Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In the South Kivu province of the DR Congo, marshes are considered as favorable lands for various crop productions, and these improve food security and livelihood of thousands of households. We analyzed survey data collected from 148 farmers using a binary logit model and descriptive statistics in o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Cogent Food & Agriculture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2021.1933747 |
| _version_ | 1798033890295676928 |
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| author | Mushagalusa Balasha Arsene Jules Nkulu Mwine Fyama |
| author_facet | Mushagalusa Balasha Arsene Jules Nkulu Mwine Fyama |
| author_sort | Mushagalusa Balasha Arsene |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the South Kivu province of the DR Congo, marshes are considered as favorable lands for various crop productions, and these improve food security and livelihood of thousands of households. We analyzed survey data collected from 148 farmers using a binary logit model and descriptive statistics in order to identify the potential threats to agricultural production, and the coping strategies used by farmers in marshlands. Results showed that 65% of respondents were female, and 76% of all farmers claimed perceiving threats to agricultural production in marshes. The perceived potential threats to agriculture included floods, pest infestation (millipede, fall armyworm), crop theft, and unsecure land-holding status as well as the decrease in soil fertility. Moreover, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also led to the increase in prices of agricultural inputs (pesticides, seeds), and manure that has become increasingly rare and expensive due to the drastic reduction in livestock in that region weakened by several years of civil war and insecurity. In response, farmers were combining several adaptation strategies and these included drainage, mulching, manure application, and crop diversification used by farmers for, respectively, managing floods, maintaining soil fertility, and reducing crop failure. To cope with land scarcity, both female (75%) and male farmers (60%) claimed seeking for lands in highlands and renting extra plots in the same marshes or elsewhere. Despite the strategies implemented, there is still a need to strengthen farmers’ knowledge of flood and pesticide management and promote the integrated pest management practices for a sustainable use of marshlands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:36:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-28172927ab834658bbc140e93e3d2b17 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2331-1932 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:36:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Food & Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-28172927ab834658bbc140e93e3d2b172022-12-22T04:04:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Food & Agriculture2331-19322021-01-017110.1080/23311932.2021.19337471933747Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of CongoMushagalusa Balasha Arsene0Jules Nkulu Mwine Fyama1University of LubumbashiUniversity of LubumbashiIn the South Kivu province of the DR Congo, marshes are considered as favorable lands for various crop productions, and these improve food security and livelihood of thousands of households. We analyzed survey data collected from 148 farmers using a binary logit model and descriptive statistics in order to identify the potential threats to agricultural production, and the coping strategies used by farmers in marshlands. Results showed that 65% of respondents were female, and 76% of all farmers claimed perceiving threats to agricultural production in marshes. The perceived potential threats to agriculture included floods, pest infestation (millipede, fall armyworm), crop theft, and unsecure land-holding status as well as the decrease in soil fertility. Moreover, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also led to the increase in prices of agricultural inputs (pesticides, seeds), and manure that has become increasingly rare and expensive due to the drastic reduction in livestock in that region weakened by several years of civil war and insecurity. In response, farmers were combining several adaptation strategies and these included drainage, mulching, manure application, and crop diversification used by farmers for, respectively, managing floods, maintaining soil fertility, and reducing crop failure. To cope with land scarcity, both female (75%) and male farmers (60%) claimed seeking for lands in highlands and renting extra plots in the same marshes or elsewhere. Despite the strategies implemented, there is still a need to strengthen farmers’ knowledge of flood and pesticide management and promote the integrated pest management practices for a sustainable use of marshlands.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2021.1933747marshland agriculturelivelihoodsfloodscoping strategieskabare |
| spellingShingle | Mushagalusa Balasha Arsene Jules Nkulu Mwine Fyama Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo Cogent Food & Agriculture marshland agriculture livelihoods floods coping strategies kabare |
| title | Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| title_full | Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| title_fullStr | Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| title_short | Potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers’ coping strategies in the marshlands of Kabare in the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| title_sort | potential threats to agricultural food production and farmers coping strategies in the marshlands of kabare in the democratic republic of congo |
| topic | marshland agriculture livelihoods floods coping strategies kabare |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2021.1933747 |
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