Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T12:15:59.715Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Are conservation agriculture (CA) systems productive and profitable options for smallholder farmers in different agro-ecoregions of Zimbabwe?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2016

W. Mupangwa ,
M. Mutenje ,
C. Thierfelder  and
I. Nyagumbo
W. Mupangwa*
Affiliation:
CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
M. Mutenje
Affiliation:
CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
C. Thierfelder
Affiliation:
CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
I. Nyagumbo
Affiliation:
CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
*
* Corresponding author: [email protected] or [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Continuous conventional tillage coupled with unsystematic cereal/legume rotations has promoted low crop productivity on smallholder farms. A multi-locational study was established in three agro-ecoregions (AEs) of Zimbabwe. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of four tillage systems (conventional plowing, planting basins, rip-line and animal traction direct seeding systems) on maize (Zea mays L.), cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] yields, and evaluate the economic performance of the conservation agriculture (CA) systems relative to conventional plowing. Each farmer was a replicate of the trial over the three cropping seasons. In the high (750–1000 mm per annum) and low (450–650 mm) rainfall AEs, conventional practice and CA systems gave similar maize grain yield. Under medium rainfall conditions (500–800 mm) planting basins, rip-line and direct seeding systems gave 547, 548 and 1690 kg ha−1 more maize yield than the conventional practice. In the high and low rainfall AEs, conventional practice and planting basins had the lowest maize production risk. Cowpea yield was 35 and 45% higher in the rip-line and direct seeding than conventional practice. Soybean yield was higher in rip-line (36%) and direct seeding (51%) systems than conventional practice. Direct seeding system gave the highest net benefits in all AEs. A combination of long-term biophysical and socio-economic assessments of the different cropping systems tested in our study is critical in order to fully understand their performance under different AEs of Zimbabwe.

Keywords

cowpeaanimal traction direct seedingnet benefitsprofitablesoybeanplanting basins
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , February 2017 , pp. 87 - 103
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andersson, J.A. and D'Souza, S. 2013. From adoption claims to understanding farmers and contexts: A literature review of Conservation Agriculture (CA) adoption among smallholder farmers in southern Africa. Agricultural Systems and Environment 187:116–132.Google Scholar
Arslan, A., McCarthy, N., Lipper, L., Asfaw, S., and Cattaneo, A. 2013. Adoption and Intensity of Adoption of Conservation Farming Practices in Zambia. FAO, Rome.Google Scholar
Baudron, F., Mwanza, H.M., Triomphe, B., and Bwalya, M. 2007. Conservation Agriculture in Zambia: A Case Study of Southern Province. African Conservation Tillage Network, Centre de Coopération Internationale de Recherche Agronomique pour le Development, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya.Google Scholar
Baudron, F., Andersson, J.A., Corbeels, M., and Giller, K.E. 2012. Failing to yield? Ploughs, conservation agriculture and the problem of agricultural intensification: An example from the Zambezi Valley. Zimbabwe Journal of Development Studies 48:383–412.Google Scholar
Baudron, F., Jaleta, M., Okitoi, O., and Tegegn, A. 2013. Conservation agriculture in African mixed crop-livestock systems: Expanding the niche. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 187:171–182. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2013.08.020.Google Scholar
Cairns, J.E., Hellin, J., Sonder, K., Araus, J.L., MacRobert, J.F., Thierfelder, C., and Prasanna, B.M. 2013. Adapting maize production to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Food Security 5:345–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Defoer, H., De Groote, H., Hilhorst, T., Kante, S., and Budelman, A. 1998. Increasing nutrient use efficiency in West-African agriculture: Impact of micro-topography on leaching from cattle and sheep manure. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 71:217–230.Google Scholar
