Composting associated with planting pits
(Burkina Faso)
Zai avec apport de compost (french)
Description
Compost production, and its application in planting pits (zai) by farmers on fields near their homes.
Compost is produced in shallow pits, approximately 20 cm deep and 1.5 m by 3 m wide. During November and December layers of chopped crop residues, animal dung and ash are heaped, as they become available, up to 1.5 m high and watered. The pile is covered with straw and left to heat up and decompose. After around 15-20 days the compost is turned over into a second pile and watered again. This is repeated up to three times - as long as water is available. Compost heaps are usually located close to the homestead. Alternatively, compost can be produced in pits which are up to one metre deep. Organic material is filled to ground level. The pit captures rain water, which makes this method of composting
a valuable option in dry areas.
The compost is either applied immediately to irrigated gardens, or kept in a dry shaded place for the next sorghum seeding. In the latter case one handful of compost is mixed with loose soil in each planting pit (zai). These pits are dug 60 cm by 60 cm apart. Three to four grains of sorghum are planted in each pit. Compost in the pits both conserves water and supplies nutrients. This enables the sorghum plants to establish better, grow faster and reach maturity before the rains finish. As compost is applied locally to the crop, not only is the positive effect maximised, but also the weeds between the pits do not benefit. The water retaining capacity of the compost (absorbing several times its own weight) makes the difference. This is much more important than the additional nutrients, which only become available in subsequent years, and do not anyway completely replace all the nutrients extracted by the crops.
The planting pits also help by harvesting runoff water from the microcatchments between them. Boulgou experiences erratic and variable rainfall with frequent droughts. The poor soils are often crusted and have a low water-retention capacity. Due to a high and increasing population, the land has become exhausted, and fallow periods are no longer sufficient as a consequence. Fertility and yields have declined. Sorghum without compost is more vulnerable to drought and crop failure.
During the dry season, after harvest, fields are grazed by cattle of the nomadic pastoral Peuhl, who also herd the agriculturalists’ livestock. Interestingly, the Peuhl have started to systematically collect the manure for sale, since the increased demand (for composting) has led to doubling of the price. Composting has been applied in Boulgou Province of Burkina Faso since 1988.
Location
Location: Boulgou Province, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso
No. of Technology sites analysed:
Geo-reference of selected sites
Spread of the Technology:
In a permanently protected area?:
Date of implementation:
Type of introduction
-
through land users' innovation
-
as part of a traditional system (> 50 years)
-
during experiments/ research
-
through projects/ external interventions
Compost pits in Bam province with low containing walls: Pit compost requires little or no additional water and is preferable in dry zones. (William Critchley)
Compost pit
Classification of the Technology
Main purpose
-
improve production
-
reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
-
conserve ecosystem
-
protect a watershed/ downstream areas – in combination with other Technologies
-
preserve/ improve biodiversity
-
reduce risk of disasters
-
adapt to climate change/ extremes and its impacts
-
mitigate climate change and its impacts
-
create beneficial economic impact
-
create beneficial social impact
Land use
Land use mixed within the same land unit: Ja - Agro-silvopastoralism
-
Cropland
- Annual cropping: oilseed crops - groundnuts, cereals - maize, cereals - sorghum, vegetables - leafy vegetables (salads, cabbage, spinach, other), vegetables - root vegetables (carrots, onions, beet, other), legumes and pulses - peas
Is crop rotation practiced? Ja
-
Grazing land
Animal type: goats, mules and asses, zebu cattle
-
Forest/ woodlandsProducts and services: Fuelwood, Fruits and nuts
Water supply
-
rainfed
-
mixed rainfed-irrigated
-
full irrigation
Purpose related to land degradation
-
prevent land degradation
-
reduce land degradation
-
restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land
-
adapt to land degradation
-
not applicable
Degradation addressed
-
soil erosion by water - Wt: loss of topsoil/ surface erosion
-
chemical soil deterioration - Cn: fertility decline and reduced organic matter content (not caused by erosion)
-
physical soil deterioration - Pc: compaction, Pk: slaking and crusting
-
water degradation - Ha: aridification
SLM group
-
improved ground/ vegetation cover
-
integrated soil fertility management
-
water harvesting
Technical drawing
Technical specifications
A: Overview of compost making and zai planting pits within a field. Tree shade helps to conserve moisture in the compost pits.
