Is Conservation Agriculture Practical for Small-Holder Farmers in Southern Africa?.

Conservation agriculture (CA), comprising the three principles of minimal soil movement, permanent residue cover and crop rotation, offers multiple benefits to smallholder farmers as well as large-scale mechanized enterprises. However, mind-set and the culture of the plow severely hinder adoption. For small farmers in southern Africa, other major impediments to the adoption of CA are the alternative uses of crop residues, weed control and equipment for crop establishment. Over the past four years, together with national partners we have established over 20 pilot sites to study the adaptation of CA principles to local farmer circumstances, and farmer perceptions of and experimentation with CA. In both the manual systems of Malawi and the animal traction systems of Zimbabwe, CA plots have given enhanced yield in most seasons. For historical reasons and because agrochemicals are generally available on the market we have included chemical control of weeds in the CA “best bet” technologies in Malawi, and this has been a major driver of farmer interest in CA. In Zimbabwe, input supply is severely limited, and weed control in CA treatments is generally manual. However, farmers are experimenting with CA because of the benefits in labor savings for land preparation, as well as increased crop yield and yield stability.