Misunderstood with No Desire to Be Understood: Socio-Cultural Dimension of Farming and Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe

There is extensive literature on barriers and constraints of Conservation Agriculture (CA) adoption in Zimbabwe, but the impact of local socio-cultural factors on the adoption of this technology for rural farm households has largely been assumed. The research was designed to understand socio-cultural factors that led to dis-adoption and outright rejection of this seemingly appropriate intervention using empirical qualitative data from a case study in Nyanga District. The article found that there is a discernible and significant relationship between farming practise (farmers’ prior experiences, culture, Indigenous knowledge systems and values) arrangements and the abandonment and outright rejection of CA.