scholarly journals Adapting to Climate Change Through Conservation Agriculture: A Gendered Analysis of Eastern Zambia

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Bwalya Umar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
High Moisture ◽  
Men And Women

This study explored the use of conservation agriculture (CA) as a climate adaptation strategy among smallholder farmers in Eastern Zambia. Using 761 household interviews and 33 focus group discussions (FGDs) with smallholder farmers from six districts, data was collected on how smallholder farmers in the region experience climate change, what CA practices they had adopted, and benefits and challenges associated with CA practice. Results show that men and women farmers had similar experiences of climate change, namely late onset of a shortened rainy season, intra-seasonal drought and higher temperatures. Farmers' perceptions of gender-mediated effects of climate change had important nuances. The three most cited effects of climate change on women mentioned by women were lower crop yields, outbreaks of armyworms and reduced livestock fodder. The men thought women were most affected by increased hunger, lower crop yields and reduced domestic water sources. According to the women FGDs, men were most affected through reduced crop yields, increases in livestock diseases and increased hunger. The men self-reported reduced crop yields, reduced water for livestock and outbreaks of armyworms. Both men and women saw CA as having climate change adaptation benefits. For the women, men most benefitted from CA through the high moisture holding capacity of basins, higher crop yields and reduced labor requirements through use of oxen ripping. The men most appreciated the high crop yields, improved soil fertility and reduced costs as less fertilizer is used. The women cited the high moisture holding capacity of basins, high crop yields and improved soil fertility as benefits they most commonly derived from CA, while the men thought the women most benefitted from CA through the higher crop yields, improved soil fertility and crop tolerance to droughts. The study concludes that there is room for CA to serve as a climate smart agricultural system for both men and women smallholder farmers in Eastern Zambia. However, this will require addressing important challenges of high weed pressure, high labor demands, and low access to manure, and CA farming implements. The CA package for Zambia should include access to timely climate information and climate informed crop choices.

scholarly journals Climate Change Trends and Impacts on California Agriculture: A Detailed Review

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapan Pathak ◽  
Mahesh Maskey ◽  
Jeffery Dahlberg ◽  
Faith Kearns ◽  
Khaled Bali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Detailed Review ◽  
California Agriculture

California is a global leader in the agricultural sector and produces more than 400 types of commodities. The state produces over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. Despite being highly productive, current and future climate change poses many challenges to the agricultural sector. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge on historical and future trends in climate and their impacts on California agriculture. We present a synthesis of climate change impacts on California agriculture in the context of: (1) historic trends and projected changes in temperature, precipitation, snowpack, heat waves, drought, and flood events; and (2) consequent impacts on crop yields, chill hours, pests and diseases, and agricultural vulnerability to climate risks. Finally, we highlight important findings and directions for future research and implementation. The detailed review presented in this paper provides sufficient evidence that the climate in California has changed significantly and is expected to continue changing in the future, and justifies the urgency and importance of enhancing the adaptive capacity of agriculture and reducing vulnerability to climate change. Since agriculture in California is very diverse and each crop responds to climate differently, climate adaptation research should be locally focused along with effective stakeholder engagement and systematic outreach efforts for effective adoption and implementation. The expected readership of this paper includes local stakeholders, researchers, state and national agencies, and international communities interested in learning about climate change and California’s agriculture.

scholarly journals Can Organic Sources of Nutrients Increase Crop Yields to Meet Global Food Demand?

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagadish Timsina
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Food Demand ◽  
Conventional Farming ◽  
Chemical Fertilizers ◽  
Organic Nutrients ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Global Food

