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| Volume 105(1) 2005, pages: 57-65. | | Jules R. Siedenburg: | Critical knowledge differences and adaptation to shifting resource constraints: Evidence from Shinyanga District, Tanzania | | In the ‘low potential’ agricultural areas that predominate in Sub-
Saharan Africa, globalisation has brought destabilising influences
and few advantageous opportunities. These changes have placed
increased pressure on rural lands, raising the question of whether
local people adapt successfully via modified land use strategies.
‘Sustainable agriculture’ technologies involving agroforestry or
soil and water conservation represent an obvious means of adaptation
to change in low-potential areas, where purchased agricultural
inputs are often inaccessible. Yet despite the promise these technologies
have shown in farm trials, their adoption by farmers has
generally been hesitant and limited. This has been widely interpreted
as evidence that these technologies do not respond effectively
to beneficiaries’ needs.
Based on a household survey from Shinyanga District, Tanzania,
the paper revisits the issues of adaptation to changing circumstances
and technology adoption. It considers the possibility that
some households adapt to change more effectively than others,
adopting advantageous, accessible technologies while others neglect them. Its focus is on the knowledge and perceptions informing
tree management decisions, which are elucidated via qualitative
and statistical data. The paper reports major knowledge differences
among households, and suggests a linkage to observed differences
in tree management strategy. | | >> download as pdf |
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