B: Cross section of compost pit: protective straw (1); successive layers of compost (2), clay layer at the bottom (3).
C: Detailed view of zai planting pit.
Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: low
Technical knowledge required for land users: moderate
Main technical functions: increase / maintain water stored in soil
Secondary technical functions: increase in organic matter, increase of infiltration, increase in soil fertility, improvement of soil structure
Manure / compost / residues
Material/ species: compost
Quantity/ density: 7-10 t/ha
Remarks: applied in planting pits
Author: Mats Gurtner
Establishment and maintenance: activities, inputs and costs
Calculation of inputs and costs
- Costs are calculated:
- Currency used for cost calculation: n.a.
- Exchange rate (to USD): 1 USD = n.a
- Average wage cost of hired labour per day: n.a
Most important factors affecting the costs
Duration of establishment: 1 week
Establishment activities
-
Transport compost to the fields: (Timing/ frequency: April / annual)
-
Deepen planting pits (zai) (to original dimensions of 15 cm deep, 20 cm diameter, and 60 cm apart) and apply a handful of compost mixed with earth, just before planting sorghum (Timing/ frequency: After the first rains / annual)
Establishment inputs and costs
| Specify input |
Unit |
Quantity |
Costs per Unit (n.a.) |
Total costs per input (n.a.) |
% of costs borne by land users |
|
Labour
|
| Labour |
ha |
1.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
100.0 |
|
Equipment
|
| Tools |
ha |
1.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
100.0 |
|
Construction material
|
| Clay |
1 |
|
|
|
|
| Total costs for establishment of the Technology |
12.0 |
|
| Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD |
12.0 |
|
Maintenance activities
-
Dig two compost pits (3 m by 1.5 m and 20 cm deep). Cover the bottom of each pit with 3 cm clay layer. (Timing/ frequency: beginning of the dry season (November). / initial establishment)
-
Put 20 cm layer of chopped crop residues (cereal straw) into thecompost pit (water with one bucket). Add 5 cm layer of animal manure. Add 1 cm layer of ash. Repeat steps 1–3 until the compost pile is 1.0–1.5 m high. (Timing/ frequency: November / annual)
-
Cover pile with straw to reduce evaporation, and leave to decompose. (Timing/ frequency: November / annual / up to 3 times (as long as water is available))
-
Turn compost after 15 days into the 2nd pit, then after another 15 days back into the 1st pit. Water the pile after each turning with 3 buckets of water. (Timing/ frequency: / up to 3 times (as long as water is available))
-
Store ready compost in dry shady place. (Timing/ frequency: January / annual)
Maintenance inputs and costs
| Specify input |
Unit |
Quantity |
Costs per Unit (n.a.) |
Total costs per input (n.a.) |
% of costs borne by land users |
|
Labour
|
| Labour |
ha |
1.0 |
20.0 |
20.0 |
100.0 |
|
Equipment
|
| Wheelbarrow renting |
ha |
1.0 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
100.0 |
|
|
1.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1.0 |
|
|
|
|
Fertilizers and biocides
|
| Compost/manure |
ha |
1.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
100.0 |
|
Construction material
|
| Wet straw |
ha |
|
|
|
|
| ash |
ha |
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
| Compost transportation |
ha |
1.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
100.0 |
| Total costs for maintenance of the Technology |
30.0 |
|
| Total costs for maintenance of the Technology in USD |
30.0 |
|
Natural environment
Average annual rainfall
-
< 250 mm
-
251-500 mm
-
501-750 mm
-
751-1,000 mm
-
1,001-1,500 mm
-
1,501-2,000 mm
-
2,001-3,000 mm
-
3,001-4,000 mm
-
> 4,000 mm
Agro-climatic zone
-
humid
-
sub-humid
-
semi-arid
-
arid
Specifications on climate
Thermal climate class: tropics
Slope
-
flat (0-2%)
-
gentle (3-5%)
-
moderate (6-10%)
-
rolling (11-15%)
-
hilly (16-30%)
-
steep (31-60%)
-
very steep (>60%)
Landforms
-
plateau/plains
-
ridges
-
mountain slopes
-
hill slopes
-
footslopes
-
valley floors
Altitude
-
0-100 m a.s.l.
