The document summarizes conservation agriculture interventions across several southern African countries. It describes ongoing projects in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and South Africa that promote techniques like mulching, composting, crop rotation, and tree planting. It also outlines plans for increased collaboration between organizations, governments, and small-scale farmers to continue adopting and expanding conservation agriculture practices in the region.

1. SOUTHERN AFRICA Working
Group
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, South
Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambi
que
Brian Oldreive Patricio Agustin

2. Interventions by Country
• Mozambique
World Vision-Mozambique
1. On-going interventions
Off/On informal collaboration with ICRAF on
agroforestry since 1998: AF species,
Conservation Agriculture (CA): initiated in 2009
WV Staff trainers training on CA principles
(FfF/FGW-Harare):
ADPs Food security community assistants
MYAPs Agriculture/Extension officers

3. SA Region/Moz
• Farmer-managed CA demonstrations (Hoe-
model)
330 Farmer Associations (mostly in Zambezia
province): maize-based demo plots,
50m x 50 m plots, planting
holes, mulching, compost/animal
manure, rotation with legumes
36 “Young farmers groups” getting hands-on
training on CA, on their group´s small garden
plots. Number of groups to double this year.

5. SA Region/Moz
• Scaling-up: next planting season all association
members (20-30 members each) to apply the CA
practices learned in their own field.
Integrate tree planting into the CA in the MYAP
and introduce Evergreen Agriculture in all ADPs
• Government
Mozambique National Research Institute (IIAM):
last February convened a national conference in
Maputo on CA for the first time. WAY FORWARD?

6. SA Region/Moz
2. Triangle of Collaboration
To be discussed at the NO. Government
partners: Ministry of Agriculture –
national, provincial, district level; IIAM (Gov.
research institute), ICRAF (Moz?) -
• Share experiences/scientific knowledge

7. SA Region/Moz
3. Plan of Action
• Translate in Portuguese and share with WV
national office, ADPs, and government and other
partners.
• Develop action plans at the national level as a
guide for specific plans at the ADPs.
• Initiate awareness campaign on the low cost
simple land regeneration methods within WV
program areas, and within the government and
other partners.

8. ZIMBABWE
Foundations for Farming (formerly called Farming God´s Way)
• 1. On-going interventions/History
 Pioneers since early 1980 in CA
 Reached out to South Africa in 1994 (tremendous resistance
to change from the farmers)
 Reached out to Zambia 1995 – most advance in GO and NGO
 To Malawi in 1996 –
 To Mozambique in 1997 – GO and NGO
 To Lesotho in 2000 –
 In 2003, was invited into the FAO regional task force
 To Swaziland in 2005 –
 In 2008, introduced into the SADC
 Between 1989-2012 – Shared African perspectives into
Canada, UK and Europe, Australia, and India

9. ZIMBABWE
• Chief contribution is in the implementation and
management of the CA system (Theory into
practice, which is the great challenge for Africa)
 In 2011, began integration with the Savoury
Institute (Holistic Land Management)
 2012 – Look forward to integrating with FMNR
 NGOs are reaching 100,000 small scale farmers
 Church system – has reach 200,000 farmers

10. ZIMBABWE
• 2. Triangle of collaboration
 Has been getting invited enthusiastically by the Gov, for
training government staff, teaching extension
officers, CA integrated into the curriculum of
agricultural training colleges,
 Ministry of Education has also ask the Centre to teach
CA into all schools.
 Director of Prisons has also asked us to teach all
prisoners
 Police chief has also asked us to teach in all police
stations and staff
Key Strategy – setting up of training/demonstrations in
these public services areas

11. ZIMBABWE
• Plan of Action
Training stations: 4 in Malawi, 2
Mozambique, 2 Zambia, 1 in South Africa, 7 in
Zimbabwe, 2 in Lesotho
Operation Trumpet Call in 54 rural
demonstration models in all provinces in
Zimbabwe through the Church system.

12. ZIMBABWE
• Wild Cards:
 Implementation management is the key
We have to persevere through resistance to
change
Must convince governments is one of the
major answers to the poverty/hunger crisis
Any poverty-hunger causing norms and
traditions have to be changed

13. SA REGION
• ZAMBIA
 CA integrated into government policy
 Experience: free fertilizer and hybrid seed is counter-
productive.
• SOUTH AFRICA
Large scale farmers have been adopting CA with enthusiasm,
Small scale farmers (mainly in the north), there still a lot of
work to do
Wild card: Seeing is believing, but there must be high
standard.

14. SA REGION
• MALAWI
1. On-going interventions
 An Adopter has made a full-length movie story about the
transformation of a person through CA.
4. Wild cards
 Story-telling is a powerful adoption tool
 Most people in Africa are aural learners,
 Teach the heart more than the head, the belief system is in
the heart which leads to greater adoption and scaling up.
 Listening before telling is another very powerful adoption
tool

15. SA REGION
Regional initiatives: the momentum of the spread of CA
has been increasing in the southern African countries.
Plan of Action:
To create a model for the Region - to include
Evergreen Agriculture, FMNR, Holistic resource
management, Landcare
Wild card: Food aid – has caused the current generation
to lack the knowledge on agriculture production

16. SA Regional Community?
FfF Champions Gathering:
Has been a very effective mechanism in bringing
together partners - to share experiences
every six months - beginning of September
and beginning of March – and any body is
WELCOME!
THANK YOU!!