Conservation Agriculture in Africa

by Rachid MRABET, PhD

Research Leader National Institute for Agricultural Research - Morocco

Representative African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT)

Email: mrabet@inra.org.ma

for presentation at the

AfricaCarbon Forum

Marrakech June 4th to 6th 2011

Contents

• Challenges facing farming in Africa

• CA principles

• CA wordwide & drivers

• CA practices in Africa

• CA and Carbon

• About ACT

• ACT Projects

• ACT Achievements

• ACT Challenges

• Conclusions

Dilema for African Agriculture:

• Alleviating poverty

• Sustainable development

• Food security

• Energy security

• Improvement of environmental quality

Major Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (Dixon et al., 2001)

System % of

land

% of

pop Principal livelihood Incidence

poverty

Poverty

reduced

Agric.

growth

1 Irrigated 1 3 Rice, veget, livestock Low Low High

2 Tree crop 3 7 Tuber, cash treecrop Low/Mod High Modhigh

3 Forest-based 11 7 Tubers, forest gath. Severe Low Lowmod

4 Rice/tree 1 2 Banana coffee rice Moderate Low Low

5 Highl. perennial 1 8 Ensete, wheat, livest, # Very sev. High Low

6 Highl. temperate 2 8 Wheat, barley, leg, livest# Moderate Moder. Lowmod

7 Rootcrop 12 12 Yam, legumes, veget. Lowmod Moder. Moder.

8 Cereal-Rootcrop 13 15 Maize,sorghum,cassava

Yam, livest, #

Low Low High

9 Maize mixed 10 16 Maize, cassava, cattle, $ Moderate High Modhigh

10 Large commerc. 5 5 Cereals, leg., livestock Low Low Moder.

11 Agropast./grains 8 9 Millet, sorghum, livest. $ Severe High Lowmod

12 Pastoral 14 7 Livestock, remittances Severe Low Low

13 Sparse (arid) 18 2 Livestock, remittances Severe Low Low

14 Coastal fishing 2 3 Artis.fish. cocon, cashew Moderate Low Lowmod

# Also off-farm activities; $ also remittances

Major Farming Systems of Middle East and North Africa (Dixon et al., 2001)

* Incidence of poverty for small farmers/herdsmen

System % of

land

% of

pop Principal livelihood Incidence

poverty *

Poverty

reduced

Agric.

growth

1 Irrigated 2 19 Fruits, veget, cashcrop Moderate High High

2 Highland mixed 7 32 Cereals, legume, sheep Extensive Moder. High

3 Rainfed mixed 2 19 Treecrops, cereals, leg. Moderate High High

4 Dryland mixed 4 15 Cereals, sheep, remitt. Extensive Moder. Moder.

5 Pastoral 23 10 Sheep, goats, barley Extensive Moder. Low

6 Sparse (arid) 62 5 Camels, sheep Low Low Low

7 Coastal artisanal

fishing

Negl. little Livestock, remittances Moderate Low Low

8 Urban-based Negl. little Horticulture, poultry Low Low Low

Challenges facing Africa

The African farmers largely depend on farming (crop-livestock) for their livelihood.

Their efforts are undermined by:

1. Land degradation – low OM, soil infertility, erosion, hardpans-continuous cultural tillage;

2. Climate change – particularly erratic rainfall and evapo-transpiration in excess of annual rainfall;

3. Diseases and farm labour shortage – on animal and human;

4. Inaccessibility/affordability of farm equipment and inputs;

5. Agriculture and storm runoff is jeopardizing water quality

Mean size (ha)

% < 2 ha

Sub-Saharan Africa 2.4 69

South Asia 1.4 78

East Asia 1.0 79

SE Asia 1.8 57

West Asia North Africa 4.9 65

Central America 10.7 63

South America 111.7 36

Europe 32.3 30

USA 178.4 4

Vast Majority of World’s Farmers are Small and Family Operated

Source: Eastwood et al., 2009

therefore:

tillage is incompatible with sustainable agriculture!

introduction

Tillage scenario:

degradation/ erosion

> natural

soil formation

= NOT

sustainable

can a further promotion of tillage based agriculture still be justified?