Meeting global demand of safe and healthy food for the ever-increasing population now and into the future is currently a crucial challenge. Increasing crop production by preserving environment and mitigating climate change should thus be the main goal of today’s agriculture. Conventional farming is characterized by use of high-yielding varieties, irrigation water, chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides to increase yields. However, due to either over- or misuse of chemical fertilizers or pesticides in many agro-ecosystems, such farming is often blamed for land degradation and environmental pollution and for adversely affecting the health of humans, plants, animals and aquatic ecosystems. Of all inputs required for increased agricultural production, nutrients are considered to be the most important ones. Organic farming, with use of organic sources of nutrients, is proposed as a sustainable strategy for producing safe, healthy and cheaper food and for restoring soil fertility and mitigating climate change. However, there are several myths and controversies surrounding the use of organic versus inorganic sources of nutrients. The objectives of this paper are: (i) to clarify some of the myths or misconceptions about organic versus inorganic sources of nutrients and (ii) to propose alternative solutions to increase on-farm biomass production for use as organic inputs for improving soil fertility and increasing crop yields. Common myths identified by this review include that organic materials/fertilizers can: (i) supply all required macro- and micro-nutrients for plants; (ii) improve physical, chemical and microbiological properties of soils; (iii) be applied universally on all soils; (iv) always produce quality products; (v) be cheaper and affordable; and (vi) build-up of large amount of soil organic matter. Other related myths are: “legumes can use entire amount of N2 fixed from atmosphere” and “bio-fertilizers increase nutrient content of soil.” Common myths regarding chemical fertilizers are that they: (i) are not easily available and affordable, (ii) degrade land, (iii) pollute environment and (iv) adversely affect health of humans, animals and agro-ecosystems. The review reveals that, except in some cases where higher yields (and higher profits) can be found from organic farming, their yields are generally 20–50% lower than that from conventional farming. The paper demonstrates that considering the current organic sources of nutrients in the developing countries, organic nutrients alone are not enough to increase crop yields to meet global food demand and that nutrients from inorganic and organic sources should preferably be applied at 75:25 ratio. The review identifies a new and alternative concept of Evergreen Agriculture (an extension of Agroforestry System), which has potential to supply organic nutrients in much higher amounts, improve on-farm soil fertility and meet nutrient demand of high-yielding crops, sequester carbon and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, provide fodder for livestock and fuelwood for farmers and has potential to meet global food demand. Evergreen Agriculture has been widely adapted by tens of millions of farmers in several African countries and the review proposes for evaluation and scaling-up of such technology in Asian and Latin American countries too.

SEQUENCING INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP INTENSIFICATION BY DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN ZIMBABWE

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. NEZOMBA ◽  
F. MTAMBANENGWE ◽  
R. CHIKOWO ◽  
P. MAPFUMO
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Soil Fertility Management ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽  
Fertility Management ◽  
Maize Grain

SUMMARYResearch has proved that integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) can increase crop yields at the field and farm scales. However, its uptake by smallholder farmers in Africa is often constrained by lack of technical guidelines on effective starting points and how the different ISFM options can be combined to increase crop productivity on a sustainable basis. A 4-year study was conducted on sandy soils (<10% clay) on smallholder farms in eastern Zimbabwe to assess how sequencing of different ISFM options may lead to incremental gains in soil productivity, enhanced efficiency of resource use, and increase crop yields at field scale. The sequences were primarily based on low-quality organic resources, nitrogen-fixing green manure and grain legumes, and mineral fertilizers. To enable comparison of legume and maize grain yields among treatments, yields were converted to energy (kilocalories) and protein (kg) equivalents. In the first year, ‘Manure-start’, a cattle manure-based sequence, yielded 3.4 t ha−1of maize grain compared with 2.5 and 0.4 t ha−1under a woodland litter-based sequence (‘Litter-start’) and continuous unfertilized maize control, respectively. The ‘Manure-start’ produced 12 × 106kilocalories (kcal); significantly (p< 0.05) out-yielding ‘Litter start’ and a fertilizer-based sequence (‘Fertilizer-start’) by 50%. A soyabean-based sequence, ‘Soya-start’, gave the highest protein production of 720 kg against <450 kg for the other sequencing treatments. In the second year, the sequences yielded an average of 5.7 t ha−1of maize grain, producing over 19 × 106kcal and 400 kg of protein. Consequently, the sequences significantly out-performed farmers’ designated poor fields by ~ fivefold. In the third year, ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest maize grain yield of 3.7 t ha−1; translating to 1.5 and 3 times more calories than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields, respectively. In the fourth year, ‘Fertilizer-start’ produced the highest calories and protein of 14 × 106kcal and 340 kg, respectively. Cumulatively over 4 years, ‘Manure-start’ and ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest calories and protein, out-performing farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Sunnhemp (Crotalaria junceaL.)-based sequences, ‘Green-start’ and ‘Fertilizer-start’, recorded the highest gains in plant available soil P of ~ 4 mg kg−1over the 4-year period. Assessment of P agronomic efficiencies showed significantly more benefits under the ISFM-based sequences than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Based on costs of seed, nutrients and labour, ‘Soya-start’ gave the best net present value over the 4 years, while ‘Fertilizer-start’ was financially the least attractive. Overall, the ISFM-based sequences were more profitable than fields designated as rich and poor by farmers. We concluded that ISFM-based sequences can provide options for farm-level intensification by different categories of smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impacts of Climate change on Crop Yields in different Agro-Climatic Zones of India