Dixon, R. 1980. Hybrid corn revisited. Econometrica 48(6):1451–1461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ebernart, S.A. and Russell, W.A. 1966. Stability parameters for comparing varieties. Crop Science 6:36–40.Google Scholar
FAO. 2000. Socio-Economic Impact of Smallholder Irrigation Development in Zimbabwe. A Report Prepared by D. Tawonezvi, and K. Mudima, for FAO Sub-Regional Office for East and Southern Africa (SAFR), Harare, Zimbabwe. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAO SAFR. ISBN 0-7974-2083-5.Google Scholar
FAO. 2002. Conservation Agriculture: Case Studies in Latin America and Africa. FAO Soils Bulletin 78, FAO, Rome.Google Scholar
Fathelrahman, E.M., Ascough, J.C. II, Hoag, D.L., Malone, R.W., Heilman, P., Wiles, L.J., and Kanwar, R.S. 2011. Economic and stochastic efficiency comparison of experimental tillage systems in corn and soybeans under risk. Experimental Agriculture 49:111–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foti, R., Mapiye, C., Mutenje, M., Mwale, M., and Mlambo, N. 2008. Farmer participatory screening of maize seed varieties for suitability in risk prone, resource constrained smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe. African Journal of Agricultural Research 3(3):180–185.Google Scholar
Giller, K.E., Witter, E., Corbeels, M., and Tittonell, P. 2009. Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: The heretic's view. Field Crops Research 114:23–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Govaerts, B., Sayre, K.D., Goudeseune, B., De Corte, P., Lichter, K., Dendooven, L., and Deckers, J. 2009. Conservation agriculture as a sustainable option for central Mexican highlands. Soil and Tillage Research 103:222–230.Google Scholar
Guto, S.N., Pypers, P., Vanlauwe, B., de Ridder, N., and Giller, K.E. 2011. Tillage and vegetative barrier effects on soil conservation and short-term economic benefits in the Central Kenya highlands. Field Crops Research 122(2):85–94.Google Scholar
Hien, V., Kabare, D., Sansan, Y., and Lowenberg-DeBoer, J. 1997. Stochastic dominance analysis of on-farm-trial data: The riskiness of alternative phosphate sources in Burkina Faso. Agricultural Economics 15:213–221.Google Scholar
Hobbs, P.R., Sayre, K., and Gupta, R. 2008. The role of conservation agriculture in sustainable agriculture. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 363:543–555.Google Scholar
Homann Kee-Tui, S., Bandason, E., Maute, F., Nkomboni, D., Mpofu, N., Tanganyika, J., van Rooyen, A.F., Gondwe, T., Dias, P., Ncube, S., Moyo, S., Hendricks, S., and Nisrane, F. 2013. Optimizing Livelihood and Environmental Benefits from Crop Residues in Smallholder Crop-livestock Systems in Southern Africa: Crop Residue Uses and Trade-offs, Exploring Options for Sustainable Intensification with Stakeholders. International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, AP, India, 60 pp.Google Scholar
Kagot, V., Okoth, S., Kanampiu, F., Okoth, P., and Mageto, E. 2014. Evaluation of fungal isolates as possible biocontrol agents against Striga hermonthica. Crop Protection 3(3):305–313.Google Scholar
Kalognomou, E., Lennard, C., Shongwe, M., Pinto, I., Favre, A., Kent, M., Hewitson, B., Dosio, A., Nikulin, G., Panitz, H., and Buchner, M. 2013. A diagnostic evaluation of precipitation in CORDEX models over southern Africa. Journal of Climate 26:9477–9506.Google Scholar
Kassam, A., Friedrich, T., Shaxson, F., and Pretty, J. 2009. The spread of conservation agriculture: Justification, sustainability and uptake. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 7:292–320.Google Scholar
Kipkorir, E.C., Raes, D., Bargerei, R.J., and Mugalavai, E.M. 2007. Evaluation of two risk assessment methods for sowing maize in Kenya. Agriculture and Forest Meteorology 144:193–199.Google Scholar
Jayne, T.S., Mather, D., and Mghenyi, E. 2010. Principal challenges confronting smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development 38(10):1384–1398.Google Scholar
