T9: Case study 1: Assessment of approaches for improving soil fertility - conservation agriculture in Sinnar State, Sudan.
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This document summarizes a project in Sinnar State, Sudan that aims to improve soil fertility and conservation agriculture for small-scale farmers. The project is being implemented in 3 localities and targets 100 villages. It seeks to introduce environmentally friendly and productive technical packages to respond to increasing land degradation. One approach being assessed is minimum tillage prior to the first rains to harvest water. Another is using a chisel plough which has been shown to improve water retention in the surface layer compared to traditional wide-level discs that compact the soil. The overall goal is to enhance soil health and crop yields for smallholders and pastoralists facing challenges of low rainfall, drought, lack of conservation practices, and declining soil fertility.
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T9: Case study 1: Assessment of approaches for improving soil fertility - conservation agriculture in Sinnar State, Sudan.
- 1. ICARDA 2013 T9: Building resilience in agricultural systems: soil conservation and fertility management Case study 1: Assessment of approaches for improving soil fertility conservation agriculture in Sinnar State, Sudan. December 17th, 2013
- 2. Supporting the Small-Scale Traditional Rainfed Producers in Sinnar State (SUSTAIN) Project Rationale: Responding to ↑ levels of land degradation • Introduction of environmentally friendly and productivity enhancing technical packages Location: • 3 of 7 localities in Sinnar State • Dinder, Abu Hajar, & Dali/Mazmoum Project Beneficiaries: • 100 villages over 3 localities Target: • Smallholders (9 fed & ≤5 SR) • Settled pastoralists • Destitute women •
- 4. 2012…
- 5. Constraints •low and erratic rainfall • severe drought (1-3 years, 15-21 days in-season) •lack of soil and water conservation practices •minimum inputs - ↓ soil fertility
- 6. Wide level disc (WLD) • 1° tillage, designed for 2° tillage (pulverization) • shallow (3 – 5 cm), thus ↓ water conservation. • 1st - dry disking (after 100 – 150 mm) - seal cracks; incorporate trash, weeds. • 2nd - green disking – seeding, 1 – 2 weeks later dependent on rainfall. Recurrent use has caused: • clay pan and compacted soil surface - ↓ water infiltration • late planting - missing more than 30 – 40 % of annual rainfall
- 7. Poor water infiltration – leading to runoff/erosion Compaction Crusting
- 8. Promotion of minimum tillage – prior to 1 st rain - water harvesting Under minimum tillage: – 133% increase in sorghum grain yield – 355mm rainfall average
- 9. Assumed that creating furrows would collapse cracks and improve water retention into the surface layer.
- 10. Following chisel ploughing Following first rainfall
- 11. Crusting and Poor water Infiltration
- 12. Thank you
Editor's Notes
- Main constraints to poor crop production low and erratic rainfall culminating into severe drought in some years Spanning 103 years With in-season dry periods (15-21 days) lack of soil and water conservation practices prevalence of traditional agricultural production minimum inputs with consequent reduction in soil fertility crop losses to pests and diseases, increased infestation of parasitic and noxious weeds lack of extension services (and technological gap)
- Dominant tillage practice used for primary tillage, but designed for secondary tillage (pulverization) depth of cut is very shallow (3 – 5 cm) and thus not appropriate for water conservation. 1st - dry disking is applied after few showers of rains and when (100 – 150 mm) is received and enough to seal the cracks; for incorporation of the left over from previous season crop residues and elimination of newly germinating weeds. 2nd - green disking for seed broadcasting and also control of weeds when applied after 1 – 2 weeks from first operation, depending on the rainfall. speedy and at low cost, but tillage efficiency in weed control and soil tilling is extremely poor variable plant establishment recurrent use has caused: clay pan and hard compacted soil surface hindering water infiltration late planting - missing more than 30 – 40 % of annual rainfall