Farmers on a slashed field (Amale Balla Sunday)
Soil tillage, which is practiced traditionally to prepare fine seedbeds and control weeds, bears several undesirable side effects that have forced land users to rethink and develop other sustainable management strategies such as reduced tillage or no-till (see photo below). Tillage as a practice damages soil and leaves it exposed to erosion, particularly by wind and water. Yet weeding using tillage methods is often laborious and costly. In parts of northern Uganda, minimum or reduced tillage is used to ease land preparation.
Labor is an important factor that determines the size of gardens that farmers can prepare and work on. With this technology, immediately after crop harvest, the field is cleared by slashing residues (weeds and crop residues) present in the field. It is a good practice to cut the vegetation before they produce seeds to ensure that few weed seeds germinate. After slashing down crop residues, planting holes for the subsequent crop are dug following the given recommendations for the crop to be planted.
This practice ensures that the residues provide mulch, which in turn reduces surface runoff and soil erosion. The decomposing residues provide humus and replenish nutrients into the soil. Plants can also escape harsh weather conditions since they can be planted in time. This technology is still new among the farming communities in northern Uganda, thus its proper use requires extension advisory support.
Lugar: Nwoya district, Nothern, Uganda
No. de sitios de Tecnología analizados: 2-10 sitios
Difusión de la Tecnología: aplicada en puntos específicos/ concentrada en un área pequeña
Fecha de la implementación: 2015
Tipo de introducción
Especificaciones técnicasGrasses are slashed to ground surface. Only the spot onwhich the seed is to be planted is dug to create conditions for good germination.
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| Especifique insumo | Unidad | Cantidad | Costos por unidad (uganda shillings) | Costos totales por insumo (uganda shillings) | % de los costos cubiertos por los usuarios de las tierras |
| Mano de obra | |||||
| Personnel | persondays | 9,0 | 5000,0 | 45000,0 | 100,0 |
| Equipo | |||||
| Slashes | pieces | 3,0 | 6000,0 | 18000,0 | 100,0 |
| Costos totales para establecer la Tecnología | 63'000.0 | ||||
More land can be opened
Better crop growth
Reduced soil erosion
Less expenses on land opening
Primary and secondary tillage reduced to just slashing
Grasses retain more water so that more water is in the soils
