Conservation agriculture Tanzania_casestudy.pdf - Sokoine ...

and handling herbicides should be disseminated to farmers to avoid wasteand negative effects.• The government has a major role in improving agriculture in the districtby helping villages form and enforce bylaws to maintain a sustainableenvironment.• Most extension staff need to be brought up to date with conservationagriculture technology and spread it. Best practices learned from projectscan be used in promoting, guiding and sustaining initiatives for farmers.• Total, not partial, involvement of farmers in developing technology shouldbe participatory. Past approaches in an area should be evaluated beforeintroducing new practices.• Many poor farmers use draught-animal power. Integrating cropping withanimal production is essential for sustainable rural livelihoods and enhancingconservation agriculture, especially maintaining soil cover. Animals producemanure, adding value to the land, and eat crops and crop by-products.• Conservation agriculture should be integrated with previous practices, suchas soil and water conservation and agroforestry. The highlands of Sakilaneed contours and Ngorbob and Likamba villages need to reclaim land tosustain food security and livelihoods.• Conservation agriculture institutions should spread the technology to newareas in the district to avoid localizing information and efforts. This willalso contribute towards having widely available literature and reports aboutconservation agriculture in the district.ReferencesBishop-Sambrook C, Kienzle J, Mariki W, Owenya M, Ribeiro F. 2004. Conservation agricultureas a labour-saving practice for vulnerable households: a study of the suitability of reduced tillage and covercrops for households under labour stress in Babati and Karatu Districts, Northern Tanzania. Rome:IFAD and FAO.[CASARD] Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.2004. End of year report, January–December.[CASARD] Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.2005. Six months report, June–December.[CASARD] Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.2006. Six months report, January–June.[CIMMYT] International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. 2005. Annual evaluationand planning workshop Tanzania.Elijah KB, Johan R, George EO. 2000. Conservation tillage for dry farming: technological options andexperiences in eastern and southern Africa. Nairobi: Regional Land Management Unit, SwedishInternational Development Cooperation Agency.[FAO] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2002. Conservationagriculture: case studies in Latin America and Africa. FAO Soils Bulletin 78. Rome: FAO.Jonnson L-O, Mawenya E, Rockstrom J. 2003. Conservation tillage: management practicesfor animal-drawn systems in Tanzania. Working Paper No. 16. Nairobi: Regional LandManagement Unit, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.40 Maguzu et al.