Johansen, C., Haque, M.E., Bell, R.W., Thierfelder, C., and Esdaile, R.J. 2012. Conservation agriculture for smallholder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems. Field Crops Research 132:18–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mapfumo, P. and Giller, K.E. 2001. Soil Fertility Management Strategies and Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Semi-arid Areas of Zimbabwe. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 60 pp.Google Scholar
Mazvimavi, K. and Twomlow, S. 2009. Socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing adoption of conservation agriculture by vulnerable households in Zimbabwe. Agricultural Systems 101:20–29.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W., Twomlow, S., Walker, S., and Hove, L. 2007. Effect of minimum tillage and mulching on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and water content of clayey and sandy soils. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 32:1127–1134.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W., Walker, S., and Twomlow, S. 2011. Start, end and dry spells of the growing season in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe. Arid Environments 75:1097–1104.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W., Twomlow, S., and Walker, S. 2012. Reduced tillage, mulching and rotational effects on maize (Zea mays L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (Walp) L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)) yields under semi-arid conditions. Field Crops Research 132:139–148.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W., Twomlow, S., and Walker, S. 2013. Cumulative effects of reduced tillage and mulching on soil properties under semi-arid conditions. Arid Environments 91:45–52.Google Scholar
Mzezewa, J., Misi, T., and van Rensburg, L.D. 2010. Characterization of rainfall at a semi-arid ecotope in the Limpopo Province (South Africa) and its implications for sustainable crop production. Water SA 36(1):19–26.Google Scholar
Ncube, B. 2007. Understanding cropping systems in the semi-arid environments of Zimbabwe: Options for soil fertility management. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen. ISBN:90-504-635-1.Google Scholar
Ndlovu, P.V., Mazvimavi, K., An, H., and Murendo, C. 2014. Productivity and efficiency analysis of maize under conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe. Agricultural Systems 124:21–31.Google Scholar
Ngwira, A.R., Thierfelder, C., and Lambert, D.M. 2012. Conservation agriculture systems for Malawian smallholder farmers: Long-term effects on crop productivity, profitability and soil quality. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 28:350–363.Google Scholar
Ngwira, A.R., Thierfelder, C., Eash, N., and Lambert, D.M. 2013. Risk and maize-based cropping systems for smallholder Malawi farmers using conservation agriculture technologies. Experimental Agriculture 49:483–503.Google Scholar
Nicholson, S. 2000. The nature of rainfall variability over Africa on time scales of decades to millennia. Global and Planetary Change 26:137–158.Google Scholar
Nyamangara, J., Nyengerai, K., Masvaya, E., Tirivavi, R., Mashingaidze, N., Mupangwa, W., Dimes, J., Hove, L., and Twomlow, S. 2014. Effect of conservation agriculture on maize yield in the semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe. Experimental Agriculture 50:159–177.Google Scholar
Nyanga, P. 2012. Food security, conservation agriculture and pulses: Evidence from smallholder farmers in Zambia. Journal of Food Research 1(2):120–138.Google Scholar
Ojiem, J.O., de Ridder, N., Vanlauwe, B., and Giller, K.E. 2006. Socio-ecological niche: A conceptual framework for integration of legumes in smallholder farming systems. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 4:79–93.Google Scholar
Palm, C., Blanco-Canqui, H., DeClerck, F., Gatere, L., and Grace, P. 2014. Conservation agriculture and ecosystem services: An overview. Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment 187:87–105.Google Scholar