Animal traction systems (Zambia):

Mouldboard plowing followed by harrowing and seeding with the hoe

Workload: 100km/ha

Hand-hoe-system (Malawi):

Workload: 140,000 hoe strokes/ha/yr

Traditional seeding systems

Soil organic carbon and yield indicators over 100 years of cultivation in western Kenya

From Marenya & Barrett 2007

Hence…

• The world must move from polluting and degrading technologies to sustainable technologies.

• Soil Carbon is a Critical Component for Environmental Quality and agricultural sustainability === Carbon management technologies

FAO definition: www.fao.org/ag/ca

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an approach to managing agro-ecosystems for

improved and sustained productivity, increased profits

and food security while preserving and enhancing the

resource base and the environment.

Greening agricultural production in Africa

100

Dustbowl

1930 2000 1950

US

Soil

Co

nse

rvat

ion

Se

rvic

e

con

serv

atio

n t

illag

e

du

stb

ow

l Si

be

ria/

USS

R

Fau

lkn

er (

US)

– F

uku

oka

(Ja

pan

)

com

me

rcia

l no

-till

/US

firs

t n

o-t

ill d

em

on

stra

tio

n in

Bra

zil

Old

riev

e/Zi

mb

abw

e

ado

pti

on

Bra

zil

pla

nti

o d

ire

to n

a p

alh

a

exp

eri

men

ts in

Ch

ina,

Ind

oga

nge

tic

Pla

ins

Ne

w b

oo

st: C

anad

a, A

ust

ralia

, Kaz

akh

stan

, R

uss

ia, C

hin

a, F

inla

nd

...;

Afr

ica

Arg

en

tin

a, P

arag

uay

;

1980 1990

Firs

t n

o-t

ill in

th

e U

S IITA

no

-till

re

sear

ch

50

Mill

. ha

CA adoption

1970

USA 26.5

Canada 13.5

Australia 17

Europe 1

Kazakhstan 1

Africa 0.5

Brazil 26

Conservation Agriculture 117 Million ha

Argentina 26

Paraguay 2.5

China 1

tropical savannah

continental, dry

temperate, moist

temperate, moist

continental, dry

irrigated

smallholder

smallholder

smallholder

arid

arid large scale

large scale

large scale

large scale

large scale

large scale

subtropical, dry

tropical savannah

other LA 2

>50%

<25%

>70%

up to 90%

Conservation agriculture motion

Drivers for CA adoption: • Erosion North America, Brazil,

China, Africa

• Drought: China, Australia,

Kazakhstan, Maghreb, Sub Saharan Africa

• Cost of production: everywhere

CA globally

Solution to the Problem:

• Conservation agriculture following three principles:

– Minimum soil disturbance

– Crop residue retention

– Crop rotations and green manure cover crops

What equipment for minimum soil disturbance?

Start with what farmers have or can afford

Jab planter

Oxen ripping Oxen direct seeding

Tractor mounted seeder Highly mechanized The hand hoe – for basins

making The Dibble stick

How to Achieve Permanent Soil Cover?

• Mixed cropping – with relayed and/or slow growing cover crops or shrubs

• Purposeful crop residue retention

• Zero or controlled grazing

• Cover crops non-edible to livestock

East Africa

West Africa

Trees and shrubs – for soil cover and fertility

Piliostigma – cut before planting

Faidherbia albida – shade and dropped leaves

CA with Trees potential:

• Food security via increased productivity

• Adaptation to climate change

• Carbon sequestration – below & above ground – Zero cost nitrates – 120 kg

N/ha/year

– Micro climate

– Forest products

Ca in Africa July-08 25

CA, a complex & systemic innovation (process)

Multiple

products

Grains

Forrages

Mulch

On-farm

consumption

Soil fertility

build-up

Off-farm effects

Whole-farm effects

Labou

r

Equipment

Inputs

Animal power

Learning & adaptation over time

Innovation system

Credits

Service & Input

Providers

Markets

Policies

C

O

N

S

E

R

V

A

T

I

O

N

A

G

R

I

C

U

L

T

U

R

E

Organisations

Partnerships Policies

Industries/Technologies

R&D Training

CA

Capacity Building

Financing

Knowledge Management

Benefits of Conservation agriculture

Increased water infiltration Reduced moisture evaporation Less water run-off and soil

erosion Reduction in labour and energy

use Reduction in production costs* Increases in soil organic

matter* Increases in nutrient

availability* Greater biological pest control*

Cumulative infiltration over time, Monze FTC, Zambia, March 2006

Time (min)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Infiltra

tio

n m

m h

-1

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Conventional farmers practice

