ICA

RD

A 2

013

T9: Building resilience in agricultural systems: soil conservation and fertility management

December 17th, 2013

Case study 1: Assessment of approaches for improving soil fertility - conservation agriculture in Sinnar State, Sudan.

Supporting the Small-Scale Traditional Rainfed Producers in Sinnar State (SUSTAIN)

Project Rationale:

• Responding to ↑ levels of land degradation

• Introduction of environmentally friendly and productivity enhancing technical packages

Location:• 3 of 7 localities in Sinnar State

• Dinder, Abu Hajar, & Dali/Mazmoum

Project Beneficiaries:• 100 villages over 3 localities

Target:• Smallholders (9 fed & ≤5 SR)• Settled pastoralists• Destitute women

Thirty years ago..

2012…

Constraints

•low and erratic rainfall

• severe drought (1-3 years, 15-21 days in-season)

•lack of soil and water conservation practices

•minimum inputs - ↓ soil fertility

Wide level disc (WLD)• 1° tillage, designed for 2°

tillage (pulverization)

• shallow (3 – 5 cm), thus ↓ water conservation.

• 1st - dry disking (after 100 – 150 mm) - seal cracks; incorporate trash, weeds.

• 2nd - green disking – seeding, 1 – 2 weeks later - dependent on rainfall.

Recurrent use has caused:

• clay pan and compacted soil surface - ↓ water infiltration

• late planting - missing more than 30 – 40 % of annual rainfall

Poor water infiltration – leading to runoff/erosion

Compaction

Crusting

Promotion of minimum tillage – prior to 1st rain - water harvesting

Under minimum tillage: – 133% increase in sorghum grain yield – 355mm rainfall average

Assumed that creating furrows would collapse cracks and improve water retention into the surface layer.

Following chisel ploughing Following first rainfall

Crusting and Poor water Infiltration

Thank you