2. Climate change strikes at the core of FOOD
SECURITY
.
Climate change
=
Less food
Less water for
food & livestock
production
Land degradation
Higher
Disease and
Pest
Outbreaks
Less livestock fodder
and yield
03/03/2016
3. Other opportunities ….
Diversification to livestock and other income
generating activities
Agroforestry / Homestead fruit production/
small-scale plantations
increased household income
alternative food supply
fuel wood and construction material supply
increased soil fertility
03/03/2016
4. Successful integration of crop and livestock
enterprises results to many synergies
enterprise diversification. An equal amount of profits
from diversification enterprises (piggery, poultry,
dairy, Multi Purpose Trees) as the grains by
Brazilians!
recycling of nutrients,
soil enhancing rotation crops,
power and transportation, and
biological "savings accounts'' for farmers.
Fluctuations in meat and poultry market prices are
much smaller than grains
03/03/2016
5. Is livestock the weakest link in the
CA chain?
Failure to consider livestock as part of the CA
system creates an immediate conflict
Excessive residue consumption by livestock
kept by farmers.
Excessive residue consumption by livestock
owned by pastoralists
03/03/2016
6. The low hanging fruits – when
converting to CA
animal traction is essential for CA farm operations
– knife rolling, ripping and direct seeding and
transportation.
domestic animals are required for productive and
reproductive purposes (milk, meat, hides, lobola).
livestock can utilise crop by-products: e.g. second
grade maize or pulses (pigeon peas, cowpeas,
mucuna) for poultry and piggery feeds
03/03/2016
7. Low hanging fruits cont …
Crop rotations can include targeted crops
for fodder or oil seeds cake.
Sunflower, Simsim or Canola for oil
(nutritious food) and seed cake (livestock
feed)
Terracing and contour bunds help stabilise
and increase crop production. The bonus is
also very beneficial.
03/03/2016
11. Role of animals in the farm
converters of primary agricultural products
into value added products. Butter, cheese,
sausage, “Kentucky” fried chicken,
specialised meat cuts
resulting to higher benefits for the farmers and
rural entrepreneurs
more so in Africa where farms tend to be
more specialised either for crops or for
livestock
03/03/2016
13. Work animals
Work animals (oxen, donkeys, horses,
mules, camels and water buffaloes) are
highly valuable in pulling farm implements.
Pulling equipment is hard work. Animals
need to be strong and healthy.
Process and reserve supplementary feeds
and treat them well to build up their
strength.
Prevent animals from eating crops and
residues when working by putting muzzles.
03/03/2016
14. Positive effect of minimum -tillage on
animal working conditions
a reduced energetic requirement in about
80 percent compared to conventional
tillage
seeding is the most power-consuming
operation under Ca and it requires only
60% of ploughing power
03/03/2016
15. Some problems can arise when using animal
traction for no-tillage
need to retrain the work animals
CA equipment uses a long yoke: some 60 cm plus twice the
width of the distance between the planting rows.
Both animals and operators need to get used to the new
equipment (subsoilers, rippers, planters, sprayers and knife
rollers).
impeded direct seeding- due to too much or
unmanaged soil cover
difficulties to conduct the animals against the
erect plants
difficulty for the animal and the operator to
see the furrows opened by the seeder or
overlapping borders when spraying
03/03/2016
16. Crops and livestock compete for the
same resources
CA requires a critical level of crop residues and
cover crops to maintain or enhance soil
chemical, physical and biological properties
The same residues are used to feed livestock
The removal of crop residues for or by
livestock, either through grazing or cut and
carry, is a common practice
Residue removal by animals is usually
excessive, leaving insufficient vegetation for
soil conservation purposes.
03/03/2016
17. DAIRY GOATS
How minimum tillage/soil movement?
Controlled grazing to reduce compaction
Supplementary cut and carry
How permanent soil cover
Controlled grazing, purposeful fodder
shrub production
03/03/2016
19. Dairy goats cont …
Which crop rotations/associations?
Maize/Desmodium/Napier Cassava/Dolichos
lablab or Desmodium Maize/Pigeon
peas/pumpkins
Wheat Potatoes Vetch/Black oat Oil seeds
(Canola!!) Wheat
Opportunities with CA links?
Cover crops provide excellent fodder
Multi purpose trees on wind-breaks and contour
bunds provide fodder, fuel, soil nutrients
Processed oil seeds generate cake for
concentrates blending
03/03/2016
20. 03/03/2016
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES = SMALL
LIVESTOCK
ARE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE
• Bee Keeping
• Rabbit Keeping
• Poultry rearing
• Fish Farming
21. Consider Agroforestry
Fertiliser trees
(Faidherbia albida, )
Multi-purpose trees
for fruits, fuel wood,
building materials
Live fences
Wind breakers
03/03/2016
22. Integrating of AF and CA
Analysis of the farming system
Identify entry points for AF
Identify the appropriate species
Integrating of AF and CA and get germplasm
(invasive plants)
Training of farmers and extension – knowledge
intensive
03/03/2016
23. CA and AF - mimic the natural
ecosystems
Advantages
systems more tolerant to climatic fluctuations
more and diverse products
carbon sequestration
nutrient cycling from deeper layers
03/03/2016
24. CA and AF
03/03/2016
Soil fertility management – biomass
transfer, improved fallows, intercropping,
relay cropping
• Sesbania sesban,
• S. macrantha,
• Gliricidia sepium,
• Leucaena spp,
• Tephrosia spp,
• Tithonia diversifolia
25. CA and AF
03/03/2016
Fodder production – legume shrubs,
intercropped with food and feed cereals
Some species:
• Acacia angustissima,
• Leucaena spp,
• Calliandra spp,
• Gliricidia sepium
26. CA and AF
Fuel – rotational woodlots, by-products from
soil fertility and fodder systems
03/03/2016
32. 03/03/2016
Conservation Agriculture with Trees in
Zambia
Maize yield -zero fertiliser
2008 2009 2010
----- Tons/ha -------
With Faidherbia 4.1 5.1 5.6
Without Faidherbia 1.3 2.6 2.6________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Number of trials 15 40 40
41. 03/03/2016
Concluding remarks
If solutions depend on resources of which we do not have
enough, then they are not real solutions
1. Making agricultural inputs more accessible to smallholders may be a
necessary – in some cases – but not sufficient condition to close yield
gaps;
2. Agricultural inputs do not work on degraded soils; soil rehabilitation is a
prerequisite for any form of agricultural intensification;
3. Replacing the natural vegetation of tropical landscapes with annual crops
and frequent tillage disrupts their basic ecological infrastructure and leads
to degradation and/or inefficient capture and use of energy, water and
nutrients;
4. Smallholder farmers do not reason in terms of crops or cropping systems,
they make decisions that concern their whole livelihood system;