Basin planting

Direct seeding

Conservation Agriculture

Mechanical Tillage

Biological Tillage

Action of Soil Biota

Structure/Porosity

Conventional A

griculture

High Soil

Organic

Matter

low soil

organic matter

Soil Organic Matter = Drought Resistance

2 CO

- increased water holding capacity and use efficiency

- increased cation exchange capacity

- reduced soil erosion

- improved water quality

- improved infiltration, less runoff

- decreased soil compaction

- improved soil tilth and structure

- reduced air pollution

- reduced fertilizer inputs - increased soil buffer capacity

- increased biological activity - increased nutrient cycling and storage

- increased diversity of microflora

- increased adsorption of pesticides

- gives soil aesthetic appeal

- increased capacity to handle manure and other wastes

- more wildlife

Carbon central hub of environmental quality.

C

Environmental benefits are spokes that emanate from the Carbon hub of the “Environmental

Sustainability wheel.”

The demand for CA in Africa – as a result of either on-farm validation of its benefits and/or its role in

achieving food security, alleviating poverty or climate change adaptation and mitigation –

continued to rise.

is heavily acting in this …

African Conservation Tillage Network

• In 1998, the Zimbabwe farmers Union (ZFU), the German development co-operation (GTZ), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa and a number other organizations jointly decided on initiation of ACT.

• It is an international association which promotes sharing of information among those involved in conservation tillage farming in Africa to increase yield and income.

• ACT was initially commissioned with a geographical focus on Southern, Central and East Africa (approximately along the SADC and EAC boundaries). However, the Network has spontaneously expanded responding to active interest from rest of the continent : West and North Africa.

Scaling Up CA in Africa

The African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT)

Core Functions = One Stop Information Support Facility =

Knowledge memory “bank”

ACT promotes and facilitates sharing of information and experiences on conservation farming principles and practices in Africa.

CA appraisal & identification of knowledge gaps

Stimulate and facilitate strategic thinking on CA

CA Promotion, lobbying and advocacy

CA Training and training support

ACT Governance • ACT’s organizational and management structure has been

established on governance principles of transparency, accountability, legitimacy and consultative decision making processes.

• ACT is a fast growing pan-African not-for-profit organization whose membership is voluntary and aims at bringing together stakeholders and players who are dedicated to improving agricultural productivity through sustainable utilization of natural resources of land and water in Africa’s farming systems and committed to the principal of mutual collaboration, partnership and sharing of information/knowledge on sustainable natural resources management and drawing on synergies and complementarities.

Over 2000 ACT individual Members and Institutions from 33 countries Worldwide

ACT Governance

CA knowledge and information sharing: web site : www.act-africa.org

Publications; Newsletters, Databases

Secretariat at the Nairobi headquarters, sub-regional offices (Dar es salaam, Harare, Ouaga), Board of Directors, Country Focal Persons/Institutions Working with partners through the Network

Ca in Africa July-08 35

ACT’s networking, knowledge and information platform

• Web-based www.act-africa.org o CA databases (equipment suppliers, CA professionals, …, )

with continental and global experience reference material o Info sheets series (11) o e-News letters

• Hard copy publications o 1500 Manuals o Posters o Brochures and leaflets

• CA case studies: 8 studies, 13,000 books

The Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Project

CA-SARD Project

• It focused in contributing to the promotion of growth and improved food security in Kenya and Tanzania through the scaling up of conservation agriculture (CA) as a sustainable land management (SLM) option.

• It uses farmer field school (FFS) methodology as a tool for introducing the CA concept to smallholder farmers.

CA-SARD Project

• Implemented under the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) Initiative/umbrella

• Funded by the German Government through FAO trust fund

– Phase 1: 2004-2006

– Phase 2: July 2007 – 2010

• Implemented by FAO and the Ministries of Agriculture in Kenya (KARI) and Tanzania (SARI) and Brazil (IAPAR)

• Coordinated at regional level by the African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT)

• In E. Africa: Active in 10 Districts and some 5000 households (49% women) directly reached through 227 FFS

CA SARD Project Achievements

• 47% of targeted households have truly adopted CA (2 or all 3 principles) in 1,600 hectares.

