Chapter 4: Research findings from the case studies
4.9 Role of the case studies in meeting research objectives
The case study questionnaire was compiled after the literature review process. The case study built on the knowledge that was gained from the literature review.
All four of the farmers that participated in the case study were very willing to share information. I believe they provided honest responses to the questions posed in the semi-structured questionnaire. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that only one of the farmers believed that his crop yields had decreased in the long-term. It was gratifying that all four of the farmers were actively engaging with and implementing farming practices to improve their soil quality. They all stated they required more information on soil quality so they could make sound informed decisions on sustainably managing their farming enterprises.
The case studies contributed towards the achievement of the seven research questions as follows:
RESEARCH QUESTION I:
Is soil degradation a problem in the South African dryland sugarcane industry?
This question referred to a broad South African context. The literature review confirmed that soil degradation is a problem in the South African dryland sugarcane industry. The case studies focussed
85
specifically on the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region. All the interviewed farmers identified the main farming practices that caused soil degradation on their farms (Table 5) and agreed that they wanted to improve their soil quality.RESEARCH QUESTION II:
Do local researchers and large-scale dryland sugarcane farmers in the KwaZulu-Natal region identify soil quality as a factor they should focus resources on?
The literature review did not uncover any research done on whether KwaZulu-Natal farmers identified soil quality as a factor they should focus resources on. The case studies confirmed that the interviewed farmers in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands South did believe that soil quality was an important factor they should focus resources on. Soil quality was stated to be an important criterion to manage on their farms. All the interviewed farmers wanted to adopt more soil quality improvement practices and they all requested more information on soil quality.
The farmers all actively sought information on soil quality from various sources. The farmers knew the main factors that caused soil degradation on their farms (Table 5). They had all adopted specific farming practices to improve soil quality (Table 6) and were considering adopting more farming practices to improve it (Table 7). The farmers’ spent time and allocated resources to improve soil quality. There was some soil quality farming practices they had discontinued (Table 8) and others that they would not implement (Table 9).
Three of the interviewed farmers stated they would be willing to pay a soil quality consultant to advise them on the best practices for their farms. The other farmer preferred to use existing resources from SASRI for this advice. All four farmers were willing to invest resources in conducting on-farm soil health specific tests.
RESEARCH QUESTION III:
From what perspective do researchers and the targeted group of farmers approach the issue of soil quality?
No literature was found on how farmers approach the issue of soil quality. As stated previously the case studies interviewees’ took soil quality seriously and they all wanted to improve it, despite only one of the farmers experiencing long-term yield decline. They were proactive about improving their soil quality.They all used indicators to monitor soil health with the two main ones being monitoring long- term sugarcane yield trends and analysing soil sample results.
The farmers made observations on their farms and were aware of the main causes of soil degradation. They changed their farming practices in response to these observations. One of the farmers actively used SUSFARMS® as his tool for improving soil quality. The farmers approached the topic from a broad perspective. They assessed the implications and consequences of the various farming practices on their farming system as a whole and then made decisions accordingly.These farmers understood the
86
importance of conserving and enhancing their most valuable resource. They actively strived to ensure that their soils remained productive in the long-term.RESEARCH QUESTION IV:
What sugarcane farming practices are currently recommended and implemented to improve soil quality?
The interviewed farmers specified which soil quality improvement practices they were using at the time (Table 6). The practices that were implemented by all four farmers were green manuring, applying lime and gypsum, implementing a farm Land Use Plan and increasing soil organic matter content.
RESEARCH QUESTION V:
Which soil quality improvement practices conform to Agro-ecological or Conservation Agriculture principles and are they currently recognised as practices from these paradigms?
The interviewees’ all stated that they knew about Agro-ecological and Conservation Agriculture farming methods. During the farm visits none of the farmers formally stated that any of the farming practices they implemented conformed to Agro-ecological or Conservation Agriculture practices.
RESEARCH QUESTION VI:
Can principles from Agro-ecology or Conservation Agriculture contribute towards the development of a management system for the sustainable exploitation of soil, in the South African dryland sugarcane industry?
Both the literature review and the case studies contributed towards the development of a sustainable soil management system. The management system is proposed in section 5.5.
RESEARCH QUESTION VII:
What common themes emerge from the study which may contribute towards the development of this soil quality management system?
Common themes did emerge from the literature review and from the case studies. This information did contribute towards the development of the proposed soil management system. The themes are discussed in Chapter 5.