Pittelkow, C.M., Liang, X., Linquist, B.A., van Groenigen, K.J., Lee, J., Lundy, M.E., van Gestel, N., Six, J., Venterea, R.T. and van Kessel, C. 2014. Productivity limits and potentials of the principles of conservation agriculture. Research Letter, Nature 517:365–368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ram, H., Singh, Y., Saini, K.S., Kler, D.S., Timsina, J., and Humphreys, J. 2012. Agronomic and economic evaluation of permanent raised beds, no tillage and straw mulching for an irrigated maize-wheat system in north-western India. Experimental Agriculture 48(1):21–38.Google Scholar
Smaling, E.A., Nandwa, S.M., and Janssen, B.H. 1997. Soil fertility in Africa is at stake. In Buresh, R.J., Sanchez, P.A., and Calhoun, F. (eds). Replenishing Soil Fertility in Africa. Soil Science Society America Special Publication 51. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. p. 47–61.Google Scholar
Statistix. 2008. Statistix 9: Analytical Software. Tallahassee, FL. Available at Web site http://www.statistix.com.Google Scholar
Tadross, M., Hewitson, B.C., and Usman, M.T. 2005. The inter-annual variability of onset of the maize growing season over South Africa and Zimbabwe. Journal of Climate 18:3356–3372.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C. and Wall, P.C. 2009. Effects of conservation agriculture techniques on infiltration and soil water content in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Soil and Tillage Research 105:217–227.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C. and Wall, P.C. 2012. Effects of conservation agriculture on soil quality and productivity in contrasting agro-ecological environments of Zimbabwe. Soil Use and Management 28:209–220.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C., Cheesman, S., and Rusinamhodzi, L. 2012. A comparative analysis of conservation agriculture systems: Benefits and challenges of rotations and intercropping in Zimbabwe. Field Crops Research 137:237–250.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C., Chisui, J.L., Gama, M., Cheesman, S., Jere, Z.D., Bunderson, W.T., Ngwira, A.R., Eash, N.S., and Rusinamhodzi, L. 2013. Maize-based conservation agriculture systems in Malawi: Long-term trends in productivity. Field Crop Research 142:47–57.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C., Rusinamhodzi, L., Ngwira, A.R., Mupangwa, W., Nyagumbo, I., Kassie, G.T., and Cairns, J.E. 2014. Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 30:328–348.Google Scholar
Tittonell, P. 2014. Livelihood strategies, resilience and transformability in African agro-ecosystems. Agricultural Systems 126:3–14.Google Scholar
Tsubo, M., Walker, S., and Ogindo, H.O. 2005. A simulation model of cereal-legume intercropping systems for semi-arid regions II. Model application. Field Crop Research 93:23–33.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S., Urolov, J.C., Jenrich, M., and Oldrieve, B. 2008. Lessons from the field—Zimbabwe's conservation agriculture task force. Journal of Semi-Arid Tropics Agricultural Research 6(1):1–11.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S.J., Steyn, J.T., and du Preez, C.C. 2006. Dryland farming in southern Africa. Chapter 19. In Petersen, G.A., Unger, W.P., and Payne, W.A. (eds). Dryland Agriculture 2nd Ed. Agronomy Monograph No. 23. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin I., p. 769–836.Google Scholar
Umar, B.B., Aune, J.B., Johnsen, F.H., and Lungu, O.I. 2011. Options for improving smallholder conservation agriculture in Zambia. Journal of Agricultural Science 3(3):50.Google Scholar
Usman, M.T. and Reason, C.J.C. 2004. Dry spell frequencies and their variability over southern Africa. Climate Research 26:199–211.Google Scholar
Vincent, V. and Thomas, R.G. 1961. An Agro-ecological Survey of Southern Rhodesia: Part I Agro-ecological Survey. Government Printers, Salisbury.Google Scholar
Wall, P.C., Thierfelder, C., Ngwira, A., Govaerts, B., Nyagumbo, I., and Baudron, F. 2013. Conservation agriculture in Eastern and Southern Africa. In Jat, R.A. and Graziano de Silva, J. (eds). Conservation Agriculture: Global Prospects and Challenges. CABI, Wallingford. p. 263–292.Google Scholar
Zingore, S., Murwira, H.K., Delve, R.J., and Giller, K.E. 2007. Influence of nutrient management strategies on variability of soil fertility, crop yields and nutrient balances on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment 119:112–126.Google Scholar