Abstract
Reduced tillage, permanent ground cover and crop diversification are the three core pillars of Conservation Agriculture (CA). We assess and compare on-farm effects of different practices related to the three pillars of CA on maize yields under ENSO-driven rainfall variability in Kenya and Malawi. Reduced tillage practices increased yields per hectare by 250 kg on average in Malawi under below-average rainfall conditions and by 700 kg in Kenya under above-average rainfall, but did not have any significant effect on yields under below-average rainfall conditions in Kenya. Ground cover had a positive impact on yields in Malawi (dry conditions) but not in Kenya (both dry and wet conditions), where mixed crop and livestock systems limited this practice. Crop diversification had positive impacts in Kenya (both dry and wet conditions), where maize-legume crop rotation is practiced, but not in Malawi where landholdings are too small to allow rotation. Our findings suggest that isolated CA techniques can have positive effects on yields even after only a few years of practice under variable rainfall conditions. This strengthens empirical evidence supporting the value of CA in resilience building of agricultural systems, and suggests that both full and partial adoption of CA practices should be supported in areas where climate change is leading to more variable rainfall conditions.
Highlights
The 2015/16 El Niño event was one of the strongest on record (Jacox et al 2016) with global impacts including droughts, flooding and extreme weather events
In OND 2014 (figure 2(upper)), rainfall was very erratic, with less than 20 mm recorded during the 10 days following onset, which indicates a failed start (Ifejika Speranza et al 2008)
This study provides empirical evidence from wet and dry years across sub-Saharan Africa to demonstrate on-farm benefits of individual Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices
Summary
The 2015/16 El Niño event was one of the strongest on record (Jacox et al 2016) with global impacts including droughts, flooding and extreme weather events. This had catastrophic impacts on agricultural production and subsequently food security. Understanding the impact of such weather conditions on smallholder farmers and designing resilience solutions is crucial. The increased productivity and resilience to climate variability is expected to positively impact household food security and capacity to reinvest in future agricultural production (Rusinamhodzi et al 2011)
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