Economic modelling and simulation analysis of maize-based smallholder farming systems in the Senqu River Valley agroecological zone, Lesotho

Abstract

AbstractMaize yields in the Senqu River Valley are among the lowest in Lesotho. This study aimed to compare the farm economic margins (FEM) of different maize-based smallholder farming systems (MSFSs) in the Senqu River Valley (SRV) and provide recommendations on farming systems that can be employed to improve the FEM for household income improvement. The Olympe software was used to model and simulate the FEM of the different MSFSs and SWOT–TOWS analysis was used to devise strategies to increase FEM and improve household income. The findings revealed that there was high FEM variability within and across the different MSFSs. The identified sources of variance were the cropping patterns, types of intercrops, and the number of animals raised. Poor crop and livestock management also played a role in the FEM variability, hence the poor performance of some MSFSs. The findings further indicated that MSFSs with high-value intercrops such as pumpkins had higher FEM than their monocropping counterparts. Then, again, MSFSs with both crops and livestock had the highest FEM. Therefore, identified strategies like crop diversification and livestock integration could be recommended for use by farmers, not only in this zone but also in other zones that share similar environmental conditions.

Keywords

• MSFSs
• modelling and simulation
• farm economic margin
• smallholder farming systems
• SWOT-TOWS
• Lesotho