Crop residue use in crop-livestock farms

challenges & options of mulching in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture Brisbane, Australia, 26-29 September 2011

Diego ValbuenaOlaf Erenstein Sabine HomannTahirou AbdoulayeAlan DuncanBruno GérardNils Teufel

mixed systems & SLPwww.vslp.org Mixed systems = 2/3 population + food +

value chains(Herrero et al. 2010)

Biomass trade-offs: immediate demands & soil sustainability

SLP: Bring livestock research on the agenda + links CGIAR

Current project: crop residues use in mixed systems

objectives

Describe crop residue use in diverse mixed systems

Identify main challenges of mulching

Look for options related to mulching

crop residue use CA ideal situation

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crop residue use mixed crop-livestock farms

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working ideasCR: much more than mulch

Offer (intensification) & demand (pressure) matter

Options need to include local specificities

site & village selection

site: agri. intensification &

marketvillage: market &

road access

selected sitesPot. pressure

on biomassHIGH MEDIUM LOW

Country India Bangla. Kenya Ethiopia India Ethiopia Zimb. Mozam. Niger Nigeria Malawi Niger

Site ID H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

Location Karnal Dinajpur Kakamega Nekemte Rajasthan Kobo Nykayi Changara Fakara Kano Mzimba Maradi

Symbol

Market access +++ ++ ++ + ++ + ++ + + +++ + ++

Intensification +++ ++ ++ + + + + + + ++ ++ +

Agro-ecology semi-arid (irrigated)

humid (irrigated) highlands highlands semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid

Rainfall 750 2000 1650 1050 650 700 600 650 500 800 700 600

Main crops wheat-rice ricemaize, beans

maize, teff maizesorghum,

teffmaize

maize, millet,

sorghum

millet, cowpea

sorgh. maize.gnt

cpeamaize

millet, sorghum, cowpea

Livestock buffalo cattle

cattle goat cattle-dairy cattle

cattle/buf goat cattle cattle

cattle goats

cattle shoats

cattle shoats

cattle goats

cattle shoats

after Valbuena et al. submitted

potential biomass pressure

after Valbuena et al. submitted

M-E1

H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NG

L-N2

L-Z

L-MW

M-E2

M-I2

L-MZ

H-K

Grouping sites: pop. &

livestock densities

land & animals

M-E1H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NG

L-N2

L-Z

L-MW

M-E2M-I2

L-MZ

H-K

land & livestock; livelihood for > ½ farms

income & production

M-E1

H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NGL-N2

L-Z

L-MW

M-E2

M-I2L-MZ

H-K

Range of agriculture & self-consumptionExtremes in S. Asia

CR more than mulch: cereals

after Valbuena et al. submitted

sites

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

other

traded

left/mulch

feed

↓ feed ↑

mulch

↑ feed, ↓ mulch

NG: feed-fuelMW: feed-mulch

CR more than mulch: legume

H-K

L-N1

% sold% fed% others

L-NG L-N2

Legume residue high value or good for cooking (H-K).No mulching.In Southern Africa not mentioned.

trends last 10yrs

% villages H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

increase

fuel - 71 100 100 - 63 - - 100 88 - 57stall feed 63 100 88 100 38 88 60 88 86 100 - 71

left/mulch 63 88 38 0 0 0 - 40 57 - 75 -decrease

left/mulch 0 13 63 88 25 100 - 20 43 - 13 -Overall increase of CR use as fuel &

stall feedIncrease left/mulch key sites: irrigation

& fertilizersIncrease of collection/privatisation of

CR in ET

CR as feed

after Valbuena et al. submitted

sites

H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N20%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100% ↑ feed: M & H- sites

↑ feed sources

feed shortages

0

2

4

6

8

10

crop residuesgreen foddergrazing

sites

H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

M-sites & West Africa:

↑ pressure on feed

intensification matters

after Valbuena et al. submitted

M-ET1

H-BD

L-NE1

H-IN1

L-NG

L-NE2

L-ZW

L-MW

M-ET2M-IN2

L-MZ

H-KN

↑ pop: ↑ intensity (area) H↑ pop: ↓ communal land↑ pop ↓ int./prod (area) & ↓ com. land: ↑ pressure on CR

other CA-related practices

M-E1H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NGL-N2 L-ZL-MW

M-E2M-I2

L-MZ

H-K

> ½ area is tilled by animal; but also hand or tractor (not shown)Scarce legumes; market distortion & farming systems

results show that:

CR are short-term resources: feed & Co.

CR to mulch with lower pressure (very ↑ production; or ↑ production + ↓ demand), but practices need to change. With higher pressure: increase of production is needed.

Each region has its own potential, challenges & options for more sustainable agriculture = no silver-bullet exists

work in progress

household diversity linking better socio-economic, biophysical & institutional stakeholder involvement: R4D & demand-led R&D proposals