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveen P Singh ◽  
Bhawna Anand ◽  
S K Srivastava ◽  
K V Rao ◽  
S K Bal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Climatic Zones ◽  
Emissions Scenarios ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Thestudy attempts to estimateand predict climate impact on crop yieldsusing future temperature projections under two climate emissions scenarios of RCP 4.5 and 8.5 for threedifferent time periods (2030s, 2050s and 2080s) across Agro-climatic zones (ACZ) of India.During the period 1966-2011, a significant rise was observed in both the annual mean maximum and minimum temperature across ACZs. Rainfall recorded an annual decline in Himalayan Regions and Gangetic Plains and a rise in Coastal Regions, Plateau & Hills and Western Dry Region.Our results showedhigh heterogeneity in climate impact onkharif and rabi crop yields (with both negative and positive estimates) across ACZs.It was found that rainfall had a positive effect on most of crop yields, but was not sufficient enough to counterbalance the impact of temperature.Changes in crop yield were more pronounced forhigheremission scenario of RCP 8.5. Thus, it was evident that the relative impacts of climate change and the associated vulnerability varyby ACZs, hence comprehensive crop and region-specific adaptation measures should be emphasized that helps in enhancing resilience of agricultural system in short to medium term. 

scholarly journals Gliricidia Agroforestry Technology Adoption Potential in Selected Dryland Areas of Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Martha Swamila ◽  
Damas Philip ◽  
Adam Meshack Akyoo ◽  
Stefan Sieber ◽  
Mateete Bekunda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Agroforestry Technology

Declining soil fertility is one of the major problems facing producers of field crops in most dryland areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. In response to the declining soil fertility, extensive participatory research has been undertaken by the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and smallholder farmers in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The research has, amongst others, led to the development of Gliricidia agroforestry technology. The positive impact of Gliricidia intercropping on crop yields has been established. However, information on farmers’ willingness and ability to adopt the Gliricidia agroforestry technology on their farms is limited. This study predicts the adoption of Gliricidia agroforestry and conventional mineral fertilizer use technology. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with groups of farmers, purposively selected based on five sets of criteria: (i) at least 2 years of experience in either trying or using Gliricidia agroforestry technology, (ii) at least 1 year of experience in either trying or using the mineral fertilizer technology (iii) at least 10 years of living in the study villages, (iv) the age of 18 years and above, and (v) sex. The Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT) was used to predict the peak adoption levels and the respective time in years. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the effect of change in adoption variables on predicted peak adoption levels and time to peak adoption. The results revealed variations in peak adoption levels with Gliricidia agroforestry technology exhibiting the highest peak of 67.6% in 12 years, and that the most influential variable to the peak adoption is the upfront cost of investing in Gliricidia agroforestry and fertilizer technologies. However, in Gliricidia agroforestry technology most production costs are incurred in the first year of project establishment but impact the long term biophysical and economic benefits. Moreover, farmers practicing agroforestry technology accrue environmental benefits, such as soil erosion control. Based on the results, it is plausible to argue that Gliricidia agroforestry technology has a high adoption potential and its adoption is influenced by investment costs. We recommend two actions to attract smallholder farmers investing in agroforestry technologies. First, enhancing farmers’ access to inputs at affordable prices. Second, raising farmers’ awareness of the long-term environmental benefits of Gliricidia agroforestry technology.

scholarly journals Maize (Zea mays) Response to Anthill Soil (Termitaria), Manure and NPK Fertilization Rate under Conventional and Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kafula Chisanga ◽  
Ernest Mbega ◽  
Patrick Alois Ndakidemi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Fertilization Rate ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Soil Fertility Management ◽  
Maize Varieties

