Journal Articles

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    Smallholder farmers’ Perceptions of climate variability and land-use changes in semiarid Gwayi catchment agroecosystems
    (Earth (MDPI), 2025-05-20) Musinguzi, Simon Peter; Chisadza, Bright; Gwate, Onalenna; Nkululeko, Mpofu; Mugoti, Alban; Dagoudo, Bienvenu Akowedaho; Macherera, Margaret
    Climate variability and land-use changes are critical challenges impacting agriculture globally, with Zimbabwe’s Gwayi catchment area experiencing noticeable effects. This study investigated how smallholder farmers in the region perceive these changes and their influence on agricultural productivity and livelihoods. The research addresses the gap in understanding local farmer experiences with climate change and land-use modifications in the context of food security. A cross-sectional survey (n = 483) was conducted using selfadministered questionnaires to capture demographic information, perceptions of climate variability, land-use changes, and their impacts on agriculture. The results indicate a trend of increasing droughts, dry spells, and heatwaves, alongside altered rainfall patterns and rising temperatures, corroborating the observed climate data. Environmental degradation, including deforestation, gully formation, and land expansion, exacerbates these changes. Consequently, farmers reported substantial reductions in crop yields, with 84.05% experiencing significant-to-very negative impacts, alongside declining livestock health (32.51% reporting very negative impacts), increased water scarcity (43.3% reporting drying water sources), and more frequent disease outbreaks. These challenges collectively contributed to heightened food insecurity, with 74.12% of households reporting negative impacts on their food supply. The study underscores the synergistic impacts of climate variability and land-use changes, highlighting the urgent need for climate-smart agricultural practices and sustainable land management to enhance resilience and ensure long-term food security for smallholder farmers in the Gwayi catchment.
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    Socio-psychological factors influencing farmers’ willingness to continue participating in collaborative activities of community-based innovation platforms in eastern Uganda
    (African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 2022) Mukebezi, Rebecca; Obaa, Bernard Bonton; Kyazze, Florence Birungi; Mukasa, Settumba B.; Tamubula, Irene Bulenzibuto
    This study employed an extended theory of planned behaviour to assess the socio-psychological factors influencing farmers’ willingness to continue participating (WTCP) in collaborative activities of community-based innovation platforms (CB-IPs). Using a structured questionnaire, data were obtained from a random sample of 231 farmers who had participated in collaborative activities of the CB-IPs. Data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling. Findings showed that although farmers’ past-experience did not directly influence their WTCP in collaborative activities of CB-IPs, it was positive and significant when mediated by attitudes and perceived behavioural control (t-value = 6.840; p-value = 0.000). Therefore, it can be concluded that farmers’ WTCP in collaborative activities of CB-IPs is enhanced by three socio-psychological factors: favourable past-experience, positive attitudes towards collaborative activities of CB-IPs, and farmers’ perceived capacity to participate. Hence, conveners of collaborative activities of CB-IPs ought to improve farmers’ attitudes through organizing beneficial activities and building their capacity to participate. This study contributed to the body of knowledge by using a behavioural perspective to examine the socio-psychological factors that influence farmers’ continued participation in collaboration activities of CB-IPs.
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    Determinants of participation in agricultural group guarantee loans: a case of smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda
    (African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 2023-04) Ninsiima, Racheal; Bulyaba, R; Makosa, D
    This paper establishes that agricultural group guarantee loans (AGGLs) are indeed an innovative tool used by Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) to extend credit to resource-disadvantaged smallholder farmers regarded as not credit-worthy by traditional lenders. It disproves popular literature that one requires assets to access formal credit and that extremely poor farmers are segregated from borrowing citing a lack of collateral to pledge to both group members and to the lender. This paper indicates that efforts to get smallholder farmers out of destitution should be redirected to addressing other group credit aspects other than increasing participation. Multi-stage sampling obtained 161 agricultural loan borrowers of Promotion of Rural Initiative Development Enterprises (PRIDE) microfinance, a formal Tier III credit institution in Uganda. Both borrowers of the group (AGGLs) and Individual (Individual Loan borrowers, IL) loans were selected for comparison purposes. Semi-structured interviews and in-depth discussions with farmer groups (focus group discussions, FGDs) collected both quantitative and qualitative data for the study. Descriptive statistics analysis presented the socioeconomic characteristics of the borrowers while the binary logistic regression model determined the factors that influence participation in AGGLs. The findings indicated that IL borrowers were better off in socioeconomic aspects such as income than AGGL borrowers. The study results revealed that the probability of participating in AGGLs decreases with an increase in the number of asset ownership and an increase in household expenses, particularly education. This implies that AGGLs are socially perceived to be a “facility for the poor”, supporting the motives of MFIs. Agricultural group guarantee loans are associated with smaller loan amounts due to fear of default. These smaller amounts limit investment and consequent income improvement. This is the first paper to study participation in AGGLs offered by a formal credit institution in Uganda. Other group loans offered in Uganda do not target agriculture, those that do, are offered by savings and credit cooperative organizations (SACCOs) informally started by farmers.