conservation agriculture research and … agriculture research and development in southern ......

Conservation Agriculture Research and

Development in Southern Africa: a

Review of Achievements and Review of Achievements and

Challenges in the Past 20 Years

Presented by

Lewis HoveFAO – Sub regional Emergency Office for Southern Africa

Paper Presented at Regional Conservation Agriculture Symposium, 8 January 2011

CA Research and Development in Southern Africa – A Review

Key features of Southern Africa

•Up to 80% population depending on rain-fed agriculture for

livelihoods

•Poor markets for inputs and produce

Under-resourced national extension and research systems•Under-resourced national extension and research systems

•Climate related constraints – droughts (season, in-season)

•High levels of land and soil degradation

•Low agricultural productivity

•High levels of poverty

•Chronic food insecurity in some countries

CA Research and Development in southern Africa – A Review

CA Research

•Stakeholders testing and promoting conservation

agriculture technologies since the 1970s

•Focus on sustainable yield increases

•Evaluation of conservation tillage techniques (Nyagumbo, •Evaluation of conservation tillage techniques (Nyagumbo,

1999; Chivenge et al 2007)

•Mulch ripping; Tied ridges; Tied furrows

Soil physical and chemical parameters

Crop yields

Labour requirements

•Plot level studies


CA and Soil Organic Matter and Water

Conservation Agriculture increases soil organic matter storage

(Chivenge et al 2007; Smith et al, 2010)

Clay soils – through reduced tillage and addition of

organic inputsorganic inputs

Sandy soils – through addition of organic inputs

Conservation Agriculture reduces water loss from fields

(Nyagumbo 1999; Mupangwa et al. 2007)

Reduces surface run-off

Increases infiltration

Increased microbial activity under CA –termites

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CA increased yields by 15 -200% - depending on soil type and rainfall

regime and experience of farmer (ICRISAT, 2007)

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NR II NR III NR IV/V AllDistricts


Wide-Scale CA Promotion in Southern Africa

What has been promoted?

Who has been involved in the promotion?Who has been involved in the promotion?

What approaches have been used to promote CA?

What have been the challenges and what should be the

focus in the future?


CA Techniques Being Promoted in the Region

Wide-scale promotion and adoption of CA (3 principles) started in the

1990s

Conservation Agriculture as a part of the climatic risk reduction

strategy

Estimated area of about 750,000 ha less than 1% of arable land

More than 600,000 farmers practicing some form of CA

Manual Options - planting basins (pot-holes); Jab planters;

Mechanized – Ripping, Direct Seeders/No till planters

Residue retention, cover crops, Intercrops; Crop rotation



Tractor- and animal-drawn no-till planters



Jab planter Hand-hoe planting basin


CA Promotion in Southern Africa

Large scale commercial farmers – RSA, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Reduced tillage , crop residue retention and crop rotation

Reduction of production costs (save on fuel, machinery) and

increased profits were major incentives for adopting CA

(Mazvimavi, 2011)



Smallholder farmers

•Introduced as part of humanitarian assistance – efficient inputs use

•Vulnerable households primary target - free inputs

•Programmes without free inputs in some countries, e.g., Madagascar, •Programmes without free inputs in some countries, e.g., Madagascar,

Malawi, Zambia

•Major players - NGOs, Government Extension, International Research

and Development Organisations, Farmer Unions



Benefits and Challenges

•More labour required for weeding, especially when converting from

conventional system – more work for women?

•Increased labour productivity

•Number of CA farmers increasing and closely related to availability of

project funding

•Increased yields with CA – early planting crucial (over 40% of yield

gains – GART, 2009)

•CA difference between harvest and no harvest

Source: GART



•Confounding effects of input quality (fertilizer, seed) with

technology

•Dis-adoption when free inputs are discontinued

Crop residue retention a challenge for most smallholder farmers in

crop-livestock systems -

Crop rotations not fully practiced – lack of know-how on cropping

patterns, lack of appropriate good quality seed

Participatory approaches (Participatory Action Research,

Participatory Extension , etc) not fully utilized in the promotion of

CA. Complex nature of CA requires participatory approaches


CA Training

•Field extension staff and farmers are primary targets for training

Different approaches used

Train and visit

Lead farmer approach

Farmer Field SchoolsFarmer Field Schools

The training is complemented by exposure tours,

demonstration plots, exchange visits

•Training provided by African Conservation Tillage Network,

Foundations for Farming (ZW), Conservation Farming Unit (ZM),

CIMMYT, ICRISAT, ARC (ZA), Conservation Agriculture Thrust (ZA),

•Few agricultural education institutions offer courses in CA

•Need to allocate more resources in CA training


CA Coordination

Conservation Agriculture Task Forces (CA stakeholders)

•Coordinate the promotion of CA at country level

•Standard message, information sharing, training, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation

•There are other CA networks in some countries

CA Regional Working Group (CARWG)– Institutions promoting CA at CA Regional Working Group (CARWG)– Institutions promoting CA at the regional level

•Regional study tours, Symposium, Commission studies policy, Assessment of CA Equipment

Task forces at different levels of development and effectiveness

Need to embrace all networks involved in CA

Encourage participation of private sector networks

Task forces to identify research and development gaps for scaling up


CA Policy Research

Analysis of national and regional policies and processes and how they

can be improved to support CA adoption by farmers

•FANRPAN leading the policy analysis work


Future Research and Development Needs

•Generate science-based evidence and use in advocacy – on-farm

and complementary on-station research

•Promote a diverse range of complementary technologies, e.g

agroforestry, fodder crops, IPM, production of organic fertilizers, etcagroforestry, fodder crops, IPM, production of organic fertilizers, etc

•Strengthen and implement robust M&E systems

•Monitor farm level, landscape, catchment/basin impacts of CA

adoption

•Training and capacity building - increase CA knowledge and skills

among the farmers and extension. This should include agronomic

practices and use of CA equipment and herbicides


Future Research and Development Needs cont’d

•Develop and strengthen innovative extension approaches, including

those led by farmers, farmer unions and private sector

•Promote farmer linkages to inputs and produce markets – seed for

rotation legumes critical

•Increase farmer access to appropriate CA tools and equipment –•Increase farmer access to appropriate CA tools and equipment –

increase labour productivity and area under CA

•Analyse and improve relevant policies

•Mainstream CA in national and regional programmes and policies –

education, extension, research

•Facilitate farmer access to carbon markets

Partnerships and cooperation - farmers, private, public, civil society

Thank you!Thank you!

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