Comparative performance of conservation agriculture and current smallholder farming practices in semi-arid Zimbabwe

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dc.contributor.authorBaudron, Fredericen
dc.contributor.authorTittonell, Pabloen
dc.contributor.authorCorbeels, Marcen
dc.contributor.authorLetourmy, P.en
dc.contributor.authorGiller, Kenen
dc.contributor.departmentSustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Knowledgebaseen
dc.coverage.spatialZimbabween
dc.coverage.spatialSub-Saharan Africaen
dc.coverage.temporal2007 - 2010en
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-19T20:29:18Zen
dc.date.available2016-04-19T20:29:18Zen
dc.date.issued2012en
dc.descriptionMetadata only recorden
dc.description.abstractConservation agriculture is promoted in sub-Saharan Africa as a means to improve water use efficiency in an region with variable or poorly distributed rainfall. However, other environmental and social factors may contribute to the success or failure of implementation and practice. The purpose of this study was to compare on-farm conservation agriculture trials of cotton and sorghum with production practices currently in place. Two experiments at multiple locations were executed. The first involved an unfertilized cotton-sorghum rotation (three consecutive seasons), while the second examined cotton production with fertilizer provided on credit (two consecutive seasons). Mulches were produced on site to further emulate conditions present for farmers of the Mid-Zambezi valley. Farmers' perceptions of the technologies involved were also studied. CA was found to have no effect on cotton yields during the first two seasons, which received average or above average rainfall, but was found to be detrimental to yields during a third season of decreased rainfall. Additionally, greater run-off was found in on-farm CA trials in coarser soils than fine-textured soils. Farmers perceived that plowing was necessary to avoid soil crusting and compaction in drier years while CA was beneficial during wetter seasons. The authors site poor mulch coverage as a factor in this result and recommend legume intercropping as part of the solution.en
dc.format.mimetypetext/plainen
dc.identifier5244en
dc.identifier.citationField Crops Research 132: 117–128en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2011.09.008en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/69906en
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherElsevier B.V.en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.en
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectLocal knowledgeen
dc.subjectSoil conservationen
dc.subjectConservation agricultureen
dc.subjectSemiarid zonesen
dc.subjectWaterloggingen
dc.subjectCottonen
dc.subjectSorghumen
dc.subjectSurface crustingen
dc.subjectSoil compactionen
dc.subjectZimbabween
dc.subjectMid-zambezi valleyen
dc.subjectGossypium hirsutum l.en
dc.subjectSorghum bicolor (l.) moenchen
dc.subjectField Scaleen
dc.titleComparative performance of conservation agriculture and current smallholder farming practices in semi-arid Zimbabween
dc.typeAbstracten
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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