Limits to the development of no-till mulching systems among smallholders in the Brazilian Amazon region

Abstract

With the goal of facilitating a shift away from slash-and-burn systems among smallholders along the Amazonian frontier, a French-Brazilian project from 2006 to 2010 sought to develop and disseminate a locally adapted no-till mulching system. In this paper, we use the sociology of translation to analyze the social and technical transformations effected. While several producers were interested in this alternative, instances of adoption were few and incomplete in that rotations were simplified and the use of legumes as a mulching crop rarely implemented. We further observe that several institutions (banks, public extension services, political authorities) refused to support direct sowing systems. These actors instead favored a proposal centered on mechanized plowing. The polarization of local actors around two rival technical options, embodying diverse cognitive, symbolic, socioeconomic and political stakes, offers major explanatory elements for the current low dynamics of adoption.