1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Soil protection and rehabilitation for food security (ProSo(i)l)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Alliance Bioversity and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT) - Kenya

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

1.4 Declaration on sustainability of the described Technology

Is the Technology described here problematic with regard to land degradation, so that it cannot be declared a sustainable land management technology?

No

1.5 Reference to Questionnaire(s) on SLM Approaches (documented using WOCAT)

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Crop residue management involves leaving stover and other trash from cereal crops (including tef, wheat and maize), as well as haulms of legumes, in the field. Crop residues keep the soil covered, retain organic matter and moisture in the soil, and help to ensure better production.

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

Crop residue management involves leaving stover and other trash from cereal crops (including tef, wheat and maize), as well as haulms of legumes, in the field. Crop residue (CR) management is integral to soil health: it yields multiple benefits such as mitigating the risks of soil loss to water erosion, reducing the decomposition of organic matter and storing extra carbon. It also increases the fertility status of degraded soils and helps to improve soil structure and moisture properties. Degraded soils are at risk of tillage, water, and wind erosion. Soils degrade quickly when not covered and when no effort is made to increase organic matter levels or improve soil structure. Crop residue management plays an important role in arresting soil degradation and improving soil properties, and eventually increasing crop production. Therefore, it has positive economic and ecological functions. The aim of applying this technology is to improve soil fertility, reduce soil acidity and demands for synthetic fertilizers. Overall, crop residue management allows land users to sustainably use their land over a long period without losing its productive potential. In this part of Ethiopia, land users used to leave maize and millet stover in the fields but this is challenged by the prevalence of free (open access) grazing. Thus, controlling grazing is one prerequisite to ensuring adoption of the technology. Monocropping also reduces biomass production. Land users appreciate the extra grain yields from crop residue-rich farms. CR management also retains moisture and enables early tillage operations. In summary, the application of appropriate CR management provides multiple benefits. It mitigates the risks of erosion, reduces excessive mining of CR, reduces the rate of decomposition of organic matter, increases the fertility status of degraded soils, and increases crop production and sustainable productivity.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.4 Videos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

2.6 Date of implementation

Indicate year of implementation:

2015

If precise year is not known, indicate approximate date:

• less than 10 years ago (recently)

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• as part of a traditional system (> 50 years)
• through projects/ external interventions

Comments (type of project, etc.):

Integrated Soil Fertility Management Project (ISFM+) of the GIZ.

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve production
• reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
• conserve ecosystem
• preserve/ improve biodiversity
• create beneficial economic impact

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Land use mixed within the same land unit:

No

3.3 Has land use changed due to the implementation of the Technology?

Has land use changed due to the implementation of the Technology?

• No (Continue with question 3.4)

3.4 Water supply

Water supply for the land on which the Technology is applied:

• rainfed

3.5 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• integrated crop-livestock management
• improved ground/ vegetation cover
• integrated soil fertility management

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

Comments:

With tillage, the crop residue is incorporated well into the soil system. It improves soil structure by contributing organic matter with the benefits of facilitating infiltration and reducing surface runoff.

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

Specify the goal of the Technology with regard to land degradation:

• reduce land degradation
• restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land

Comments:

It ensures the sustainable productivity potential of the soil.

4.2 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

Specify how costs and inputs were calculated:

• per Technology area

other/ national currency (specify):

ETB

If relevant, indicate exchange rate from USD to local currency (e.g. 1 USD = 79.9 Brazilian Real): 1 USD =:

53.12

4.3 Establishment activities

	Activity	Timing (season)
1.	Mowing the crop by leaving some proportion on the ground.	Harvesting
2.	Keep of livestock grazing	Dry season
3.	Plow over the crop residue early on.	Late in the dry season.

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

Comments:

The technology needs changing the mindset of the land users than the money/finance for the establishment and maintenance of it. Uniform distribution of rainfall is essential to plan the plowing time to incorporate the residue well into the soil.

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Timing/ frequency
1.	Keep the farm with crop residue intact from livestock	During off-season.

