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The SRFSI project has strong synergies with the Farmer Behaviour Insights Project (FBIP), which focuses on the behavioural economics aspect of CASI adoption. The learnings and capacity built by SRFSI to its researchers also became a good leverage point for many of the partner researchers in FBIP.

– The University of Western Australia (UWA)

About The University of Western Australia (UWA):

The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the only research-intensive university in Western Australia. The University is home to several industry-based research centers and institutes and is affiliated with many others in Western Australia and across the country.

The vision of the UWA Institute of Agriculture is to foster innovation and provide research-based solutions to food and nutritional security, environmental sustainability, and agribusiness. The Institute works with the agricultural and natural resource sectors to create knowledge and improve workforce skills, such that those committed to agriculture may advance their individual aspirations, contribute to local and regional prosperity, and exercise responsible stewardship of the environment.

Since 2014, the Sustainable and Resilient Farming Systems Intensification (SRFSI) project field-tested conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification (CASI) technologies in various farming systems. However, adoption has been patchy both inside and outside SRFSI trial sites. While the economic advantages of CASI technologies are important, in many cases non-economic factors are critical to adoption. In this project, UWA explored both economic and non-economic factors affecting decision making, which include risk tolerance, farming objectives, social factors, perceptions of technologies, membership of associations, women’s participation in decision making, the experience of climate events, perceived behavioral control, and availability of suitable manpower and supporting services, among others.

Key learnings and reflections:

  • To increase and measure the involvement of female smallholder farmers in SRFSI project activities, strategies were developed. New definitions were also developed that ensured that women’s involvement that had previously not been measured was included. See the development of the Gender Data Reporting Protocol and Data Gathering Instrument.
  • Increased recognition of the need to incorporate behavioural insights theory in designing, analysing and reporting on scaling activities.
  • Increased involvement of women in SRFSI activities has increased their profile and status in their village. Consequently, the human and social capital of women has increased leading to improvements for themselves and their families.
  • Adopters of CASI technologies have improved their status in their villages. Also, improved ability to provide better education for their children and better diets that will reduce malnutrition and improve health.
  • Gender impacts of SRFSI were one of the major achievements of the project. The highest women participation rate recorded was at 64%, and at the project site level, women participation reached as high as 81%.

Future Actions:

  • Behavioural variables related to technology adoption, particularly on the perceptions of farmers on CASI benefits and challenges are important and need to be considered in future research data collection.
  • Production cost associated with the land preparation and planting activities was significantly reduced among CASI adopters compared to non-adopters. Future extension activities related to CASI scaling up should focus on the reduced production cost, particularly labour cost.
  • An approach that boosts activities in close coordination with various government agencies should be encouraged.
  • Disaggregated data collection by gender, gender mainstreaming approaches, and collection of stories of change focusing on women are helpful techniques that may have more impact in future use both at the project level and at the district or local government level.

Contact person:

Dr. Fay Rola-Rubzen, Professor

UWA School of Agriculture and Environment

+618.6488.4735

frubzen@iinet.net.au

UWA Publications

… for more productive, profitable and resilient farming systems

The SRFSI project is a regional research for development collaboration of more than 30 partners, focused on the Eastern Gangetic Plains.