Soil fertility management has been described by many scholars as fundamental and a major hindrance to food production amongst smallholder farmers in the developing world. To counteract this challenge, some farmers have been reported to use anthill soil as analternative fertilizer to improve soil fertility for supporting crop growth. Against this background, a study was undertaken with the aim of ascertaining the effect of anthill soil application alone, cattle manure, and/or their combination with commercially available NPK fertilizer on the growth and yield parameters of three maize varieties under field conditions involving conventional (CONV) and conservation agriculture (CA) tillage systems. Results revealed that anthill soil alone (5000 kg/ha) or in combination with either manure (10,000 kg/ha) or half rate of commercially available fertilizer (NPKS: 10% N, 20% P2O5, 10% K2O, 6% S at 100 kg/ha) competed favourably in terms of response to growth parameters. Furthermore, pH and P levels changed significantly (p < 0.05) at harvest. We conclude that resource-constrained smallholder farmers in less developed countries utilizing anthill soil for fertility improvement purposes should judiciously apply it in CA planting basin structures compared with conventional methods, which appeared to be less effective and leads to sub-optimal yields.

Increasing adaptation to climate stress by applying conservation agriculture in Southern Africa.

2022 ◽  
pp. 270-283
Author(s):  
Christian Thierfelder ◽  
Peter Steward
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Drought Stress ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
On Farm

Abstract Climate change and soil fertility decline are threatening food security in southern Africa and efforts have been made to adapt current cropping systems to the needs of smallholder farmers. Conservation Agriculture (CA) based on minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop diversification has been proposed as a strategy to address the challenges smallholder farmers face. Here we analyse the potential contributions of CA towards adaptation to the effects of climate change by summarizing data on infiltration, soil moisture dynamics and crop productivity under heat and drought stress. The data were taken in the main from CIMMYT's on-farm and on-station trial network. Data show that CA systems maintain 0.7-7.9 times higher water infiltration than the conventional tilled system depending on soil type, which increases soil moisture during the cropping season by 11%-31% between CA treatments and the conventional control treatment. This leads to greater adaptive capacity of CA systems during in-season dry spells and under heat stress. A supporting regional maize productivity assessment, analysing the results of numerous on-farm and on-station experiments, showed that CA systems will outperform conventional tillage practices (CP), especially on light-textured soils, under heat and drought stress. With higher rainfall and low heat stress, this relation was more positive towards CP and on clay soil there was no benefit of practising CA when rainfall was high. The long dry season and limited biomass production of CA systems in southern Africa require complementary good agricultural practices to increase other soil quality parameters (e.g. increased soil carbon) to maintain higher productivity and sustainability over time. This can be addressed by combinations of improved stress-tolerant seed, targeted fertilization, inclusion of tree-based components or green manure cover crops in the farming system, scale-appropriate mechanization and improved weed control strategies.

Traditional Tillage Systems as Drought Adaptation Strategies of Smallholder Farmers: The Case of Semi-Arid Central Tanzania

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riziki S. Shemdoe ◽  
Idris S. Kikula ◽  
Patrick Van Damme
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
No Till ◽  
Selection Of

This article presents local knowledge on ecosystem management by analyzing and discussing traditional tillage practices applied by smallholder farmers as a response to drought risks in dryland areas of Mpwapwa District, central Tanzania. Farming activities in the area wholly depend on rain-fed systems. Information from key informants and in-depth household interviews indicate that farmers in this area use three different traditional tillage practices—no-till (sesa), shallow tillage (kutifua), and ridges (matuta). Available information suggests that selection of a particular practice depends on affordability (in terms of costs and labor requirements), perceived ability to retain nutrient and soil-water, and improvement of control of erosion and crop yield. In this area, smallholder farmers perceive no-till practice to contribute to more weed species, hence more weeding time and labor are needed than in the other two practices. The no-till practice also contributes to low soil fertility, low soil moisture retention, and poor crop yield. No plans have been made to introduce irrigation farming in these marginal areas of central Tanzania. Thus, improving the ability of the tillage practices to conserve soil moisture and maintain soil fertility nutrients using locally available materials are important tasks to be carried out. This will ensure the selection of practices that will have positive influence on improved crop yields in the area.

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