agrl_innovations_in_ssa.pdf?utm_content=buffercb41d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

ZNFU realised the necessity for commercial viability by linking farmers with markets,
reducing transport costs and improving extension to ensure that CA was a viable
proposition. At the same time, the Golden Valley Agricultural Trust (GART), a joint venture
between Government, the ZNFU and University of Zambia was undertaking research to
validate and improve CA practices. A National Conservation Agriculture Associationof
Zambia (CAAZ) was recently formed to link stakeholders and support MoA&C initiatives
to further scale up CA. Two complimentary programmes, a Conservation Agriculture
Scaling up Programme (CASPP) and a Farmer Suggested Initiative and Response
Programme (FSIRP) are being established with a TF established to consider policy
issues including subsidies, possible use of electronic vouchers for input acquisition,
and greater participation of the private sector. CA stakeholder groups have emerged at
district, national and regional levels that are promoting faster scaling up of CA practices.
Key lessons include the need to build strong partnerships, provide and sustain
training and communication, maintain research commitment and ensure the private
sector becomes fully involved in supporting input and outputs markets to stimulate
development.
Initial context. Southern Africa is home to some of the most food-insecure communities in
the world. Agricultural productivity, not only in Zambia, but also in much of the sub-region,
is low with average staple food crop yields lagging behind global levels. It was argued that
conventional cultivation practices had contributed to declining productivity, increasing food
insecurity, increasing poverty and serious soil degradation and desertification. There was
clearly an urgent need to identify and promote more productive and more sustainable farming
practices not only for maize but to promote diversification to other crops particularly legumes.
The challenges. Until the 1950s, African farmers maintained soil fertility primarily through
shifting cultivation, with natural fallows of 10–30 years rejuvenating soils between cultivation
cycles. However, demographic pressure resulted in shortened fallow periods and expanded
areas of permanent cultivation. In spite of effort to maintain soil fertility, nutrient balances of
African soils have declined leading to growing concerns about agronomic and environmental
sustainability. In a region where up to 80 percent of the population derives their livelihoods
from agriculture, declining soil fertility seriously constrains efforts to raise farm productivity,
increase farm incomes and reduce poverty.
Innovation triggers. Three decades of heavy subsidies on fertiliser and farm equipment ended in
the early 1990s. Continuous high-input maize mono-cropping had left soils degraded, with high
levels of soil erosion, acidity and compaction (ACT, 2011). It was increasingly realised that even in
years of good rainfall the majority of smallholder farmers were food-insecure. During the 1990s a
series of shocks including a series of drought years, decline in cattle numbers due to disease, and
exchange rate devaluation contributed to soaring fuel and fertiliser prices. This forced farmers
and researchers to find alternative means of improving soil fertility and crop productivity.
Stakeholder interactions and interventions. Commercial farmers in Zambia were instrumental
in developing low-tillage, low external input systems based the use of similar systems in
Australia, South Africa, the United States and Zimbabwe. ZNFU became the prime mover
in developing appropriate minimum tillage, low-input techniques not only for mechanised,
60 Agricultural Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa