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The Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Food Security in two districts of Zimbabwe

The Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Food Security in two districts of Zimbabwe. Paul Wagstaff , Agriculture Advisor, Concern Worldwide Malachy Harty , International Development & Food Policy, UCC. Malachy Harty , Trocaire Development Review , 12/11/10.

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The Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Food Security in two districts of Zimbabwe

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  1. The Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Food Security in two districts of Zimbabwe Paul Wagstaff, Agriculture Advisor, Concern Worldwide Malachy Harty, International Development & Food Policy, UCC MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  2. Problems with Conventional Agriculture • Reduction of soil fertility and physical structure • Increased erosion • High labour/ energy requirement - barrier to participation for poor, sick or elderly farmers • Delayed planting MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  3. The Principles of Conservation Agriculture (CA) • 1. Avoid Soil Disturbance • Planting basins • direct seed drills • rippers • jab planters • 2. Soil Cover • Mulching with crop residues • Cover crops • 3. Crop Rotation Plantingpits in Zimbabwe MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  4. Resiliance to Climate Change Conservation • Improved soil structure – reduced erosion • Water retained in soil • Low impact - avoids problems of conventional agriculture • Low carbon system of food production • Potential value as a carbon sink, but results unclear MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  5. Challenges and Limitations of CA • Retention of residues for mulch cover • Different spacings for rotation crops • Labour in first years • Change of mindset MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  6. Zimbabwe • GokweNorth • Gokwe South • Nyanga

  7. Comparison of maize yields grown in CA planting basins, Zimbabwe (CIMMYT)

  8. Where do the yieldbenefits of Conservation Farming come from? (GART, Zambia) Value of Conservation Agriculture even if simply to plant on time! MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  9. Conservation Farming in Zimbabwe • No draught animals so system based on preparing planting basins during the dry season • Intensive extension support • 50 x 50m Conservation Farming plots (1/4 ha) per household • ½ maize, ¼ sorghum, ¼ groundnuts/ cowpeas MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  10. Overview of Household Economy Approach (HEA) • How people in different social and economic circumstances get the food and cash they need • Hyper inflationary situation – cash values irrelevant • Crop production and income converted into kilo calorie equivalents • 2,100 kcal per person per day survival threshold MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  11. MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  12. Difficult political and economic situation, poor rains- all groups received food aid • Poor Conservation Farmers would have needed 50% less food aid than the control group. • The very poor control group had to undertake much more casual labour for food which may have resulted in taking children out of school, less time available to prepare food, take children to health centres, etc

  13. Results • CF farmers do not require food aid and are producing larger surpluses than conventional farmers • 2010: INGOs will buy maize surpluses from the CF farmers to distribute to food deficit areas of Zimbabwe! • Concern currently expanding CA to Tanzania (EU), Zambia & Malawi (Accenture), Liberia MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

  14. No magic bullets • Water • Markets, trade, infrastructure • Research • Extension and education • Health • Financial services and insurance • Inputs • Land tenure • Environment MalachyHarty, TrocaireDevelopmentReview, 12/11/10

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