casfesa closure: results, lessons, gaps, opportunities and challenges--m. jaleta et al
TRANSCRIPT
CASFESA Project
Results, Lessons, Gaps, Opportunities
and Challenges
Moti Jaleta, Tilaye Teklewold, Alemu Tolemariam,
Simegnew Tamir, Yeshiwas Tilahun and Habtemariam Asefa
23rd Febrauary2015
Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Outline
• Background of the existing cropping
system
• Principles of Conservation Agriculture(CA)
• CASFESA project overview
• Main Achievements/Results/Lessons
• Challenges and Opportunities
• Summary
CA components and current farmer practices
• Zero/minimum tillage
• Crop association (intercropping/rotation)
• Residue retention or permanent soil cover
Current farm practices (from baseline survey)
District N Total maize area(ha)
Maize under
intercropping(ha) %
South Achefer 292 176.71 4.0 2
Jabitehnan 278 142.59 6.25 4
Total 570 319.30 10.25 3
South Achefer district = Main crop intercropped with maize = Rapeseed
Jabitehnan district = Main crop intercropped with maize = Common bean
Total maize area under intercropping(2012/13)
Current farm practices _intercropping
Season South Achefer Jabitehnan
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Area rotated(ha)
% Area rotated(ha)
%
Maize Maize Maize 55.89 31.63 42.88 30.07
Others Others Maize 54.94 31.09 37.65 26.40
Maize Others Maize 48.44 27.41 43.22 30.31
Others Maize Maize 17.44 9.87 18.85 13.22
Total area under maize(ha)
176.71 142.59
South Achefer district: Main crop rotated with maize = Finger millet
Jabitehnan district: Main crop rotated with maize = Pepper
Current farm practices _ Rotation
Minimum Tillage (one-Pass) with no
residue cover and mono-cropping
Conventional tillage
Both practices are not sustainable.
Tillage Practices
South Achefer: 28% of maize plots were
under by minimum tillage
Crop Residue Utilization
• No crop residue retention practices.
• Maize Stover has a multiple purposes- use competition
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CASFESA Project Goal: To Secure Household Food Security by Improving Crop Productivity through CA Principles
Operational in Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi
Funded by EU through IFAD
Implemented with the collaboration of CIMMYT,ARARI and District agricultural offices.
What CASFESA Project did
• Randomly selected 15 treatment and 15 control villages in both districts
• Set CA demo plots on plots donated by 2-hosting farmers in each of the treatment villages
• Trained farmers and development agents on CA practices (demo-plot management and record keeping)
• Provided seed and fertilizer (with agreement to compensate for any yield loss due to technology failure)
What CASFESA Project did • Organized farmers’ field days where farmers
from treatment villages participate and inquire on benefits and costs of CA
• Invited agro-dealers to field days organized in their vicinity
• Continued similar activities for three years and encouraged farmers to try the technology on their own maize plots
Demo plots Design 1m 10 m 1m 10m 1m
Zero tillage +
intercropping
Conventional
tillage +
intercropping
10m
1m
Sole maize +
zero tillage
Sole maize +
zero tillage
10m
1m
Field Day Participants
District Sex 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Total
South Achefer
M 265 264 48 577
F 7 16 2 25
T 272 280 50 602
Jabitehnan
M 656 522 306 1484
F 49 152 122 323
T 705 674 428 1807
Farmers’ Field Days
Economic Return of CA Technologies
(South Achefer)
Items
Total plots
(N=590)
Min- tillage plots
(N=158)
Conv. tillage plots
(N=432)
Mean Mean Mean
Revenue
Revenue from maize production
(Birr/ha)a 8,833.22 10,739.93*** 8,135.86
Variable costs
Seed cost (Birr/ha) 487.89 648.84** 420.53
Fertilizer cost (Birr/ha) 3,811.11 4,619.12*** 3,515.59
Herbicide cost (Birr/ha) 233.91 898.71*** 0.00
Labor cost (Birr/ha) 1,467.16 1,145.10 1,584.95***
Oxen-days (Birr/ha) 705.84 278.32 860.47***
Total Variable costs
(Birr/ha)b 6,571.94 7,370.25*** 6,275.10
Gross margin (Birr/ha)(a-b) 2,216.73 3,229.74*** 1,846.23
Gross return on investment (Birr/ha)(a/b) 1.34 1.46 1.30
Gross margin analysis in maize production by tillage
Note: Average maize grain price was 4.00Birr/kg; opportunity cost of labor and oxen-power was assumed as 20 Birr/AE/day and 50
Birr/pair of oxen/ha, respectively.
***, **, and * are significantly different from the other group mean at 1%, 5% and 10%, respectively
Identifying Potential Recommendation Domains for CA
(Ethiopia)
• Total Area under cultivation: 17,792,600 ha
• High Biophysical potential and High Socioeconomic potential
821,006 ha (i.e., 4.6%) Targeting is crucial!!
Source: Tesfaye et al. (2015). Environmental Management. 55(2):330-346.
Challenges
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Free grazing vs. crop residue retention/management
Challenges (2)
Conventional Shilshalo/madager
– Not compatible with CA principles
– Not suitable for intercropping
– Reduce plant density
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Challenges (3)
Limited availability of improved legume
varieties suitable to West Gojam zone
– Productivity
– Disease resistant
– Planting date of legume crops with
maize is not well identified/known.
Challenges (4) Maize plant/seed is easily exposed to birds when rain stops for
long period after planting.
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However, it’s best forage source during
the wet season for cut-and-carry feeding
practices.
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Farmers’ field: South Achefer
Grass weeds are common problems
in Minimum tillage maize fields.
Maize plant_ Minimum Tillage
Improved seed + chemical fertilizer + minimum tillage
+ glyphosate + primagram + hand-weeding
Farmers’ field: South Achefer
Primagram doesn’t allow legume intercropping.
Opportunities
• The on-going soil and water conservation
structures/practices by MoA.
– Community by-laws restricted free grazing on
conserved plots.
• Existence of Cooperative Union/private agro-
dealers for input supply
• Prior introduction of zero tillage practice in
South Achefer
Summary
• CA is economically viable if farmers are given as alternative technology.
• Current practices of minimum tillage has to be revised in such away that it ensures sustainability.
• In order to scale up CA principles, institutional arrangements meant for easing input accessibility and affordability need to be improved .
• Continued research on CA principles specifically on generating suitable legume crops technologies in the area meant for maize intercropping.
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ThankS!