Comments:

Prohibiting the use of a proportion of crop residue for fuel, construction, and livestock feed is enough to put in place the technology.

4.6 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

If you are unable to break down the costs in the table above, give an estimation of the total costs of maintaining the Technology:

2500.0

Comments:

Allocated some money just to keep off the interference of livestock to the farmland during the off-season. The cost can be covered by land users themselves but need awareness creation on SLM using crop residue as one of the best practices.

4.7 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

Change of the cost is related to the inflation and economic instability.

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Comments and further specifications on topography:

Since the farming at stallholder level is manual using traction power, the introduction of this technology is not obstructed by the topography as long as the land is under farming.

5.3 Soils

5.4 Water availability and quality

Is water salinity a problem?

No

Is flooding of the area occurring?

No

5.5 Biodiversity

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

The land users engage in livestock business as off-farm income.

5.7 Average area of land used by land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land ownership:

• state
• individual, titled

Land use rights:

• individual

Water use rights:

• open access (unorganized)
• communal (organized)

Are land use rights based on a traditional legal system?

Yes

Specify:

The land is inherited from the predecessors, though there was a land reallocation program in the past.

5.9 Access to services and infrastructure

Comments:

Land users are benefited from various financial institutions to access credit and other services. Various credit institutions and revolving funds were mentioned my the land users.

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Water availability and quality

Income and costs

Socio-cultural impacts

Ecological impacts

Water cycle/ runoff

Soil

Biodiversity: vegetation, animals

Climate and disaster risk reduction

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

6.3 Exposure and sensitivity of the Technology to gradual climate change and climate-related extremes/ disasters (as perceived by land users)

Gradual climate change

Gradual climate change

	Season	increase or decrease	How does the Technology cope with it?
annual temperature		increase	well
seasonal temperature	dry season	increase	well
annual rainfall		decrease	well

Climate-related extremes (disasters)

Biological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
epidemic diseases	not known
insect/ worm infestation	not well

Other climate-related consequences

Other climate-related consequences

	How does the Technology cope with it?
extended growing period	well
reduced growing period	very well

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

Comments:

Actually, the technology demands only labor costs for the protection of the farmland from grazing the leftover and to avoid illegal burning of crop residues.

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

• 11-50%

Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many did so spontaneously, i.e. without receiving any material incentives/ payments?

• 91-100%

Comments:

Land users adopted the practice and plow over the crop residue when the first shower of rainfall intercepted.

6.6 Adaptation

Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?

No

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
It improves soil fertility on gradual basis.
It assists to reduce soil acidity.
Increases production and productivity.

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Absorbs and retain soil moisture for the crop to rely on for growth and grain filling as a coping mechanism to the unpredictable distribution of rainfall.
It reduces soil temperature and smother the weeds.
Sequesters carbon, a beneficial for climate change/variability.

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
Create tillage inconvenience as mechanization is less common among smallholders.	Using the excessive residue as trash line support the purpose of soil and water conservation.
Free grazing system and multiple uses of crop residue challenges retention of crop residue.	Institutionalizing controlled grazing system is of paramount important.

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
Less fodder available for the livestock and other multiple uses of crop residues.	Limit the amount of crop residue to be retained on the farm to 15 to 30 percent of the total non-grain biomass produced in the farm.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Renard, C. 1997. Crop Residues in Sustainable Mixed Crop/Livestock Farming Systems. CAB International, Walingford. ISBN 0 851991777

Available from where? Costs?

https://core.ac.uk › download ›

Title, author, year, ISBN:

IIRR and ACT. 2005. Conservation Agriculture. A manual for farmers and extension workers in Africa. International Institute of Rural Agriculture, Nairobi; African Conservation Tillage Network, Harare.

Available from where? Costs?

http://www.act-africa.org ›

7.3 Links to relevant online information

Title/ description:

Best management practices: residue management

URL:

http://omaf.gov.on.ca/english/environment/bmp/AF179.pdf

7.4 General comments

Similar to any other technologies. some questions in the questionnaire are not relevant to this particular technology. Meaning, the technology doesn't address every issue stated therein.