CONTEXT

Policy-based or technological interventions are more likely to be effective if aligned with farmers' objectives, constraints, and decision-making processes.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to explore trade-offs and synergies of farming systems in response to innovative rice cultivation activities by understanding current farming systems, main drivers impacting farm management and farmers' perspectives on rice intensification. Understanding these interrelations is key in rice production areas, where smallholder farmers largely depend on growing rice to subsist.

METHODS

A rapid system analysis was conducted interviewing 20 farmers in 4 villages along the Senegal River Valley (SRV) to obtain a general view on farm functioning and farmers' perspectives on farming systems. A detailed system analysis with four farmers was subsequently conducted to provide an insight into the underlying processes regulating farm management. A multi-objective optimization model was used to quantitatively evaluate and explore farm performances based on four selected indicators representing: rice production, household agricultural profit, household labour and farm nutrient balance.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study showed that government programmes and farmers' Unions were strongly influencing farmers' decision-making in agricultural production. Farmers also reported that although rice was still essential for their livelihoods, there were transitions towards less rice production in the wet season with short duration rice varieties and more vegetable production. Both farmers' interviews and the modelling results suggested that farmers would be unlikely to increase or even maintain the area of rice double cropping, which has been strongly promoted by the Senegalese government. Instead, farmers would rather keep investing in vegetable production.

SIGNIFICANCE

This modelling study shows the consequences of policy-based and technological interventions for farming systems and may inform both policy makers and farmers in situations where objectives are strongly divergent. Hence, modelling outcomes may be used to inspire discussion and innovation in order to align the government priority of ensuring national food security and farmers' objectives and constraints in the SRV.

中文翻译：

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探索塞内加尔河流域小农水稻种植系统多样化的机会

语境

如果与农民的目标、限制和决策过程保持一致，基于政策或技术的干预措施更有可能有效。

客观的

本研究的目的是通过了解当前的农业系统、影响农场管理的主要驱动因素和农民对水稻集约化的看法，探索农业系统在响应创新水稻种植活动方面的权衡和协同作用。了解这些相互关系对于稻米产区至关重要，那里的小农主要依靠种植稻米维持生计。

方法

对塞内加尔河流域 (SRV) 沿线 4 个村庄的 20 名农民进行了快速系统分析，以了解农场运作情况和农民对农业系统的看法。随后对四名农民进行了详细的系统分析，以深入了解规范农场管理的基本过程。基于水稻产量、家庭农业利润、家庭劳动力和农场养分平衡四个选定指标，采用多目标优化模型对农场绩效进行定量评估和探索。

结果和结论

这项研究的结果表明，政府计划和农民联盟在很大程度上影响了农民在农业生产中的决策。农民还报告说，虽然稻米仍然是他们的生计必不可少的，但在雨季，稻米产量减少，水稻品种持续减少，蔬菜产量增加。农民访谈和建模结果都表明，农民不太可能增加甚至维持塞内加尔政府大力推动的水稻双季种植面积。相反，农民宁愿继续投资蔬菜生产。

意义

该模型研究显示了基于政策和技术干预对农业系统的影响，并可能在目标差异很大的情况下为决策者和农民提供信息。因此，建模结果可用于激发讨论和创新，以便将政府确保国家粮食安全的优先事项与 SRV 中农民的目标和限制保持一致。