Sue Walker

Professor of Agrometeorology

Dept. Soil, Crop and Climate SciencesUniversity of the Free StateBloemfontein, South AfricaCommunity Based Adaptations

IntroductionLarge parts of Africa have semi-arid environmentHigh variability of rainfallScarcity of water for crop production on regular basis every yearLow area & efficiency of irrigation

Climate outlooks & weather forecasts are available but difficult for farmers to use

Need to identify climate sensitive on-farm decisions together with the farmers

Best to use participatory and action research methods

Community-based Resource Plan & ManagementUse participatory methods with villagers to make

a map of natural resources

Community-based Resource Plan & ManagementUse participatory methods with villagers to make

a map of natural resources

time lines of activities

Community-based Resource Plan & ManagementUse participatory methods with villagers to make

a map of natural resources

time lines of activities

matrix of choices or problems

Advantage of Participatory Technique Allows community to express own needs & promotes ownership of information & learning is retained in community

Also promotes dissemination of info byDeveloping good relationships with farmers built on trustPromoting open channels of communication Using appropriate media and language

Community Modeling ExerciseUse existing farmer focus or study groupsDraw natural resources map using participatory methodsFarmers to id yields obtained in a wet & a dry year in last 5 yearsRun crop model with a specific farmers inputsCultivar & planting date & plant population & fertilizer etcCompare model & farmers yields Repeat till farmers are happy the model can give good yield predictionBrainstorm & discuss options for interventionsResearchers work overnight to develop model runs for these scenariosNext day meet farmers again and share long-term model results for various interventionsAllow much discussion & questioningDevelop plan for on-farm mother trials with selected promising interventions

Modeling Example from ZimbabweJohn Dimes ICRISAT

Use APSIM model Duration of season decrease Crop choice important

Highest priority is to raise current productivity of small-holder farmer systems as systems are soil fertility constrained NOT water limited

BaselineClimate changeCropTotal biomass (Mg ha1)Duration (d)In-crop rain (mm)HITotal biomass (Mg ha 1)Duration (d)In-crop rain (mm)HISorghum6.41073960.414.7883200.44Maize6.41294330.294.71073520.28Groundnut4.61224160.423.71063450.37Pigeonpea4.31654630.274.41363970.24

Mother Baby TrialsMother trial = randomized, complete block design (Snapp, 2002). with factorial levels determined where responses are expectedwith 2-4 replications per site to give statistically valid results in farmers fieldsresearcher-designed and managed trials.Baby trials = located around mother trialsconsist of a few treatments un-replicated chosen from mother trial by farmers. may be managed by researchers or farmers. allow farmers to see for themselves the performance of treatments at different trial sitesallow for faster, larger-scale testing at different locations under different management conditions.

In summary, best farmer participatory research practices as identified by farmers engage farmers in genuine dialogue, address their concerns, and present technologies through learning-by-doing and learning-by-using. This develops farmers capacity to conduct experiments on their own and to teach each other. Research and extension need to learn from farmers... from Rusike, Twomlow, Freeman & Heinrich, 2006.

Methods of learning used

Problem-based learning to identify & solve farmers problems together with themto identify local examples of micro-met manipulation

So that it becomes a knowinginaction experience

Use action research learning cycle with communityplan act observe reflectThen repeat cycle

Community-based InterventionsIt is possible to change practices according to seasonal climate forecast

Tillage systemsPlanting datesMulchingWater harvestingCrop choiceIntercroppingFertilizer application

Tillage Example from ZimbabweWalter Mupangwa ICRISAT

Dead-level contours with or without collection pits

Ripper vs basins vs conventional

Mulch or no mulch

Intercropping Example from South AfricaHendrick Smith Landcare & master farmersIntroduce legumes

Mitsuru Tsubo with Harun Ogindo & Elijah MukhalaField experiments & model to predict effect of different seasons

Water harvesting Example from South AfricaARC-ISCW Glen TeamFarmers field experiments in marginal areasUpscale to many, many households & crops

Mitsuru Tsubo Model to predict effects

Example from Zambia (Southern Province)Participatory Agrometeorological Extension StrategyDurton Nanja Zambian Met DeptLocal radio & tape recorderRole playsStudy groupsOn-farm mother-baby trials

Need to provide Agromet Services To have a positive influence on farm management operations, through the application of weather based decision systems would be one of the most practical contributions to sustainable development Kees Stigter

Identify indigenous & local micro-met manipulations then explore and describe their scientific basis.

Identify possible adaptive interventions& research details for specific location.

Develop specific local advisories based on weather & climate forecasts

Development of Agromet ServicesUse info From farmers needstechnical & scientific background e.g. climate variability; irrigation systemsProblem solving skillsIntegrate range of experiences usingClimate databases and infoComputer skills (e.g. spreadsheets, simple models)Interpolation of resultsAdaptation for local situationPreparation of advisories for farmersEstablish operational agromet service Disseminate on regular basisUse local languageTransfer to other communities

To achieve this.We need to

be able to assess farmers needs by participation methodshave communication & community skillsbuild good linkages between departments - Met & Agriculture have a model of climate effect on agricultural systemsdesign mother baby trials together with communityhave practical tools to compare different situationsbe able to use these results and climate forecasts to develop operational agromet services for local farmers

sufficient balanced food for all the people all the timein spite of the weather

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