Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

Land tenureSmall-scale farmers willing to practise conservation measures need entitlement toland for more than one season to see improved soil fertility.Few conservation agriculture implementsConservation agriculture implements were not readily available. Most of the rippers wererecalled, leaving farmers with no choice but to revert to conventional tillage. The ripperswere too few. In some cases, they were shared among stakeholders and institutions.Lack of follow-up and coordinationConservation agriculture initiatives lacked coordination on implementation,up-scaling, documentation and evaluation. After projects phased out, little wasdocumented on the results of using the technology.Inadequate conservation agriculture skillsGovernment extension staff serve vast areas, though they are expected to be in touchwith farmers regularly. They are hindered by lack of adequate facilities. At the sametime most are not aware of conservation agriculture, leaving the responsibility to thefew with extensive knowledge. Yet they could greatly contribute in spreading andmonitoring conservation agriculture as a daily duty. Conservation agriculture is a newtechnology and the knowledge needs to be widely spread to enhance its adoption.Bylaw enforcementGrazing bylaws were weakly enforced by local governments, leading to continuedsoil degradation, competition with livestock for crop residue and loss of soil cover.MigrationMigration out of the district to the newly established districts affected thedevelopment of conservation agriculture. Conservation agriculture knowledge wasnot widespread and few were aware of it.Adequate soil cover and weedingThe cover crops had many uses, so adequate soil cover was not attained. This wasexacerbated by drought, pests and diseases, and competition for livestock feed.Consequently, soil cover did not greatly reduce labour for weeding.Diversity of crops for researchMaize has been the main crop used for research. Other crops needing conservationagriculture intervention are irrigated horticultural crops, barley and wheat, especiallywith conservation agriculture implements, which are not available in Tanzania.38 Maguzu et al.