African Conservation Tillage Network

(ACT) and CA in East Africa

By

Peter Kuria Email: peter.kuria@act-africa.org

03/03/2016

Presented at:

Sustainable Agricultural Land Management: Monitoring and accounting for soil carbon Workshop.

AICAD, Nairobi, Kenya Nov. 6th, 2013

Outline Introduction

What is Conservation Agriculture?

ACT and CA Scaling – up in East Africa

CA Interventions by ACT – how practised

CA experiences in East Africa

CA Adoption Rates

The challenges

Conclusion

Recommendations

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Introduction Why Africa has failed to feed its people

Low use of external inputs Fertilizers kg: 13 (208)

Irrigation % of arable land: 5 (38)

Mech. tractors per 1000 ha: 28 (241)

Demographic pressure

Climatic extremes

Resources degradation Due to ploughing; nutrient mining.

Extremely low use efficiency of expensive inputs

Inputs NOT ACCESSIBLE Poor physical and financial infrastructure

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But change anchored on soil health is imperative!

Increase cereal yields by one ton/ha in Africa –

low external inputs and intensification.

Doubling of current cereal production with less

environmental and economic costs is

achievable!

It will lift millions of people out of poverty – at

least the 1 out of the 4.

Transformation based on agroecological low-

external input resource conserving CA systems

Introduction cont’d Africa will feed itself and others

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What is Conservation Agriculture?

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an approach to managing agro-ecosystems for improved and sustained productivity, increased profits and food security while preserving and enhancing the resource base and the environment

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What is Conservation Agriculture?

The 3 principles

Minimum soil disturbance

Permanent soil cover

Crop rotations and associations

Maximum and sustainable benefits derived when the 3 principles overlap

CA enhancers……………

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Complimentary CA enhancers …

Good agronomic practices Timely planting

Proper plant spacing

Effective weed control (with and without herbicides)

Use of improved external inputs improved seeds

Judicious use of Fertilisers

Judicious use of pesticides

Agro-forestry – Fertiliser trees, fodder, live fences, wind breakers. Faidherbia Albida; Baobab; Grevillea; shrubs (e.g. Pillostigma)

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CA networking, information dissemination and capacity building respectively

CA awareness creation for farmers and stakeholders

ACT and CA Scaling-up in Africa

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CA Scaling-up in East Africa

CA demonstrations and on farm trials in farmers’ fields

CA demonstrations and information dissemination by farmers

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• NCATF formed in kenya and Tanzania • Relevant govt departments chairing the task forces • CA CoP formed to champion and engage policy makers

•

Engagements with policy makers and stakeholders on CA issues

Policy interventions

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Precision Planting

Large Scale CA adoption

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CORE THRUST THEMES FOR ACT

= One Stop Information Support Facility for CA =

I. Networking, knowledge and information management.

II. Promotion and dissemination support.

III. Advocacy and public awareness.

IV. Stimulate and facilitate coalition building and

partnerships.

V. Learning-education and training support.

VI. Research support.

VII. Project implementation services.

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CA Interventions by ACT

CA Training and Capacity Building Tailor made national and international courses for extension

workers and researchers. 7 international courses held during 2012 – including Somalia.

Influencing curriculum reform at Agric Universities

Share and serve African’s CA knowledge and information needs It is a network for everybody doing CA in Africa

Online subscription by visiting the ACT website: www.act-africa.org.

E-forums, news alerts and newsletters enables members to be heard and contribute to regional discussions

Past and current projects undertaken with local and

international partners.

Pan African coverage. Please visit our website www.act-africa.org for further details

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CA experiences in East Africa

CA works for both smallholder and large scale farmers producing triple benefits:

1. Resilience & more food for an increasing population CA increases and stabilise yields with time and with fluctuations in rainfall

compared to conventional ploughing.

2. Improved & sustained soil health for resiliency in

food production under a changing climate

3. Reduced GHG emissions from agriculture Due to reduced tillage/direct seeding – not ploughing

particularly when trees are part of the system

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CA Adoption Rates

1. Adoption less than 5% (study in Ghana, Zambia,

Tanzania and Kenya). Lower than anticipations;

maybe not low!

Fixed mindsets; Not enough role models;

Community peer pressure not to be indifferent;

Inputs driven interventions

2. Partial adoption of CA packages

Adoption of 1 or 2 instead of 3 principles. Remember: the 3

principles do not have same effect e.g. direct seeding without

cover is worse than ploughing [CIMMYT, ACT-SCAP (2012)]

3. FAILURE to recognise that a healthy soil is essential

for inputs (fertilisers, improved seeds, water and mechanization) to

function well

4. Yields fall drastically when subsidies/credit were

withdrawn (e.g. Sasakawa global) 03/03/2016

The challenges Have our approaches missed the big picture?

Is the magic of CA lying elsewhere?

1. CA translates to saved time (up to 57% of the growing

season) – idle spouses or new opportunities?

2. Intensification: 2nd or 3rd crop - residual moisture -

produce more – without high external inputs?

3. CA doubles grain yields! Good news. But a 10

hectare and a 0.5 hectare farmer are talking of 10 tons

versus 0.5 of a ton!

4. Diversification: Grain yields vs livestock production –

missing the big picture?

5. Marketing and value addition. Glut vs equitable/

profitable returns. Stable markets and/or value added

produce will entice natural demand for CA

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Double crop on same piece of land at same

time. It is complimentary

Maize mix cropped with pigeon peas and pumpkins 03/03/2016

Do weeds grow on ploughed land?

Conclusion

CA – in the wider picture: CA opens the way for

diversified and integrated production:

Local adaptation works best in a farmer discovery/

learning process

CA works through synergy – hence all three

components are eventually important.

Africa will be able to feed the 2 billion – Nutrition -

small stock - women

CA has a lot of benefits at regional and

landscapes/watersheds. But most of the costs are at

farm level. Govts to share through payments for

environmental services and subsidies.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

CA for smallholders is knowledge intensive, with

little profits for private sector. Hence pioneered by the

humanitarian not-for-profit NGOs

We need about 1 million successful CA model

farmers and half of our scaling up work will be

done.

Coordinate CA efforts - researchers and academia to

unlock problems

Support voiceless smallholder farmers to petition

national governments for risk sharing.

Policy interventions – Extension staff capacity building

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Oxen ripping

Oxen direct seeding Jab planting 03/03/2016

THE WAY FORWARD

Make full use of CA based value chains Walking tractor seeder development

Value addition of oil seeds under CA rotations

Access to equitable markets

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Motorised equipments

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THANK YOU

We have the opportunity to make a difference ….

… we, not somebody else …

www.act-africa.org

“A good quality land yields good results to everyone. Confers good health on the entire family, and causes growth of money, cattle

and grain.”

REMEMBER !!!!

We have the opportunity to network and

make a difference!!!! …

www.act-africa.org Watch the ACT video documentary at

C:\Users\user\Videos\RealPlayer Downloads\Feeding The

Soil or Feeding The Cow - YouTube.mp4

and give your comments

THANK YOU 03/03/2016