Adoption Certification and Sustainability of Organic Farming Practices

Abstract

The study focused on the adoption of organic farming. It was carried out in Malawi. Data were collected from 329 farmers. A valid and reliable semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The reliability coefficients of the instrument were .96 and .84. MANOVA followed with discriminant analysis was used to establish the differences between certified and non-certified farmers. The adoption levels of pest and disease control, weed, soil, and water management practices were higher among the certified farmers compared to non-certified farmers. Certified farmers reported higher scores in three dimensions of sustainable development: ecological, social, and economic. Certification accounted for 15% of the variance in the adoption and sustainability of OA, Ʌ = .85, F (7, 313) = 7.87, p < .05, ηp2 = .15. Certification played a huge role in the success of OF. This is because of the various steps involved in obtaining certification. These include having the necessary permits and market requirements. Non-certified farmers should also be encouraged to certify their farm production systems. Aside from this, they should also improve their communication with extension agents.