Conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe has a long history dating back to 1988 but adoption remains low. Initial efforts promoted manual techniques but failed to gain widespread adoption due to labor requirements. Recent initiatives have focused on mechanization but machinery uptake is still limited. Barriers include a focus on maize rather than more marketable crops, unaddressed residue management challenges, and small areas cultivated under conservation agriculture. Moving forward, Zimbabwe aims to learn from past experiences to develop a more strategic, large-scale approach integrating economic and environmental benefits alongside improved mechanization efforts and crop choices.

1. CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN ZIMBABWE
BACKGROUND, CURRENT STATUS AND
FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
Sepo Marongwe
Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation

2. Presentation Outline
I. Agro-ecological characteristics
II. Farming sectors and cereal production highlights
III. History and Development of CA in Zimbabwe
IV. Renewed efforts to promote CA in
Zimbabwe(2004/2005)
V. Opportunities and Challenges
VI. Conclusion

3. I. Agro-ecology- Rainfall characteristics in the five natural regions of Zimbabwe
( adapted from Rukuni and Eicher, 1994 pp.42)
Natural
Region
Area (km2) % of total Area Rainfall Characteristics
I 7 000 2 More than 1 050 mm rainfall per year with some rain in all
months.
II 58 600 15 700 - 1 050 mm rainfall per year confined to summer.
III 72 900 18 500 - 700 mm rainfall per year. Infrequent heavy rainfall. Subject
to seasonal droughts.
IV 147 800 38 450 - 600 mm rainfall per year. Subject to frequent seasonal
droughts.
V 104 400 27 Normally less than 500 mm rainfall per year, very erratic and
unreliable. Northern Low veld may have more rain but
topography and soils are poorer.
Total
390 700
100

4. II. Farming Sectors and Cereal production Trends ( Ministry of Agriculture)
Farming Category
Number of farmers
Average Arable Land Size (Ha)
Communal
1 301 988
1
Old Resettlement
75 697
6
A1
145 755
6
A2
18 967
>20
Small-Scale Commercial
8 500
35-100
Large Scale Commercial
800
>20
Total
1 551 707

5. Average Maize Yields by Farming Sector in 2012/2013 Season
Compared to 2011/2012

6. III. History and Development of CA in Zimbabwe
• Conservation Tillage for Sustainable Crop production Systems (
Con-Till) project-1988-1996 by AGRITEX and GTZ
• Minimum tillage and retention of 30% mulch/organic soil
cover promoted
• On-station and on-farm trials testing the following options:
mulch ripping, clean ripping, tied ridging against mould board
ploughing and hand-hoe holing out.
• Addressing soil loss, water run-off and declining yields

7. Findings from the Con-Till project
• Mulch-ripping with its higher water-use efficiency seemed
most viable for small holder farming in the semi-arid areas of
Zimbabwe
• Unavailability of crop residues that are also used as animal
feed a challenge
• reduced tillage systems relying purely on hand- hoe weeding
not an attractive option for farmers as the reduced tillage
systems quickly developed perennial weed problems.

8. •Numerous on-station and on-farm trials have
failed to see any significant up-take of
conservation tillage technologies among small
holder farmers

9. Recommendations from the Con-Till project
REDUCED TILLAGE TECHNIQUES NEED TO BE
FURTHER MECHANIZED AND COMBINED
WITH IMPROVED CROPPING SYSTEMS
CAPABLE OF REDUCING WEED INFESTATIONS
AND SPREADING LABOUR

10. International workshop on conservation tillage for
sustainable agriculture-1998
Objectives:
• To establish an inventory of the conservation tillage technologies
and approaches in use regions .
• To identify factors contributing to the success and failure of CT
adoption.
• To come up with dissemination strategies& platforms where by
conservation tillage options can be successfully disseminated.
• To come up with national and regional action plans. To create fora
for, and stimulate the sharing and exchange of information and
encourage the formation of national networks
Formation of African Conservation Tillage Network

11. IV. Renewed Efforts To Promote CA In Zimbabwe-2003/2004
Conservation Agriculture, Comprising three principles
1.Minimum mechanical soil disturbance
2.Maintenance of soil organic cover (at least 30%)
3.Use of suitable crop rotations and interactions

12. Characteristics of the new approach
• CA concept introduced as a humanitarian intervention in
response to food deficits, by donor community
• Farmers supplied with farming inputs to implement CA in
parts of their fields
• Poor or vulnerable households targeted
• Only manual (hand hoe) CA systems promoted
• Targeted only communal areas (uncontested lands)
• CA exclusively promoted as a crop- based technology-no
place for farmers with livestock

13. •Little or no reference made to
previous work
No lessons learnt!

14. Implications of the approach
• Manual systems labour intensive( land preparation and
weeding) , especially without herbicide use
• CA focused on mainly maize whose marketing not very viable
and attractive
• Poorly resourced households were targeted, creating
perception/stigma that CA is for poor
• Benefits of CA initially not clear since all CA farmers had
fertilizer

15. Implications of the approach…..
• Initial CA capacity building activities did not include CA
mechanization- low capacities in CA mechanization
• Issue of residue management that need to be addressed at
village or community level continues to be a major challenge
• Many farmers only apply the principle of minimum tillage
•Weed management issues not effectively addressed
• Market issues that surround “suitable” rotation crops
discourage farmers from including rotations in their cropping
systems
• Average area under CA still very low despite the large number
od farmers implementing CA components

17. 350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Number of CA beneficiaries- Source: FAO,2013
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13

18. 350000
300000
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
Farmer Numbers and Area under CA. Source: Ministry of
Agriculture, mechanization and Irrigation, 2013
80 951 Ha 101 907
229 940
331 847
Total_Area_HA Number Supported Number_Not_Support Total_Number_Of_Farmers

19. Recent Efforts to Upscale-Promotion of Mechanized CA
( CA Strategy Document)
• On-farm and on-station trials with ADP CA machinery by CIMMYT
since 2005-2006
• Importation of machinery from Brazil and India by FAO and
distribution to implementing agencies
• Capacity Building of extension workers on CA machinery use
• Evaluation of performance and suitability by of CA machinery by IAE
• Development of machinery value chains through the (GRM(PRP)-
CIMMYT)

20. •Despite Efforts to Mechanize,
Adoption and use of CA Machinery
by farmers still very low
•Number of farmers using manual
CA options( without support)
increasing but average land size
remains low

21. V. Opportunity
• CA Strategy document (Up scaling through mechanization)
• Buy in by governments (National, Food and Nutrition Policy, ZIMASSET)
• ZIMCAN, CARWG- networking
• Regional Policy Institutions (NEPAD- CAADP Pillars, COMESA
Programmes )
• Including of gender aspects in CA- machinery development and
Implementation

22. • WE ARE NOT RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL –CA
HAS BEEN AROUND IN ZIMBABWE
• PROMOTION PREVIOUSLY ONLY FOCUSING ON
YIELD- NEED TO ALSO EMPHASIZE ON
ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
• INCREASING NUMBERS BUT VERY SMALL
AREAS-LIMITED IMPACT AT NATIONAL LEVEL
• ACKNOWLEDGE BOTH SHORTCOMINGS
&SUCCESSES AND LEARN, LEARN…..AND
CONTINUE LEARNING
• DOCUMENTATION AND LESSON LEARNING –
LOTS OF SUCCESS STORIES AND SOME
UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS
• WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS BUT WE
NEED TO NOW TAKE STOCK OF OUR
APPROACHES AND RESTRATEGIZE TO AVOID
STAGNATION
VI. CONCLUSION