Transcript 1acca2014_nyagumbo_i - 1st Africa Congress on Conservation

Effects of Conservation Agriculture
based cropping systems and
herbicide use on maize yields in
Malawi and Mozambique.
African Congress on Conservation Agriculture
18-21 March 2014, Lusaka, Zambia
Nyagumbo, I.1, Kamalongo, D.2, Dias, D3 and Mulugetta, M1
1. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Box MP 163, Mt.
Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe. Corresponding Author: [email protected]
2. Department of Agricultural Research Services, Chitedze Research Station, Malawi
3. Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), Estação Agrária de
Sussundenga, Moçambique
1. Introduction
• Food security among Africa’s smallholder farmers remains
a key issue drawing the attention of Africa’s leaders.
• Hence The New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) seeks to achieve 6% annual growth in agricultural
production by 2015.
• Sustainable Intensification technologies (Garnett et al.,
2013) could contribute towards this goal
Sustainable Intensification
Intensification
•Increased yield or outputs per
unit area/inputs
•Diversification from maize for
diet diversification
•Integration of crops and
livestock
•Improved resilience to market
shocks and climate risks
Sustainability
•Ecologically and
technically sound
•Socially and Culturally
acceptable
•Economically viable
•Adaptable
Improved food security and livelihoods
SIMLESA
Sustainable Intensification of
Maize - Legume Cropping Systems
for Eastern and Southern Africa
•Operates in 5 countries in ESA
since 2010
•Managed and coordinated by
CIMMYT
•Funded by Australian government
through Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Research
(ACIAR)
•Increased farm-level food
security (30% increase in
productivity in 10 yrs)
•Lower risks for farm food
security and income (reduce
downside yield risks by 30%)
•Increased farm-level income
•Increased sustainability of
maize-legume farming systems
Study Objectives
To evaluate the effects of CA based sustainable intensification
cropping systems on maize yields in Malawi and
Mozambique after 3 seasons of implementation since
2010.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1 The process
Community awareness meetings
Farmer consultations and agreement on treatments
Identification of 6 host farmers per community
Exploratory trials establishment
and monitoring:
On-station trials:
Farmer field days
Outscaling activities through IPs and
partnerships
2.2 SIMLESA Sites in Malawi
-1)
•Kasungu ADD
District
(mid-altitude
agro-ecologies)
KASUNGU
(600-1000
mm annum
•Mchinji District (mid-altitude agro-ecologies)
-1)
LILONGWE
ADD (600-1000
mm annum
•Lilongwe District
(mid-altitude
agro-ecologies)
•Ntcheu District (low-altitude agro-ecologies)
1)
•Salima
District
agro-ecologies)
SALIMA ADD
(500(low-altitude
– 600 mm annum•Salima District
•Balaka District
agro-ecologies)
MACHINGA
ADD(low
(500altitude
– 600 mm
annum-1)
•Ntcheu and Balaka district
•ADD=Agricultural Development Division
2.3 Cropping Systems tested in
Malawi
Treatments
Low altitude agroeccologies
1
Conventional ridge and furrow system
( recommended by extension)
1 Conventional ridge and furrow system
CA basins maize + pigeon pea
intercrop with glyphosate and harness
+residues
CA Maize + p.pea intercrop +
glyphosate+ harness
herbicides+residues
CA dibble stick sole maize +
glyphosate+ harness + residues
2 CA Sole maize + hand weeding with residues,
2
3
4
Mid altitude agroecologies
(recommended by extension)
no herbicide applied
3 CA Sole maize + glyphosate + Harness
herbicides + residues, herbicides
4 CA Maize-soyabean rotation + glyphosate +
Harness herbicides + residues
5
Maize – g/nuts rotation + glyphosate+ 5 CA Soyabean-maize- rotation + glyphosate +
harness herbicides + residues
Harness herbicides + residues
6
G/nuts – Maize rotation with residues
and herbicides
2.4 Cropping systems tested in Mozambique:
Sussundenga and Gorongosa districts
Manual cropping systems
Maize, cowpea/beans (improved varieties)
Maize varieties: Tsangano-OPV
Trt 1
Trt 2
1. Conventional flat manual hoeing
2. CA Basin maize sole +glyphosate+ residues
Trt 3
3. CA Jab planter maize sole +glyphosate+ residues
Trt 4
4. CA Basin Maize-Cowpea rotation sole +glyphosate+ residues
Trt 5
5. CA Basin Cowpea/beans-Maize rotation + glyphosate+ residues
Trt 6
6. CA Basin maize-Cowpea intercrop +glyphosate+ residues
2.4 Sites with CA Exploratory Trials:
Mozambique
Site Map & Communities (2012):
Angonia (R10)-Ciphole & Cabanco
Avg altitude: 1270 masl
Rainfall: 1200 mm
Manica (R10&R4) – Chinhamdombwe
Avg altitude: 723 masl
Rainfall: 1014 mm
Gorongosa (R4) – Candasede
Avg altitude: 450 masl
Sussundenga-sede (R4)
Altitude: 635 masl
Materials and Methods....
• CA basins : 15cm wide *15 cm deep.
