Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

package being introduced should consider crop–livestock integration. Thesecatch words should be considered: locally available resources, intensification,diversification, local interest, and livelihood improvement.• Policy analysis and advocacy of conservation agriculture technologiesshould be undertaken to ensure the inclusion of conservation agricultureobjectives in national agricultural and environmental policies; wheneverpossible, each district should have an agricultural resource centre dealingwith conservation agriculture technologies, inputs and implements.Encourage conservation agriculture programmes, not projects• Whenever possible conservation agriculture packages should give simplehighlights to small-scale farmers about marketing their produce—offeringonly products of high quality, sorting and grading, sending samples todifferent markets, maximizing yields per unit area, advertising, avoidingfarm-gate prices, promoting marketing, working in production groups tomaximize economies of scale, advocating favourable changes in agriculturaldevelopment policy, carrying out cost-benefit analysis to judge which cropto produce, processing, storing and adding value, finding alternative useof the agricultural products, producing in a timely manner to maximizeopportunities afforded when there is scarcity, and producing under contract.• Participatory conservation agriculture bylaws should be established to ensurethe enforcement of existing environmental bylaws, which can promote thewide and fast adoption of conservation agriculture technologies. Localauthorities should be given more mandate in bylaw enforcement aftercreating awareness to the communities about what ought to be done.• Innovation needs to be upscaled by increasing the number of new conservationagriculture practitioners and ensuring full adoption of all conservationagriculture practices—no till, permanent cover and crop rotation.• Many farmers have realized the importance of applying conservationagriculture technologies in their fields, but the big problem facing themis poverty, which reflects low purchasing power for agricultural inputsand implements. It is important for any project or institution facilitatingconservation agriculture technologies to make sure it can link community tocredit agents or establish saving and credit societies.• The community-based approach should be encouraged so that neighbourswho will not abide by the principles of conservation agriculture will notjeopardize the achievement of individual households. The area may besubcatchment or subvillage, where land should be set aside for conservationagriculture practices, hoping with time they will spread to other areas.• Reports, posters and other informational materials on conservationagriculture should be translated into local languages in simple phrases and beavailable in Swahili, to be used by facilitators and farmers. Currently manyconservation agriculture reading materials are available only in English.96 Ringo et al.