasing yields and incomes. Through a facilitated participatory diagnosis, farmers in Kabale district identified soil degradation as the major factor responsible for crop yield decline. Through farmers’ participatory market research, several agricultural options for market enterprise development were identified and pyrethrum ranked highest based on market availability, social factors and profitability. Pyrethrum had ready market within the district and would keep men in agricultural production leading to increased household income. Pyrethrum was a new crop to the community and there was need of farmers to learn its agronomy before scaling out. The soils were acidic (pH 4.8) and extractable P was the most limiting nutrient (5.8 mg kg^-1). Farmers’ selected soil amendment options that were tested on communal plot. A farmer research committee monitored the experiment and collected data while participatory evaluation was to identify farmers’ preference for promising technologies. Plants grown under compost and NPK treated soils had highest yields of 350 and 400 kg ha^-1though flower diameter was not significantly different from other treatments. Farmers ranked soil amendment options in the order of lime ≪ wood ash ≪ FYM ≪ Compost ≪ NPK. However, lime was unavailable in the district and its bulky application required intensive labour. Wood ash, FYM and compost were limited in the community and require intensive labour in searching and ferrying them uphill. Fertiliser NPK was most preferred because it is accessible to most farmers who are familiar with it and is also not bulk. NPK had high impact on the pyrethrum, though it could be costly to some households