Napier grass is native to the tropical African savanna, where one cultivar is also known as Uganda grass or elephant grass. In Uganda, extensive natural Napier grasslands grew on the fringes of tropical forest until quite recently, the grass being used as mulch for coffee plantations and, later, banana plantations. Its use as cut fodder is more recent.
Napier grass strips as a conservation technology was introduced to members of Farmer Field Schools in Mwizi sub-county by Kagera TAMP field facilitators. Its extensive rhizomatous root system coupled with dense, leafy clumps makes it a quickly establishing vegetative technology against soil erosion by stabilizing the soil and checking surface runoff.
The technology is watershed oriented, with grass strips planted on the upper side of "Fanya Ju" trenches to enhance runoff checking and sediment retention. Mulching is also used to reduce direct impact of rain-drops that otherwise loosen the top soil and worsen the process of surface erosion. When established, grass strips form a continuous hedge along the contour, 0.5m to 1.0m high, regularly cut to provide fodder for livestock or for mulch. The strips are 10m apart.
Purpose of the Technology: The grass strips protect the land from surface erosion, progressively checking the speed of surface runoff, trapping sediment and increasing infiltration. Over time grass strips lead to the formation of terraces.
Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: Napier grass is propagated from root splits, canes with 3 nodes or from whole canes. In the soil excavated from a shallow (0.30m to 0.60m) fanya ju trench, the planting material is planted 0.15m to 0.20m deep with splits planted upright, three node canes planted at an angle of 30-45 degrees while whole canes are buried in the furrow 0.60m to 0.90m apart. The root splits and canes are usually spaced 0.50m to 0.60m along the contour. Root splits generally take more labor to prepare and to plant but result in quicker establishment and earlier and higher forage yields. Once the crop is well-established the original planting material type generally has little effect strip characteristics.
The grass strips are maintained by regular harvesting to a height of o.3m or lower depending on the amount of rain.
Natural / human environment: Maintenance is simple and cheap. Hand hoes and pangas are the only tools used in establishment and maintenance. A little manual labor is all that is required for establishment and management. Stands can survive for decades when well-maintained, but because of its rapid growth and high yields, Napier grass requires regular application of nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the form of farm yard manure, readily available in Mwizi from the livestock that feed on the grass. While pests and diseases that attack the Napier grass exist, it has not yet been observed to be a problem.
Location: Mbarara, Uganda, Uganda
No. of Technology sites analysed:
Spread of the Technology: evenly spread over an area (approx. 1-10 km2)
In a permanently protected area?:
Date of implementation: less than 10 years ago (recently)
Type of introduction
| Specify input | Unit | Quantity | Costs per Unit (Ug Shillings) | Total costs per input (Ug Shillings) | % of costs borne by land users |
| Labour | |||||
| Labour | 200 | 7.0 | 100.0 | ||
| Equipment | |||||
| Tools | 200m | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 100.0 |
| Other | |||||
| Grass cuttings | 200m | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 100.0 |
| Total costs for establishment of the Technology | 10.0 | ||||
| Specify input | Unit | Quantity | Costs per Unit (Ug Shillings) | Total costs per input (Ug Shillings) | % of costs borne by land users |
| Labour | |||||
| Labour | 200 m | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
| Equipment | |||||
| Tools | 200m | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | |
| Total costs for maintenance of the Technology | 6.0 | ||||
Quantity before SLM: 200kg
Quantity after SLM: 1300kg
From improved yields people have increased suplus for sell and enough money to cater for family necesities
Introduction of zero grazing
There is crop failure close to strips
Grasses occupy are where crops would grow
Quantity before SLM: 50000shs
Quantity after SLM: 75000shs
Crop failure near gras strips (on the lower side)
Water speed was reduced
They create hiding places for rats
