CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE WITH FAIDHERBIA IN MALAWI:

Total LandCare and CIMMYT

Thematic Session on Conservation Agriculture

CONFERENCE ON BEATING FAMINE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

WT Bunderson, ZD Jere, SWD Ng’oma, JM Paul, R Museka, B Mbale and C Thierfelder

Crop resilience to drought and

dry spells:

Healthy maize under Faidherbia vs. stressed crop

outside

Maize Crop under Faidherbia in 2014/15

Sunflower Crop under Faidherbia in 2014/15

Winter Beans under Faidherbia after maize harvest

Groundnut Crop under Faidherbia in 2014/15

Cowpea Relay Crop under Faidherbia after maize harvest

Cowpea Relay Crop under Faidherbia after maize harvest

Effects of Faidherbia on Farmer Maize Yields (kg/ha) in Malawi under CA vs. Ridge Tillage, 2010/11 (all plots used

the same type & amount of fertilizer at modest rates)

38% Increase in Yield

Effects of Faidherbia on Maize Yields under CA vs Ridge Tillage, 2013/14 (different letters are significant at p < 0.001)

Effects of Faidherbia on Maize Yields under CA vs Ridge Tillage, 2013/14 (different letters are significant at p < 0.05)

Maize Yields with CA Under and Away from Faidherbia from 40 farmer fields in Zambia – Average Yield Increase was 220%

(Source: CFU Zambia)

CORE PRINCIPLES OF CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE AND COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES

Minimal Soil Disturbance

No Ploughing

No Tilling

No Ridging

No Banking

Good Soil Cover

Growing Crops

Crop Residues & Other Plant Biomass

No Burning

Organic Manures

Compost

Animal Manures

Green Manures

Crop Rotations / Crop Associations

Full & Partial Rotations

Intercropping / Associations

Methods & Tools for Planting

Dibble Sticks

Chaka Hoes

Rippers

Other Soil & Water Conservation Measures

Contour Vetiver Hedges

Raised Foot-Paths

Storm Drains

Agroforestry

Soil Fertility

Ground Cover

Wood Products/Uses

Herbicides

Weed Control withIncreased Yields

Conservation of soil nutrients and moisture

Chemical Fertilizers

Soil Fertility

Increased Yields& Ground Cover

CA System Promoted by TLC● Minimum soil disturbance (mandatory, non-negotiable)

No ploughing, ridging or tillage by manual or mechanical means

Direct sow into a) small holes on the flat or top of old ridges with hoe or dibble stick, or b) rip lines with animal drawn rippers

● Retention of crop residues & other biomass on the ground to maximize capture of rainfall & minimize runoff & soil loss (whenever feasible &practical)

● Crop rotations, associations and agroforestry (whenever possible given the limited size of land holdings)

Complement CA with quality seed, organic/chemical fertilizers & herbicides as available to maximize yield potential

Crop Residues in situ - maximizes capture of rainfall, conserves moisture, adds OM, reduces runoff & erosion

Planting holes with dibble sticks or hoes is an age old practice, here residues were burned by mice hunters

Maize Rotation with Beans (left) and Groundnuts (right)

Legume rotations and intercrops improve soil fertility, reduce pests & disease, offer better diets,

and increase returns to land and labor

CA with Faidherbia – increases yields and resilience to drought

CA with Cowpeas and Faidherbia / No Herbicides● Retain crop residues on the ground surface

● Control burning through community bye-laws

● Min till: Plant on top of old ridges with dibble stick

● Use Hybrid or OPV maize with 90 cm rows & 1 seed every 45 cm

● Cut weeds by shallow scraping of the soil with hoe or blade (no deep cultivation or banking as done with ridges)

● If possible, apply moderate fertilizer in holes between maize stations at 40-60 kg N, 12-15 kg P/ha

● Direct sow cowpeas 4-6 weeks after maize between rows with 1 seed every 20 cm maize (drought tolerant Sudan variety)

● Cowpeas add value for income, weed control, nutrition, and good ground cover through June

● ● ● ● ● ●

◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

● ● ● ● ● ●

● Maize 24,700 plants per ha

◦ Cowpeas 55,555 plants per ha

45 cmMaize Spacing Within the Row

90 cm between

maize rows

20 cm

PLANT SPACING OF MAIZE WITH COWPEAS

CA with Maize & Cowpea Relay Crop – high value crop on same land as maize, controls late season weeds and provides good soil cover

Cowpea Crop after the Maize Harvest

Crop resilience to drought and

dry spells:

Healthy maize under Faidherbia vs. stressed crop

outside

Benefits of CA based on interviews of 2000 farmers

Farmer surveys revealed several key benefits of CA:

●Increased food security with resilience to dry spells

●Significant savings in labour for land preparation, ridging, weeding and banking with opportunities to improve, expand & diversify farming

●Increased income from higher yields and reduced labor and input costs

Key Challenges to Adoption1. Conflicting technical messages on CA, including planting basins and the

policies of the MOA that support both contour ridging and CA

2. Resistance to Change: Culture of ridging and clean fields – need compelling evidence that CA is better than the traditional practice

3. Limited knowledge on application with other crops

4. Insistence on the adoption of all 3 principles at the onset

5. Requirement for a dense cover of crop residues/biomass

6. Misguided perceptions on the need for inputs and/or tools

7. Concerns about effective methods and costs for weed control

8. Failure of linear extension systems: Need for participatory farmer led approaches to jointly identify and evaluate challenges and options

9. Limits on membership in groups/clubs: Perceptions that membership in CA groups is fixed which restricts others from joining.

Key Actions to Address Challenges● Strengthen knowledge and support for CA among stakeholders

through meetings, field days, exchange visits, the media and publications with compelling evidence of its benefits and application with different crops in different agro-ecologies.

● Provide options for good weed control with and without herbicides

● Harmonize the production and delivery of extension messages among implementers to avoid distorting the basic concept of CA and creating confusion among extension staff &farmers.

● Promote participatory farmer led systems of extension by engaging community leaders, farmers, researchers and extension staff

● Limit provision of free or subsidized inputs: The risk is that CA becomes an input or project driven instead of attracting interest based on its true merits.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSInformation in this presentation was produced by Total LandCare with support and collaboration from the CFU Zambia, CIMMYT, Governments of Malawi, Tanzania,

Mozambique and Zambia, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, USAID, and the British Government through DFID

TOTAL LANDCAREP.O. Box 2440

Area 14, Plot 100Lilongwe, Malawi

Tel: +265 1 770 904 / 905; Fax: +265 1 770 919Email: total.landcare.mw@gmail.com

Website: www.totallandcare.org

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