Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

In the latest FARM Africa project, farmers were trained in participatory monitoringand evaluation so farmers could set their own performance targets and how to attainthem, identify interventions that would benefit the community and rally support forthem, set up small field school evaluation teams to monitor progress in householdsand report on deviations for corrective measures.PromotionsConservation agriculture evaluation trials are a way to promote the technology. Afarmer group should be provided a free set of conservation agriculture implementsfor the demonstration plot. Implements available to participating farmers’ ownplots for a small fee provides income for the group. In addition, free improved seedsand fertilizers for the demonstration plots should be provided for the first year.The farmer group was expected to generate revenue from the first harvest to buysupplies for the second and subsequent years.Field days, normally conducted once in a year at crop maturity when treatmentdifferences are more visually pronounced, are a public affair involving localadministrators and neighbouring villages.9 Conservation agriculture adoptionAdoption ratesSince conservation agriculture was introduced in 1998, 201 households fromsix villages in Wanging’ombe and Mshewe were exposed to the technology and71, 35%, became adopters (table 5). Of the 71 adopters, only 2 were from the 8pioneers of Wanging’ombe who built soil and water conservation structures in 1998.Most, 44, were newcomers, mostly from Mayale village, who started conservationagriculture in 2004. They probably progressed faster than the others because theycould acquire implements through a revolving loan and financially stronger farmerfield schools that also kept the team spirit going. The adopters dropped to about20% in Mshewe Ward, probably because it had better rainfall and less drought risk.Ripping or direct seeding was most valued and adopted, followed by soil cover withcover crops and crop residue. Crop rotations were not systematically conducted.Rotating cover crops was not yet understood.Diffusion of conservation agriculture technology and having farmers adopt it is painfullyslow and complex. Farmers take time, sometimes up to one crop season or year, to trustresearchers and village extension officers. True evaluation of conservation agriculturecommenced only after farmers were convinced the motives were honest and transparent.Even then, information flow within groups was weak with poor group dynamics. Theimportance of the farmer field school approach cannot be overemphasized.Reported conservation agriculture benefits came mainly from reduced tillage withthe ox ripper rather than the complete package, involving permanent soil coverand crop rotations. The few farmers who adopted conservation agriculture did itbecause of increased social status attached to using modern implements, increasedcrop yields, reduced labour and stabilized yields, especially during drought.Mbeya District 129