Some farmers with adequate access to fertilizer will not try improved fallows. The greatest constraint to the testing of improved fallows is the amount of time it takes to realize the benefits. Older farmers are unwilling to invest in an activity which they feel they might not live long enough to benefit from. These farmers should be encouraged to try other, faster soil fertility options. Moreover, when improved fallows are introduced to older farmers, labor saving techniques such as intercropping and direct seeding should be emphasized.
Some farmers are under the impression that improved fallows take three years to mature.
In the target villages knowledge and seeds are not constraints, but they are likely constraints in areas where extension efforts have not been as great. It should be pointed out that the success of the program in the four target villages is the result of over five years of intensive on-farm research and dissemination efforts. It takes time for lessons to sink in and technologies to take off. There are still farmers in the four target areas who are considering testing improved fallows in the future, and there are former testers who expect to plant again when their circumstances improve. Farmers need to be supported during the adoption phase for trouble shooting and brainstorming.