Are Smallholder Zambian Farmers Economists? A Dual-Analysis of Farmers’ Expenditure in Conservation and Conventional Agriculture Systems

This article presents the results of a comparative study on conservation and conventional agriculture among smallholder farmers in Zambia. It shows that conservation agriculture in Zambia, as currently practiced, does not reduce labor required during critical periods of the farming cycle. We argue that smallholder farmer decisions on whether or not to adopt conservation agriculture goes beyond its agronomic and economic superiority over conventional practice. The farmers also consider its labor demands, crops to be grown, and cultural norms. We show that farmers calculate their costs differently from conventional economic analysis. We conclude that promotion of conservation agriculture should be informed by local and contextual factors.