A Guide to Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe - Canadian ...

section FOUR
Resources for Conservation Agriculture
4.4 Conservation Agriculture Packages
The Zimbabwe Conservation Agriculture Task Force
(ZCATF) has developed Conservation Farming Packages
for Natural Regions II through IV. These packages are goals
that programs should try to achieve within 5 to 7 years.
The recommended packages are summarized below.
Based on the possible crop rotations outlined in Table 4.1,
three conservation agriculture packages are
recommended by the ZCATF for households with different
resource statuses:
Table 3.1 Example household packages
Full package (households with no labour, draught
power or financial constraints) – see Table 4.2 for
comprehensive agronomic details.
• Three by 0.25 ha plots
• Cereal • cash crop • legume rotation
Standard package – see Table 4.3 for comprehensive
agronomic details.
• 2 by 0.25 ha plots
• Cereal • legume rotation
Vulnerable Households Package – The focus of the
Protracted Humanitarian Relief Initiative – see Table
4.4 for comprehensive agronomic details.
• 0.25 ha plot
• 0.2 ha cereals, 0.05 ha legume
• Option for cereal • legume intercrop
• In years one and two it is recommended that
the program focus only on staple cereals to
address food security constraints.
Table 4.1 Conservation farming cropping packages recommended by Natural Region in Zimbabwe
Natural Rainfall Rainfall Cropped Crops/
Region (mm) characteristics area Rotation
II 650 to 800 Good distribution 3 x 0.35 ha Maize-Cotton-Legume
(Groundnuts* /Soybean
III 650 30 to 40 rain days 3 x 0.35 ha Maize-Cotton-Legume
(Groundnuts/Cowpea/ Soybean)
IV 500 to 650 30 rain days 3 x 0.35 ha Maize/Sorghum/Pearl Millet
Groundnuts/Cowpea
Sunflower/Cotton
V Less than 500 16 to 30 rain days 3 x 0.35 ha Sorghum/Pearl Millet/
Maize Groundnuts/Cowpea
*Groundnuts are not recommended for the Planting Basins Package as spacings are unsuitable and leave the groundnuts susceptible to disease
and pests.
53 Farming for the Future