Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

Executive summaryA conservation agriculture case study for Wanging’ombe and Mshewe wards wasconducted between March and September 2005 to document past and currentconservation agriculture experiences and develop improved understanding to beshared during the Third World Congress on conservation agriculture in Nairobi inOctober 2005.The recommendations came from consultations with development workers in thedistricts, including interviews with 67 people in six villages. These findings wereconfirmed by stakeholders in a workshop held near the end of the study. Thesustenance and livelihood of about 85% of the 28,250 people who live in Msheweof Mbeya District and Wanging’ombe in Njombe District depend on agriculture.Concern is growing over the decline in crop productivity from poor financial accessto supplies, unsustainable land use from tilling with the mouldboard plough, lowand poorly distributed rainfall, and decreasing farm size. These wards have beenfortunate to receive funding and technical help in conservation agriculture and toverify its effectiveness. Major interventions were introduced over the years:Period Funding organizations Interventions1998–2003 TARP II–MAFS and World Bank Ridges, tied ridges, ripping2001 NAEP and World Bank for Ripping and herbicide weed controlSOFRAIP2001–2003 TARP I–MAFS and World Bank Cover crops, ripping, jab, directseedingAmelioration of hardpanAgroforestry, nurseries for tree seedsand shrubs2001–2002 TARP II, SUA and Norad Ridges, tied ridges, ripping2004–2006 FARM Africa Ripping, cover crops, crop rotations2004–2006 FAO and MAFS (TCP/URT/3002)Cover crops, reduced tillage, croprotationsAlso participating in these conservation agriculture trials and promotions were thedistrict councils using village extension officers, researchers from the AgriculturalResearch Institute (ARI) Uyole, development NGOs and suppliers, particularlySEAZ Agricultural Equipment, the Mbeya implement manufacturer.Since conservation agriculture was introduced in 1998, 201 households from sixvillages in Wanging’ombe and Mshewe wards were exposed to the technology and71, 35%, became adopters. Most, 44, were newcomers, mostly from Mayale village,who started using conservation agriculture in 2004. They probably progressedfaster than the others because they had financial support to acquire implements.Reported conservation agriculture benefits came mainly from reduced tillage withthe ox ripper, rather than the complete package involving permanent soil cover andcrop rotations. The few farmers who adopted conservation agriculture increasedcrop yields, saved labour, and stabilized crop yield even through drought. However,the yield increase depended much on fertilizer.110 Mkomwa et al.