Adoption of agricultural technology as a strategy to promote food security: a study in areas of slopes of Nicaragua

Abstract

Mountain areas cover most of the Nicaragua’s surface and have high socio-economic importance for the country as most of the crops are housed in them. Crops located in slopes and managed with traditional practices have caused a severe degradation of soils, which has exacerbated rural poverty, and have raised concern in the organizations devoted to the Transference of Technology and Sustainable Management of Soils. The goal of this research is analyzing the Adoption of Technologies as a strategy to promote food security and environment preservation in the rural communities San José de Cusmapa Madriz, San Francisco Libre Managua and La Trinidad, Estelí during the period 2008-2011. And specifically in determining the factors that condition the adoption of technologies for the preservation of soils, identifying the effect they have had on crop yields and economic returns of farmers so as to improve their diet. The research technology rests on two bases of complementary information: a secondary basis, comprising information previously generated by other studies, scientific literature, and international experience and a primary basis comprising empirical data. To collect field data several tools are used: semi structured interviews and workshops involving farmers and extension agents; collection of soils samples for lab analysis; socialization of data by their presentation at workshops. Results show that the adoption of soil preservation technologies by the farmers under study is satisfactory and that these technologies result in a better quality of soils and a favorable perception of the innovations that have been transferred. However, they fail to increase the yield of crops, which does not allow them to achieve food security and improve their living conditions.