• Higher yields

– From 3 tones/hectare in conventional to 6 t/ha for maize under CA)

– From 0-1 tone/ha for conventional in drought to 0-4 tones/ha under CA

• Marked improvement in food security and nutrition

• Less labor (up to 57%) in land preparation and weeding

• Freed up labour and cash used for better crop management and enterprise diversification (high value/year round agriculture: vegetables, dairy, poultry)

Some lessons from CA SARD

• It is possible to increase land productivity without too much emphasis on yields. – Innovative synchronization of cropping systems

(intercrops, relays, crop spacing) to raise 2-3 crops simultaneously instead of 1, reducing weeding labour.

• Innovative introduction of “cover crops” valued by the community as crops (e.g. pigeon peas, bananas) helps deter livestock and maintenance of soil cover.

• CA with external inputs is MORE PROFITABLE but also MORE RISKY

• Linkage of CA-SARD project with SCAP is mutually beneficial and greatly increases access to CA knowledge on a pan-African scale.

• Concerns West Africa (Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger) financed by IFAD and AFD and implemented by ACT with ICRAF and CIRAD

The Smallholder Conservation Agriculture promotion Project SCAP

SCAP

IFAD LOAN PROJECTS PADER/BGN, PDRD, PICOFA PPILDA

Other partners : Public services, NARS, Universities,

Farmers’ groups, NGO etc.

innovative farmers; farmers’ groups; FFS groups

SCAP Implementation Arrangements

IFAD AFD

Scaling Up CA in Africa

Accomplishments of SCAP (2 cropping seasons only)

• 800 smallholder farmers in 28 villages and 31 FFS reached with CAWT and engaged in validation of the technology

• IFAD loan project partners, Ministries of Agriculture, INERA, CRS, SOS Sahel – BF, IFDC, Réseau MARP, Arfa are enticed and supporting development of CA with trees

• 5 MSc students have been engaged and working with smallholder farmers to solve real and burdening problems

CA2AFRICA • Conservation Agriculture in Africa: Analysing and FoReseeing its

impact – Comprehending its Adoption (CA2AFRICA)

o Objective to assess and learn jointly from past and on-going CA experiences under which conditions and to what extent CA strengthens the socio-economic position of landholders in Africa.

o The project funded by EU, has 10 partners (including ACT) led by CIRAD, is for 2 years from March 2010

o Operates in 5 platforms: Southern; Eastern; Western and North Africa, Madagascar.

www.CA2AFRICA.eu

Conservation Agriculture with Trees (CAWT) Project

o Conservation Agriculture with Trees (CAWT)– establishing the status quo and setting the regional stage for scaling up: o funded by SIDA for 2011; o case studies from Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and Ghana.

o Implementation is led by ICRAF and ACT is a partner.

The Agro-ecology based aggradation-conservation agriculture (ABACO)

• Targeting innovations to combat soil degradation and food insecurity in semi-arid Africa.

• A 4 year project for semiarid areas of East (Kenya, Tanzania), West (Mali, Burkina Faso) and Southern (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar) Africa started in Jan 2011.

• The project is funded by the EU and is composed of 9 partners led by ACT.

• Partners are : CIRAD, NRI (UK), Yellow Window (Belgium), Wageningen University, University of Zimbabwe (SOFESCA), EMBRAPA (Brazil), Madagascar and CIRDES (Burkina Faso).

BioCarbon Fund Projects in SSA

• Combating rural poverty and stabilizing rural economies are among the biggest challenges facing developing countries. By expanding markets for emission reductions in agriculture, forestry, and other land uses, there will be an unprecedented opportunity for poor small-holder farmers all over the developing world.

• ACT and Wildlife conservation Society (WCS), will execute the Monitoring Carbon, Environmental and Socio-Economic Co-Benefits of BioCF Projects in SSA – In Niger, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, DRC Congo and Madagascar

projects. – Funded by the GEF and implemented by the World Bank.

www.biocarbonfund.org

47

New Thrust

1. Update and broaden ACT role and membership, farmer networks, etc.

2. Consolidate Knowledge and Information Management Platform

3. Emphasis on building-up local human capital. Empower farmers in own on-farm experimentation, monitoring, evaluation and learning.

4. Lobby Governments, Institutions and Donor support for CA

5. Medium to long term interventions

THANK YOU

www.act-africa.org