Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

Executive summaryA case study of conservation agriculture in Arumeru District was carried out toestablish a conservation agriculture history and describe adapting and adoptingconservation agriculture with experiences, challenges and issues in ArumeruDistrict.Conservation agriculture is a farming technology introduced in Arumeru Districtthrough the intervention of the government, NGOs and the private sector. Itsbasic principles are crop rotation, soil cover and minimum soil disturbance. Theseprinciples are geared towards improving soil fertility by improving water retention,increasing soil organic matter, and reducing soil degradation. Conservationagriculture aims to increase farm production, household food security, and incomewith less labour.The information was collected through participatory methods. The sites had aprevious conservation agriculture project or current conservation agricultureactivities or community organization or used any conservation agriculture principle.A local case study team was formed. District stakeholders were identified by theirparticipation and knowledge of conservation agriculture. Information was solicitedfrom institutional reports. The case study team talked to farmers who had triedconservation agriculture and then abandoned it, farmers who practised conservationagriculture although they were not initially targeted for it, key stakeholders andagricultural officers. The district has major roads connecting it to Dar es Salaamand Nairobi. Most of the district is served by cell phones.The district’s HIV incidence has increased every year since 1998, with 3412(0.65%) infected since 1988. Tuberculosis cases have increased rapidly because ofthe AIDS epidemic (NACP 2003). This affects agriculture by reducing the amountof available labour and increasing the time and resources needed to treat the sick.The district has two farming seasons. There is little or no crop rotation, butintercropping is common. Maize is a staple food and largely intercropped withpigeon pea or Dolichos lablab. Livestock is a source of wealth, food and employmentin the district. Most of the livestock are indigenous. Soil conservation includesconstructed structures and plants to control erosion.Different institutions have introduced and promoted conservation agriculture. TheSelian Agricultural Institute (SARI) has been involved with conservation agriculturesince 1999 and developed zero tillage, intercropping, and attaining and retaining soilcover. Heifer Project International, involved with dairy cattle, features soil and waterconservation by having farmers establish fodder along constructed contours. NandraEngineering Ltd is a private firm that produces conservation agriculture implements.The Soil Conservation and Agroforestry Programme in Arusha (SCAPA) has had a landmanagement programme since 1989, including conservation tillage and improvingwater infiltration, all aimed at sustained improvement in crop and land productivity.Tanzania Engineering and Manufacturing Design Organization (TEMDO) and theCentre for Agricultural Mechanization and Rural Technology (CARMATEC) arepublic agricultural implement designers and manufacturers involved in producing6 Maguzu et al.