Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

Weak bylaw establishment and enforcementLand rights are weak and the poorest farmers reported that it is difficult for themto claim their land rights because the process is cumbersome and the outcomeuncertain. Enforcement of existing bylaws is weak; bylaws proposed by thecommunity are long delayed before getting district approval.Limited access to cover crop planting materialsMany seed stockists sell seeds, mainly of maize, horticultural crops and sunflowers—but not cover crops. This is where the facilitating role of SARI comes strongly intoplay. The role could go as far as supporting new stockists with the supply of covercrop seeds in the villages where the demand is high.Low rainfallAs people are shifting from populated potential areas (highlands of Rhotia andMbulumbulu) to marginal lowlands, establishing cover crops becomes more difficultas with an average annual rainfall of 300 mm, the rains are inadequate.Limited knowledge in agronomic practices for different covercropsMany farmers (about 250) were ready to plant multipurpose crops that canalso provide food and cash. That means they need to abide by all agronomicalpractices—timely planting, use of certified seeds, proper spacing, weeding and pestcontrol, proper harvesting and storage. That trend of knowledge is lacking so thatfarmers growing lablab and pigeon pea have being complaining about poor yieldsdue to poor agronomical practices and postharvest loss due to poor storage.Conservation agriculture technologies and practice require intensive knowledge andexperience, which at present is not available locally. A functioning local network ofconservation agriculture stakeholders in the district with good links to the centressuch as Arusha is essential to keep knowledge sharing going among farmers.12 ConclusionAs conservation agriculture is still in its initial stages in the district, no big impact hasyet been realized, although the future is bright. The technology has the potentialto release small-scale farmers in Karatu from food insecurity, environmentaldegradation and poverty, especially considering that they form 85% of thepopulation. With the current climatic change of inadequate rainfall and poordistribution, poor soil fertility, and shortage of labour due to AIDS and migrationof workers to the towns, conservation agriculture practices become a promisingcoping strategy for improving agriculture and rural livelihoods.However, the decision by households to invest in land for higher productivity isbased on many factors. Land tenure, size of farm holding, use of farm inputs,Karatu District 93