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    Factors affecting rice adoption in the Solomon Islands : a case study of Fiu village, central Kwara'ae constituency, Malaita province : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agri-Commerce at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2012) Baete, Simon
    In 2006, the Solomon Islands (SI) Government implemented the National Rural Rice Development Programme (NRRDP) through the Rice Section of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, aimed at promoting the adoption of rice growing by SI farmers. However, the low level of rice adoption raised questions relating to the successful implementation of this programme. To investigate the factors that have contributed to farmers‘ decision to adopt or not to adopt the rice technology, a single case study was used involving farmers of Fiu village, in Malaita Province. Data was collected between June and July 2010 through semi-structured interviews with selected farmers who adopted the rice technology including those that did not; FCRP leaders; and government officers (extension and the rice official). The findings of this study revealed that several factors influenced the adoption decisions of farmers and these were the characteristics of technology, internal factors, and external factors. The characteristic of the technology that influenced farmers‘ decision to adopt is relative advantage.The internal factors include personal characteristics of the farmer such as previous experience, proximity of the farm, land free of dispute, availability of a water source and cultural factors whereas external factors identified include government policy, infrastructure development in the area, agro-climatic condition, access to extension service and market. It was found that in late 2010, the adopters discontinued the use of the technology and their decisions were mainly influenced by factors such as poor leadership, poor implementation of the rice policy, and poor extension service. The results also revealed that many farmers did not adopt the rice technology in 2007 and their decisions were influenced by factors such as: relative disadvantage, complexity and incompatibility of the technology, input and labour intensive, land using, and risk. The study also shows that observability, poor leadership and the government‘s failure to implement the rice policy post 2007 influenced the non-adopters decision to continue with the non-adoption of the technology. This research suggests that for a community rice project such as the FCRP to be successful, the government should facilitate the availability of funds to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to ensure that the ministry is able to provide the necessary support to the farmers thus promoting their confidence in government‘s ability to support the implementation of the project. In addition, the selection of leaders who have the right skills, knowledge, and attitudes to manage and drive the project was integral in ensuring the success of the project.
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    Root-soil-phosphate interactions in rice growing in aerobic soil : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Trolove, Stephen Neil
    Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food of subsistence farmers in the vast areas of Ultisols and Oxisols of the tropical and subtropical rainfed uplands and lowlands Phosphorus (P) deficiency and soil acidity commonly constrain yields. Phosphorus fertiliser is considered an expensive input, and must therefore be used efficiently. The objective of this thesis was to investigate fertiliser strategies and plant mechanisms that could enhance the uptake efficiency of P by aerobically grown rice. The long-term aim of understanding rice P-uptake mechanisms is that such research will help in developing P-efficient rice varieties. In acid soils, aluminium (Al) toxicity restricts root growth and therefore limits P uptake. A bioassay was developed as a basis to compare two techniques for assessing concentrations of phytotoxic Al. It was found that Al in soil solution extracted by centrifugation correlated better with rice root extension than Al extracted in 0.02 M CaCl2. Aluminium toxicity was found not to restrict root growth (hence P uptake) in the Philippines Ultisol (Cavinti soil) used in later experiments. Experiments investigating the effect of different fertiliser management practices, showed that banding of fertiliser P, as opposed to incorporating P fertiliser throughout the soil, enhanced the availability of P to rice grown in the high P-fixing Cavinti soil. The practice of applying green manure with reactive phosphate rock (RPR) decreased the dissolution of RPR because mineralisation of green manure nitrogen increased the soil pH. Aerobically grown rice exhibited a number of mechanisms that would enhance P uptake; rhizosphere acidification, localised proliferation of fine roots in P-rich zones, and association with mycorrhizae. Mathematical modelling indicated that upland rice must be able to release solubilising agents, e.g. organic anions, in order to explain the observed P uptake in banded, moderately fertilised soil. By extracting soil fertilised at different P rates with citrate solutions, it was found that more P was extracted, per mole of citrate added, from highly fertilised soil. This indicated that there would be a positive interaction between banding fertiliser P and solubilisation by organic anions. Initial extraction, storage and detection methods were unable to identify significant quantities of organic acids in the rhizosphere of aerobically grown rice. Better methods for extracting organic anions from soil were developed, and improved procedures for studying the mechanisms of plant induced changes in the rhizosphere are proposed.