1 / 17

Presented by: Emily Rutto

Precision Agriculture in African drylands : the use of Zai, microdose and Warrantage systems. Presented by: Emily Rutto. Introduction. Africa Population- 13% of the world’s population Population growth rates- 2.2- 2.8 % Increase population- deforestation, reduced land

Download Presentation

Presented by: Emily Rutto

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Precision Agriculture in African drylands : the use of Zai, microdose and Warrantage systems Presented by: Emily Rutto

  2. Introduction • Africa Population- 13% of • the world’s population • Population growth rates- 2.2- • 2.8 % • Increase population- • deforestation, reduced land • sizes, conflicts, poverty, • food insecurity etc.. • Result- expanding Arid and • semi-arid areas in Africa • Poor soil fertility, is the • major food-production • constraint across much of the • West African Sahel Changing farming systems due to deforestation

  3. Dry lands • Highly seasonal, unpredictable • rainfall, water scarcity and a hot • climate. • Unsustainable land management • Degradation of critical resources • such as water, vegetation cover and • soil fertility Impacts Dryland village in dry season, Sudan. Credit IUCN/E Barrow • Malnourished plants • -Poor root systems • Few small-scale farmers in these drought-prone regions dont • use fertilizer due to cost limitations and the perceived risks of crop failure

  4. Solutions • Adapting germplasm to • adverse soil conditions • Enhancing soil biological • activity • Optimizing nutrient cycling • to minimize external inputs • Improve farmer's access to fertilisers

  5. Farming Techniques • Microdosing • Zai • ‘Warrantage’ system Sorghum; Picture courtesy of ICRISAT Grains kept in a warrantage store.Picture courtesy of ICRISAT

  6. Microdosing • The application of small • quantities of inorganic • fertilizer in the planting/seed • hole • Practiced by many small scale • farmers in Africa • Benefits • Increase crop yields • Reduce cost of production • Crop mature rapidly • Escape the worst effects of • drought Hill preparation for planting Microdosing top dressing

  7. Microdosing impacts • •18,000 tons of grain • •$7 million less in food • relief • •170,000 households • benefited in 2004/5 • 45% yield increase 25,000 small-scale farmers in West Africa are thriving, using micro-dosing fertilizer technique (ICRISAT communication)

  8. Microdosing impacts • Integrated use of hill placed soluble fertilizer, phosphate rock (PR) and crop residue gave the highest millet yields

  9. Scaling out in Southern Africa • FAO leading technology • sharing thru >300 NGOs • •>10,000 farmers now using P • in the Sahel • •Yields up by 1-3 times even in • drought years • •Could have saved $ 80 million • in food aid in 2005 Niger • drought

  10. Zaï technique • •A traditional technique for conserving water and • rehabilitating degraded land • •Practiced mainly in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger • •Also known as tassa in Niger • A system with a series of man made pits, or holes, • dug on abandoned, or unused land • Basins prepared during dry season Rainwater basins, and resulting healthy crop stand on left

  11. Zaï technique • Holes is to capture runoff • Zaïpits are dug approximately 80 cm apart to a depth of 5 to 15 cm and with a diameter of 15 to 50 cm • Does not require a lot of inputs and money • - Affordable to resource poor farmers Success of zaï technology

  12. Sahelian Ecofarm • The Sahelian Ecofarm • technology in Sadoré • Use of Stone walls and zaï • technology to reduce run-off • loss and further degradation. • These technologies are used in • conjunction with a warrantage • system that ICRISAT Research Station (Sadoré ) near Niamey, Niger

  13. DMP site at Kouré, Niger • Restoration activities are being • carried out on a large scale. • A tractor and ripper are used to • break the soil crust • Local villages sow seed of herbaceous • species and the plant trees. • *plants will serve as fodder

  14. The ‘warrantage’ system and its success • The incomes of farmers using fertilizer “micro-dosing”and inventory credit system or “Warrantage”have been observed to increase by 52 to 134% • •Microdosing resulted in surplus production • •Farmers suffered low produce prices at harvest • •Prices rose up to 3 times 10 months later • •Warrantage encourages farmers to store their produce a little longer to benefit from the improved prices If you want me to smile.. Feed me first

  15. Conclusion • Dry lands can be productive • Simple , precise agriculture methods can save life • There is need to compact deforestation • Promoting technologies among small scale farmers alone is not enough, credit facilities help them implement these technologies • Collaborative efforts to fight hunger in dry lands needs to be embraced

  16. Acknowledgments • International Crops Research Institute for the Semiarid Tropics (ICRISAT) • Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF-CIAT) • International Maize and Wheat Center (CIMMYT) • Audience

  17. THANK YOU! AHSANTE!

More Related