35
Results from other projects on CA in Ethiopia have not always been positive. A
Drylands Coordination Group project in the Ziway (Rift Valley) in the Oromia area
failed because it was impossible for farmers to retain the crop residues left in the
field due to free grazing (Sime et al. 2015). This shows the importance of the establishment of bylaws for the protection of mulch.
8 Upscaling of CA in Ethiopia
CA should not be promoted as a stand alone approach, but rather as part of an integrated farming system that focuses on sustainable intensification of livestock combined with improved crop husbandry methods. One key finding from studies on
technology adoption in Ethiopia is that increased yield and farm income can be
achieved if technologies are bundled or presented as a package, as there are synergies between the technologies (Kassie et al. 2015; Marenya et al. 2017). A study
focused on a combination of different technologies showed that the adoption of only
conservation tillage increased labour and pesticide use to compensate for the effect
of increased weed and pest infestation. The adoption of all the technologies did not
increase pesticide use and labour because system diversification reduced the need
for pesticide application and weeding (Marenya et al. 2017). Yield increased as the
number of technologies adopted increased from one to six. Different technologies
should therefore not be presented in isolation, but rather as part of a package. This
study also showed that smaller farms had a higher tendency to adopt the full package compared to larger farms, and the skill of the extension agents increased the
adoption of improved practices (Marenya et al. 2017).
Most CA projects in Africa have been promoted without considering the implications for livestock. This may be one of the reasons for the moderate uptake of CA. As
discussed above, CA without mulching will not give the desired benefit in terms of
yield increase and improved soil fertility. In order to ensure that sufficient quantities
of mulch are available, it is critical to ensure sufficient straw production through the
use of good agronomic practices such as use of appropriate varieties, good seed quality, seed priming, use of organic and mineral fertiliser of sufficient quality and use of
integrated pest management. By ensuring increased straw production, the ‘cake’ will
increase, thereby reducing the competition for crop residues. However, once this
residue is produced, it is equally important that part of the crop residues are retained
as mulch. Across Ethiopia, livestock graze freely on crop residues left in fields, making the retention of crop residues impossible. Bylaws should be established, as in
Wolaita, to ensure that parts of the crop residue are retained in the fields. CA should
not be promoted unless such agreements with the farmers are in place. In parallel to
promoting CA, it is essential that new fodder resources are developed that can reduce
the need for using straw as fodder. These new fodder resources can be cover crops
such as lab-lab or Crotalaria juncea, fodder trees and the planting of fast-growing
grass such as Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) along farm borders. Crop and
livestock intensification should go hand in hand.
The Prospects for Conservation Agriculture in Ethiopia
Results from other projects on CA in Ethiopia have not always been positive. A
Drylands Coordination Group project in the Ziway (Rift Valley) in the Oromia area
failed because it was impossible for farmers to retain the crop residues left in the
field due to free grazing (Sime et al. 2015). This shows the importance of the establishment of bylaws for the protection of mulch.
8 Upscaling of CA in Ethiopia
CA should not be promoted as a stand alone approach, but rather as part of an integrated farming system that focuses on sustainable intensification of livestock combined with improved crop husbandry methods. One key finding from studies on
technology adoption in Ethiopia is that increased yield and farm income can be
achieved if technologies are bundled or presented as a package, as there are synergies between the technologies (Kassie et al. 2015; Marenya et al. 2017). A study
focused on a combination of different technologies showed that the adoption of only
conservation tillage increased labour and pesticide use to compensate for the effect
of increased weed and pest infestation. The adoption of all the technologies did not
increase pesticide use and labour because system diversification reduced the need
for pesticide application and weeding (Marenya et al. 2017). Yield increased as the
number of technologies adopted increased from one to six. Different technologies
should therefore not be presented in isolation, but rather as part of a package. This
study also showed that smaller farms had a higher tendency to adopt the full package compared to larger farms, and the skill of the extension agents increased the
adoption of improved practices (Marenya et al. 2017).
Most CA projects in Africa have been promoted without considering the implications for livestock. This may be one of the reasons for the moderate uptake of CA. As
discussed above, CA without mulching will not give the desired benefit in terms of
yield increase and improved soil fertility. In order to ensure that sufficient quantities
of mulch are available, it is critical to ensure sufficient straw production through the
use of good agronomic practices such as use of appropriate varieties, good seed quality, seed priming, use of organic and mineral fertiliser of sufficient quality and use of
integrated pest management. By ensuring increased straw production, the ‘cake’ will
increase, thereby reducing the competition for crop residues. However, once this
residue is produced, it is equally important that part of the crop residues are retained
as mulch. Across Ethiopia, livestock graze freely on crop residues left in fields, making the retention of crop residues impossible. Bylaws should be established, as in
Wolaita, to ensure that parts of the crop residue are retained in the fields. CA should
not be promoted unless such agreements with the farmers are in place. In parallel to
promoting CA, it is essential that new fodder resources are developed that can reduce
the need for using straw as fodder. These new fodder resources can be cover crops
such as lab-lab or Crotalaria juncea, fodder trees and the planting of fast-growing
grass such as Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) along farm borders. Crop and
livestock intensification should go hand in hand.
The Prospects for Conservation Agriculture in Ethiopia