Browsing by Author "Norton, Urszula"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
  • Conservation agriculture for smallholder farms in Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya
    Norton, James B.; Omondi, Emmanuel C.; Norton, Urszula; Ngosia, D. S.; Odhiambo, J. A.; Okeyo, Jeremiah M.; Okalebo, J. R.; Oluko, P. S. (2012)
    Soil quality and crop yield parameters resulting from conservation agriculture practices were evaluated in on-station and on-farm studies established in two highland sites and two lowland sites in the Mount Elgon region of western Kenya and eastern Uganda. Each of the four study areas consists of an on-station and four on-farm sites, each with of three tillage practices (conventional moldboard, no-till, and minimum till); two levels of nitrogen fertilizer (60 Kg N Ha-1 and none); and three cropping systems (traditional maize-beans intercropping, maize intercropped with a bean-Mucuna [Mucuna pruriens] relay, and strip intercropping with maize, beans, and Mucuna in rotation planted in four-row strips) in a factorial design with nine treatments. First and second year results of soil organic matter analyses and crop yields indicate that reduced tillage combined with adding the cover crop to the rotation has begun to improve soil quality and has not negatively impacted yields. Some cooperating farmers have noted improved maize yields following Mucuna and are eager to scale up reduced-tillage and cover crop treatments.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Development and transfer of conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) for small-holder farms in eastern Uganda and western Kenya
    Norton, James B.; Arnould, Eric; Norton, Urszula; Peck, Dannele; Press, Melea; Okalebo, Robert; Omondi, Emmanuel C.; Mukhwana, Eusebius J.; Bashaasha, Bernard; Laker-Ojok, Rita; Okeyo, Jeremiah; Odhiambo, Judith A.; Owori, Moses; Oluko, Patrick; Ogonga, Phanice; Chepkurui, Isaac; Sikuku, Dominic (2011)
    This poster provides an overview of the Long Term Research Activity 10 of Phase IV of the SANREM CRSP in two upland and two lowland areas in Mt. Elgon region of Kenya-Uganda border: Kapchorwa and Tororo Uganda; Trans Nzoia and Bungoma, Kenya. The project aims to assist farmers and other stakeholders in determining whether soil-building practices result in healthier soils and economically higher yields. They will have identified, developed and tested tools for reducing soil disturbance over this 5 year project. The research will also result in defined policy and regulatory constraints to agronomic and market innovation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Early indicators of change during transition to conservation practices by smallholder farmers in western Kenya
    Norton, Urszula; Norton, James B.; Odhiambo, J. A.; Omondi, Emmanuel C. (2014)
    This paper presents research to identify and assess soil and plant parameters during transition to selected conservation agriculture practices identified by smallholder farmers in western Kenya.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Farmer Co- designed strategies to reduce post-harvest residue removal for household use and restore soil fertility
    Anders, Erin; Norton, Urszula (2012)
    Soil resource depletion and land degradation are key contributing factors to food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Novel conservation agriculture practices (CAP) encourage smallholder farmers to leave post-harvest residue in the field for the purpose of soil organic matter (SOM) restoration and soil water conservation. Many farmers understand the importance of crop residue retention for soil fertility. Due to resource limitations and everyday demands, retaining residues is often impossible because farmers remove crop residue primarily for household cooking and livestock feed (Kushwaha and Singh, 2005).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Farmer co-designed agroforestry initiative reduces field residue removal by subsistence farmers in Kenya
    Anders, Erin; Norton, Urszula (2013)
    This study will evaluate the magnitude and origins of plant biomass use in everyday small-holder farmer households. Implementation of farmer co-designed agroforestry practices as an offset to current post-harvest field residue collection and transition processes associated will be assessed. We hypothesize that post-harvest crop residue use is critical to current subsistence strategies. It is further hypothesized that co-designed alternative resources will mitigate farmer need to remove post-harvest field residue. Transitional timing has been established through recorded biomass weight and results suggest that household use on average 17 Kg of plant biomass per household member per month. Plant biomass mitigation, as a result of newly planted alternative agroforestry sources, has occurred as early as February 2013 (six months after planting). System cascades associated with changes in plant biomass use will be assessed through December 2013. Conservation agriculture practices (CAP) encourage smallholder farmers to leave post-harvest residue on soil surface to improve soil fertility and overall agroecosystem sustainability. However, pressures associated with post-harvest residue utilization for household food preparation use and animal fodder limit adoption. Therefore it is important to identify alterative farmer adoptive resources for this purpose. Abstract published by Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Office.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Impact of conservation tillage on soil quality under smallholder farming systems in eastern Uganda and western Kenya
    Okeyo, Jeremiah M.; Norton, Jay B.; Omondi, Emmanuel C.; Norton, Urszula; Ngosia, Dominic S.; Odhiambo, Judith A.; Ashilenje, Dennis S. (2014)
    This poster presents a study to evaluate the impact oftillage: conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and notill(NT) combined with 3 cropping systems: intercrop, relay andstrip system on: (i.) Total and labile SOC and N pools and (ii.) Bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR) and water in eastern Uganda and western Kenya.
