Assisting smallholder farmers in mixed crop-livestock systems to understand the potential effects of technologies and climate change through participatory modeling

Abstract

Smallholder farming systems in the semiarid
areas of Zimbabwe are characterized by low production. This low production is not solely
due to lack of technologies but also due to a lack of integrating a diversity of viewpoints belonging to local, expert and specialized
stakeholders during technology development. Participatory approaches combined with computerbased
modeling are increasingly being
recognized as valuable approaches to jointly develop sustainable agricultural pathways. The paper discusses the application of this
integrated and iterative process in developing and evaluating the impact of interventions aimed at improving food and feed production.
The paper concludes that the process allows farmers to determine the impact of their decisions, evaluate new options and define
realistic production and management options tailored to their particular circumstances. While inturn
scientists and other stakeholders
learn more about the farmers’ decisionmaking
process, input and managerial potentials as well as knowledge gaps