-
101-500 m a.s.l.
-
501-1,000 m a.s.l.
-
1,001-1,500 m a.s.l.
-
1,501-2,000 m a.s.l.
-
2,001-2,500 m a.s.l.
-
2,501-3,000 m a.s.l.
-
3,001-4,000 m a.s.l.
-
> 4,000 m a.s.l.
Technology is applied in
-
convex situations
-
concave situations
-
not relevant
Soil depth
-
very shallow (0-20 cm)
-
shallow (21-50 cm)
-
moderately deep (51-80 cm)
-
deep (81-120 cm)
-
very deep (> 120 cm)
Soil texture (topsoil)
-
coarse/ light (sandy)
-
medium (loamy, silty)
-
fine/ heavy (clay)
Soil texture (> 20 cm below surface)
-
coarse/ light (sandy)
-
medium (loamy, silty)
-
fine/ heavy (clay)
Topsoil organic matter content
-
high (>3%)
-
medium (1-3%)
-
low (<1%)
Groundwater table
-
on surface
-
< 5 m
-
5-50 m
-
> 50 m
Availability of surface water
-
excess
-
good
-
medium
-
poor/ none
Water quality (untreated)
-
good drinking water
-
poor drinking water (treatment required)
-
for agricultural use only (irrigation)
-
unusable
Is salinity a problem?
Occurrence of flooding
Characteristics of land users applying the Technology
Market orientation
-
subsistence (self-supply)
-
mixed (subsistence/ commercial)
-
commercial/ market
Off-farm income
-
less than 10% of all income
-
10-50% of all income
-
> 50% of all income
Relative level of wealth
-
very poor
-
poor
-
average
-
rich
-
very rich
Level of mechanization
-
manual work
-
animal traction
-
mechanized/ motorized
Sedentary or nomadic
-
Sedentary
-
Semi-nomadic
-
Nomadic
Individuals or groups
-
individual/ household
-
groups/ community
-
cooperative
-
employee (company, government)
Age
-
children
-
youth
-
middle-aged
-
elderly
Area used per household
-
< 0.5 ha
-
0.5-1 ha
-
1-2 ha
-
2-5 ha
-
5-15 ha
-
15-50 ha
-
50-100 ha
-
100-500 ha
-
500-1,000 ha
-
1,000-10,000 ha
-
> 10,000 ha
Scale
-
small-scale
-
medium-scale
-
large-scale
Land ownership
-
state
-
company
-
communal/ village
-
group
-
individual, not titled
-
individual, titled
Land use rights
-
open access (unorganized)
-
communal (organized)
-
leased
-
individual
Water use rights
-
open access (unorganized)
-
communal (organized)
-
leased
-
individual
Access to services and infrastructure
Impacts
Socio-economic impacts
farm income
By several times in dry years, compared to no compost use
Integration of agriculturalists and pastoralists
Cost-benefit analysis
Benefits compared with establishment costs
Short-term returns
very negative
very positive
Long-term returns
very negative
very positive
Benefits compared with maintenance costs
Short-term returns
very negative
very positive
Long-term returns
very negative
very positive
Adoption and adaptation
Percentage of land users in the area who have adopted the Technology
-
single cases/ experimental
-
1-10%
-
11-50%
-
> 50%
Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many have done so without receiving material incentives?