  • Maize-bean farming and seasonal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in sub-Saharan Africa
    Odhiambo, J. A.; Norton, Urszula; Ngosia, D. S.; Omondi, Emmanuel C.; Norton, James B. (WY: University of Wyoming Extension, 2013)
    Low nitrogen use efficiency and fertilizer recovery by crops in sub-Saharan Africa suggests high rates of nitrogen and carbon leaching, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this study was to inventory seasonal GHG emissions from continuous maize/bean intercropping grown under unimodal (one growing season) and bi-modal (two growing seasons) conditions. Soils from the bimodal area of Bungoma had very high N2O emissions during crop growth and greater though still very low CH4 assimilation compared to Trans-Nzoia.
  • Seasonal Variability in GHG emissions and soil N in maize/common bean intercropping under inversion-type tillage in western Kenya
    Odhiambo, Judith A.; Norton, Urszula; Norton, Jay B.; Omondi, Emmanuel C.; Okeyo, Jeremiah M.; Ngosia, Dominic S.; Ashilenje, Dennis S. (2014)
    This posters reports on a study which seeks to (1) Assess SOM mineralization in typical maize bean production during long rainy season, short rainy season and a fallow period in double
  • Thumbnail Image
    Soil biological and physical properties under conservation agriculture in Kenya and Uganda
    Norton, Jay B.; Okeyo, Jeremiah M.; Norton, Urszula (2014)
    This presentation describes a study conducted by the East Africa SANREM team which examines the following questions: (1) How do alternative tillage treatments that eliminate plows impact soil quality? (2)How do alternative cropping systems that include cover crops impact soil quality? (3) How do combined alternative cropping and tillage systems affect soil quality?
  • Thumbnail Image
    Weed Dynamics during Transition to Conservation Agriculture in Western Kenya Maize Production
    Odhiambo, Judith A.; Norton, Urszula; Ashilenje, Dennis S.; Omondi, Emmanuel C.; Norton, Jay B. (2015-08-03)
    Weed competition is a significant problem in maize (Zea mays, L.) production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Better understanding of weed management and costs in maize inter-cropped with beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) during transition to conservation agricultural systems is needed. Changes in weed population and maize growth were assessed for a period of three years at Bungoma where crops are grown twice per year and at Trans-Nzoia where crops are grown once per year. Treatments included three tillage practices: minimum (MT), no-till (NT) and conventional (CT) applied to three cropping systems: continuous maize/bean intercropping (TYPICAL), maize/bean intercropping with relayed mucuna after bean harvest (RELAY) and maize, bean and mucuna planted in a strip intercropping arrangement (STRIP). Herbicides were used in NT, shallow hand hoeing and herbicides were used in MT and deep hoeing with no herbicides were used in CT. Weed and maize performance in the maize phase of each cropping system were assessed at both locations and costs of weed control were estimated at Manor House only. Weed density of grass and forb species declined significantly under MT and NT at Manor House and of grass species only at Mabanga. The greatest declines of more than 50% were observed as early as within one year of the transition to MT and NT in STRIP and TYPICAL cropping systems at Manor House. Transitioning to conservation based systems resulted in a decline of four out of five most dominant weed species. At the same time, no negative impact of MT or NT on maize growth was observed. Corresponding costs of weed management were reduced by $148.40 ha(-1) in MT and $149.60 ha(-1) in NT compared with CT. In conclusion, farmers can benefit from effective and less expensive weed management alternatives early in the process of transitioning to reduced tillage operations.