• Fertilizer basal and top dressing followed local extension
recommendations
• Herbicides: Glyphosate (2-3 l/ha) in both
countries
Harness (preemergent herbicide) used
in Malawi
• Improved Maize and legume varieties used
3. Results.....
Based on 3 seasons 2010/11 to 12/13
3-yr mean maize yields from different
cropping systems in the Mid-altitude agroecologies of Malawi
(Kasungu, Mchinji and Lilongwe districts: 2010-13)
Cropping System
Conventional Ridge/furrow
system
CA maize sole+ no herbicide
CA maize sole+ herbicide
CA maize-soya rotation
Note: N=36, df=24, LSD(0.05)=529kg/ha
3yr mean maize
yield (kg/ha)
3743 a
3867 ab
4303 bc
4524 c
% yield increase
0
3
15
21
3-yr mean maize yields from different
cropping systems in lowland agro-ecologies
of Malawi
(Salima, Ntcheu and Balaka districts: 2010-13)
Cropping System
Conventional Ridge/furrow system
CA Basins Mz/ppea
intercrop+glyphosate+Harness
CA Dibble stick Maize sole
+glypphosate+Harness
CA Dibble stick Mz-p.pea intcrop
glyphosate+Harness
CA Maize/gnuts rotation +glyphosate
+Harness
Note: N=45, df=32; LSD(0.05)=757
3yr mean maize
yield (kg/ha)
3034a
% yield
increase
0
3295ab
9
3807bc
25
3824bc
26
4267c
41
3-yr mean maize yields from different
cropping systems in central Mozambique
(Sussundenga and Gorongosa districts: 2010-13)
Cropping System
Conventional flat manual hoeing
CA basins maize/cowpea intercrop
CA jab planter maize sole+ glyphosate
CA basins maize sole + glyphosate
CA maize-cowpea rotation +glyphosate
Note: N=30; df=20; LSD(0.05) =233kg/ha
3yr mean maize
yield (kg/ha)
1487a
1686ab
1734bc
1812bc
1972c
% yield
increase
0
13
17
22
32
Yield stability across environments
in the lowlands of Malawi
12000
1.Farmer practice = 0.71x + 469
R² = 0.9763***
a
2.CA basins mz-p.pea intcrop= 0.54x + 1340
a
R² = 0.7445****
3.CA dibble mz-p.pea intercrop = 1.21x - 575
10000
Ntcheu 2010/11 (582 mm)
b
R² = 0.9841***
4.CA dibble mz sole = 1.22x - 657.
b
Cropping System maize yield (kg/ha)
R² = 0.9774***
6.CA dibble mz/gnut rot = 1.32x - 576
R² = 0.9858***
8000
b
Ntcheu 2011/12 (631 mm)
6000
Salima 2011/12 (?? mm)
Ntcheu 2012/13 (762mm)
Salima 2010/11 (570 mm)
Salima 2012/13 (492 mm)
Balaka 2010/11 (473 mm)
Linear (1. Farmers check)
4000
Linear (2. Basins Mz/ppea intercrop+R/up+Harness)
Balaka 2012/13 (848 mm)
Linear (3. Dibble Mz-p.pea intcrop r/up+hness)
Balaka 2011/12 (595 mm)
Linear (4. DibbleMaize sole +r/up +hness)
Linear (6. (maize) Dibble g/nut-Mz rot+r/up+H'ness)
2000
Error bars
= L.S.D (0.05)
0
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
Site and Season mean maize yield (kg/ha)
6000
7000
8000
9000
CA basins sometimes depressed yields compared to other tCA
techs in Malawi !
Yield stability across environments and seasons in
Mozambique
4.Emerging Issues from results so
far
• Malawi’s mid-altitude results show that manual weeding in
CA if done properly can be as effective as systems using
herbicides with no yield penalties . This suggests that CA
can also be implemented successfully without herbicides
provided weeds are removed timely.
• Use of herbicides was however very popular with farmers
in both countries due to labour reduction associated with
weeding.
• Yield differences between conventional and CA practices
progressively increased with time but also depended on
quality of season and management (E*M).
4.Emerging lessons
• Overall analysis of results over the three seasons show that
maize yields from rotation systems to be significantly higher
than that from the conventional systems in both countries
with yield increases ranging 21 to 41 % as found in other
regional studies (Thierfelder et al., 2014).
• CA basins (15*15cm) found to be inconsistent and risky
especially under Malawian conditions but often more
advantageous under Mozambique’s conditions: drainage &
rainfall distribution important!
5.Future Outlook!
•Need to develop strategies for
enabling farmers to access critical
inputs for CA such as herbicides found
to be popular with the region’s
farmers
•There is need for developing
functional (input/output) markets for
legumes to drive the use of crop
rotations in outscaling initiatives
Literature
Garnett, T., Appleby, M. C., Balmford, A., Bateman, J., Benton, T. G., Bloomer, P.,
Burlingame, B., Dawkins, M., Dolan, L., Fraser, D., Herrero, M., Hoffmann, I., Smith,
P., Thornton, P. K., Toulmin, C., Vermeulen, S. J., and Godfray, H. C. J. (2013). Sustainable
Intensification in Agriculture: Premises and Policies: AGRICULTURE. Science 341, 33-34.
July 2013.
Thierfelder, C., Cheesman, S., and Rusinamhodzi, L. (2012). Benefits and challenges of crop
rotations in maize-based conservation agriculture (CA) cropping systems of southern Africa.
International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. International Journal of Agricultural
Sustainability, 1-17.
Thierfelder, C., Rusinamhodzi, L., Ngwira, A. M., Mupangwa, W. T., Nyagumbo, I., Kassie, G.
T., and Cairns, J. E. (2014). Conservation agriculture in southern Africa: advances in
knowledge. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems accepted, upcoming.
Thank you!!