-
0-10%
-
11-50%
-
51-90%
-
91-100%
Number of households and/ or area covered
5000
Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?
To which changing conditions?
-
climatic change/ extremes
-
changing markets
-
labour availability (e.g. due to migration)
Conclusions and lessons learnt
Strengths: land user's view
Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
-
All land users, even the poorest, can learn to make and apply compost. No jealousy amongst land users, which is a prerequisite for ist spread/acceptance
How can they be sustained / enhanced? Keep going with training and extension.
-
Possibility of doubling cereal yields in normal years: any surplus production can be sold
How can they be sustained / enhanced? Produce enough good compost/manure.
-
Ensures yields in dry years, giving security against drought and hunger.
-
Gives high income in dry years due to production increase and double prices on the market for the surplus
How can they be sustained / enhanced? However the government is attempting to stabilise prices, so this benefit might not endure.
-
Requires only locally available resources, and knowledge about compost application is ‘owned’ by the farmers: nobody can take it away from them.
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: land user's viewhow to overcome
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: compiler’s or other key resource person’s viewhow to overcome
-
The modest quantity of compost applied is not enough to replace the nutrients extracted by the crops in the long term
Small amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous fertiliser need to be added and crop rotation practiced.
-
The short/medium term local benefits are not associated with a positive overall, long-term ecological impact because there is a net transfer of organic matter (manure) to the fields from the surroundings
Improve management of the vegetation outside the cropland, avoiding overgrazing etc to increase manure production.
-
Needs considerable water and thus also extra labour
Pit composting helps to reduce water requirement in drier areas and at the same time reduces labour input.
References
Reviewer
-
Fabian Ottiger
-
Alexandra Gavilano
Date of documentation: Nov. 17, 2010
Last update: Maart 7, 2019
Resource persons
-
Jean Pascal Etienne De Pury - SLM specialist
-
Elisée Ouedraogo - SLM specialist
-
Moussa Bonzi - SLM specialist
Full description in the WOCAT database
Documentation was faciliated by
Institution
- Centre Ecologique Albert Schweitzer (CEAS) - Switzerland
- INERA Institut de l'environnement et de recherches agricoles (INERA Institut de l'environnement et de recherches agricoles) - Burkina Faso
Project
- Book project: SLM in Practice - Guidelines and Best Practices for Sub-Saharan Africa (SLM in Practice)
- Book project: where the land is greener - Case Studies and Analysis of Soil and Water Conservation Initiatives Worldwide (where the land is greener)
Key references
-
Ouedraogo E . Influence d’un amendement de compost sur sol ferrugineux tropicaux en milieu paysan. Impact sur laproduction de sorgho à Zabré en 1992. Mémoire de diplôme.. 1992.: CEAS Neuchâtel, Switzerland
-
Zougmore R, Bonzi M, et Zida Z . Etalonnagedes unités locales de mesures pour le compostage en fosse de type unique étanche durable. Fiche technique de quantification des matériaux decompostage, 4pp. 2000.:
-
Zougmore R, Bonzi M, et Zida Z . Etalonnagedes unités locales de mesures pour le compostage en fosse de type unique étanche durable. Fiche technique de quantification des matériaux decompostage, 4pp. 2000.:
-
Zougmore R, Bonzi M, et Zida Z . Etalonnagedes unités locales de mesures pour le compostage en fosse de type unique étanche durable. Fiche technique de quantification des matériaux decompostage, 4pp. 2000.:
-
Zougmore R, Bonzi M, et Zida Z . Etalonnagedes unités locales de mesures pour le compostage en fosse de type unique étanche durable. Fiche technique de quantification des matériaux decompostage, 4pp. 2000.:
-
Zougmore R, Bonzi M, et Zida Z . Etalonnagedes unités locales de mesures pour le compostage en fosse de type unique étanche durable. Fiche technique de quantification des matériaux decompostage, 4pp. 2000.:
