African Conservation Tillage Network

(ACT) and CA in Africa

By

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

03/03/2016

Presented at: The “Conservation Agriculture: Achieving Impact in Africa” Workshop

organised by AUSAid Australia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 8th to 9th July, 2013

Outline Introduction

What is Conservation Agriculture?

ACT and CA Scaling – up in Africa

Who is ACT

Core Thrust Themes for ACT

CA Interventions by ACT

CA experiences in 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?

The 3 principles Minimum soil

disturbance – or direct seeding if possible

Permanent soil cover

Crop and cover crop associations and rotations

Maximum and sustainable benefits derived when the 3 principles overlap

CA enhancers……………

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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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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 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) – so what? What else to do?

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

Conclusion & Recommendations

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.

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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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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

http://www.act-africa.org/videos.php?com=60&vid=12

and give your comments

THANKS. 03/03/2016