Achieving Food Security and climate change adaptation

through agroforestry-based

conservation agriculture A PanAfrica Campaign

Dennis GarrityDirector General

World Agroforestry Centre

International Fund for Agricultural DevelopmentRome, 15 May, 2009

CONFERENCE OF AU MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE, LAND AND LIVESTOCK Addis Ababa April 23-24, 2009

The Conference:

“Requests the AUC-NEPAD to facilitate development of an agricultural-based climate change adaptation framework to guide operationalization and financing the scaling up of SLM in the context of NEPAD’s CAADP,

“Calls upon Member States to increase investment support to initiatives aimed at strengthening knowledge, advancing technical capacity development, and up-scale sustainable land management practices including conservation agriculture and agro-forestry.”

Interlinked Objectives

(1) Food security through increased productivity (focus on smallholder systems)

(2) Agriculture adaptation framework (adaptation to climate change)

(3) Soil and above ground carbon (bio-carbon) for climate mitigation / land care

Elements of Conservation Agriculture

(1) Reduced tillage to improve soil health

(2) Soil cover to protect the soil from wind and water erosion

(3) Crop rotation to improve soil fertility

Lead Team to comprise 5 African institutions to spearhead the development

African Union-NEPAD World Agroforestry Centre CILSS University of Zambia (CAADP Pillar 1

lead)African Conservation Tillage Network

Action

(1) Lead team to spearhead development of CAADP climate change adaptation framework.

(2) Rapid stock taking of the extent of adaptation/adoption of CA in Africa.

(3) Develop regional proposal to scale up CA.

Cereal Yields

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Soil Fertility DepletionSoil Fertility DepletionA new approach needed – A new approach needed – a realistic approacha realistic approach

An approach that makes it possible for farmers to deploy practices that maximize yields with modest investments, produce most of the nitrogen that crops need through fertilizer factories in the field.

Conservation Farming Unit

Conservation Farming & Conservation Agriculture in Zambia

With emphasis on Faidherbia albida

The Conservation Agriculture Programme

2nd generation programme to extend adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Zambia

• Extension Beneficiaries reached140,000

• Technology Delivery through ‘Lead Farmer System’

• Period 2007 to 2011Goal-- 240,000 farmers have adopted by 2011

In eastern Zambia and Malawi farmers split ridges in the dry season. Hoe pans form under the ridges. 700 million + tons of soil moved yearly

by hand!

Ridge Splitting

This practice is less common but also exposes the soil to erosion and creates compaction. Hard unnecessary work!

Overall Digging

Late Planting

The negative effects of late planting of Maize and other crops have been known for at least 80 years

Maize: 1.5% of yield lost for each day of delay from 1st opportunity to plant

Cotton: 2.0% of yield loss for each day of delay

Yet in Zambia thousands of farmers especially those who rely on ploughing are always late!

Maureen hired oxen to plough. The owner was busy, she only managed to plant on the 28th December. The first opportunity to plant occurred on the 19th November.

Before even starting she has lost 59% of her potential yield!

A return visit to Maureen’s field shows an abandoned crop which did not even pay back the cost of hired oxen and labour for weeding.

28th March 2007

Hoe Minimum-Till Conservation Farming

Permanent Planting Basins. Only 12% of surface area disturbed.

Refer to CFU Hoe Handbook for many more details

Hoe Minimum-Till CF

Land preparation can commence in June, spreading labour inputs. In Zambia rains normally commence in late November

Hoe Conservation Farming

CF + Faidhebia albida = CA

Medium term solution to sustainable farming

in Central Africa

Goal 240,000 hectares planted by smallholders by 2011

Conservation Agriculture with Faidherbia albida

60 years of research shows on each hectare, mature trees supply the equivalent of 300kg of complete fertiliser and 250kg of lime. This can

sustain a maize yield of 4 tons/ha.

Faidherbia is indigenous in most African countries

2008/9 Trials - Excellent Management

2007/8 Faidherbia Trial Results

Maize yield - zero fertiliser

Tons/ha ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With Faidherbia 4.1

Without Faidherbia 1.3 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Data averaged from 15 trials

Faidherbia Fertilizer Trees at 100 trees per ha A long term solution for maize production across

East, Central and Southern Africa

Small-scale Conservation Agriculture with Faidherbia

Short-term and Long-term Fertilizer tree Options for Replenishing Soil

Fertility

1 year 2 years 3 years

Relay Fallow intercropping (2-3 tons)

Improved Fallow (3-4 tons)Gliricidia/maize intercropping (3-5 tons)

Waiting Period before benefit accrual

Maize Yield

10th Crop

Adopter of Fertilizer Trees Systemsin southern Malawi

Mr. Majoni

Achieving Serious Impact Southern Africa

Number of farmers benefiting from agroforestry

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Implemented in 11 districts targeting 200,000 in four years to adchieve food security:

In the last two seaons, a total of 120,000 farmers (52% female) were assisted with seed, nursery materials and training.

22 tonnes of tree seeds packed in >200,000 sachets were distributed to farmers each year;

Nearly 300,000 fruit trees raised in central and community nurseries

17,414 farmers, 3,714 farmer trainers and 658 extension workers trained in 2008

Scaling up Agroforestry for Food Security in Malawi (Achievements 2007-2010)

Integrating the Zambia & Malawi

Conservation Agriculture systems

Strengths

Reduces the labor requirements in land preparation Enables the farmer to establish the crop with the first planting rains, thus enabling the crop to reach its full yield potential

Increases N-rich organic matter inputs that typically double or triple maize yields, and improvement of overall soil health.

Tree legumes suppress weed growth and weed populations in the system.

Carbon sequestration radically increased.

What would be the impact if African farmers deployed fertilizer trees on a much larger scale?

If fertilizer trees were practiced on: 10 m ha___________________________________________________

Value of nitrogen fertilizers produced by farmers $ 500

m/yr

Amount of additional maize produced 10-20 m tons

Value of additional maize produced $ 1.6-3.2 billion

___________________________________________________

Key elements of success

1. Radical innovations are needed for CA to succeed on smallholdings in the tropics

2. Community Landcare to accelerate adoption

3. Ramping up Agroforestry-Based CA through investments climate change adaptation & mitigation

Becoming a Boundary Organization

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What IFAD can doInfluence Policy: Champion agroforestry-based conservation agriculture as a critical poverty reduction vehicle

Regional facilitation: Support the development of strong regional facilitation for agroforestry-based conservation agriculture

National development-support for conservation agriculture through its country portfolios

Support research to understand poor household constraints to deploying conservation agriculture

Enhance Networking to leverage capacity as a boundary

organization