1.2 Detalles de contacto de las personas de referencia e instituciones involucradas en la evaluación y la documentación de la Tecnología

Nombre de la(s) institución(es) que facilitaron la documentación/ evaluación de la Tecnología (si fuera relevante)

Golden Valley agricultural research trust (Golden Valley agricultural research trust) - Zambia

1.3 Condiciones referidas al uso de datos documentados mediante WOCAT

¿Cuándo se compilaron los datos (en el campo)?

15/01/2013

El compilador y la/s persona(s) de referencia claves aceptan las condiciones acerca del uso de los datos documentados mediante WOCAT:

Sí

2.1 Breve descripción de la Tecnología

Definición de la Tecnología:

Animal draft zero-till involves the use of an animal drawn mechanical planter to plant directly in untilled soil to minimize soil disturbance and leave a cover of crop residues to conserve the soil and water.

2.2 Descripción detallada de la Tecnología

Descripción:

Zero-tillage takes advantage of the beneficial effects of biological processes to loosen the soil and to improve fertility. The organic matter from these processes aggregate the soil while the movement of soil organisms like worms and termites loosen the soil. This is called biological tillage and replaces mechanical tillage. The untilled soil surface covered by residues will require a planter specialized to plant in these conditions. In a sense, adopting zero-till does actually require a zero-till planter. The development of the strip-planter has made zero-till a viable option for animal draft farmers, which until now was not possible due to the unavailability or high cost of zero-till planters. The new planter is both cheap and easy to manufacture locally. The planter uses a narrow tine to open a planting furrow and seed/fertilizer is metered by vertically rotating plates. The planter is pulled by oxen and can plant rows of 75cm or 90cm rows with an intra-row which is determined by the seed plate used (3, 4, 5,…… seeds/m). The planting technology needs to be complemented with sound residue cover and weeding management practices.

Purpose of the Technology: The planter enables planting and fertilizing in untilled soil so that the soil residue cover and soil structure are preserved and can be used sustainably. The protective soil cover reduces evaporation and enhances infiltration while the improved soil structure and organic matter content increases soil water storage making zero tillage an important drought mitigating strategy. The immediate benefits of adopting zero-till are the possibility to plant a bigger area quickly and in time as well as the reduced soil erosion.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: The first step in establishing zero-till is to assess the soil condition and levels of degradation. Where possible tests should be carried out but where not, the farmer needs to start on a small plot to check if there will be yield reduction from not tilling the soil. Where soils are severely degraded, an establishment phase should be embarked on where reduced tillage is practiced until the soil structure has recovered sufficiently to support crop growth without tillage. Liming acidic soils followed by a final ploughing will be required in the first year to correct the soil pH which otherwise will be difficult to correct once conservation tillage has been established. The organic matter levels need to be increased by increasing the amount of residues produced by the crop (i.e. the yields) and retaining these as soil cover. The next establishment activity is the purchase of the planter unit. Maintenance activities include planting and fertilizing in the same operation and weeding. Weeding will have to involve herbicide use to handle increased weed densities implying that spraying will become a major operation. In addition to the normal conventional inputs, herbicides will also become a major input and cost.

Natural / human environment: Zero-till has been applied in a wide range of bio-physical environments but mostly by the large scale farmers. The unavailability and high cost of specialized zero-till planter for small-scale farming has resulted in low adoption rates. The development of the Magoye Planter creates new opportunities for this practice. The farmer has to have sufficient knowledge to assess the soil condition and decide if is too degraded for zero-till or how long the transitional phase should be. Literacy is essential as the farmers will have to learn new approaches on weed control, pest control and crop rotations and adapt practices to suit his/her specific conditions.

2.3 Fotografías de la Tecnología

2.5 País/ región/ lugares donde la Tecnología fue aplicada y que se hallan comprendidos por esta evaluación

2.6 Fecha de la implementación

Si no se conoce el año preciso, indique la fecha aproximada:

• hace menos de 10 años (recientemente)

2.7 Introducción de la Tecnología

Especifique cómo se introdujo la Tecnología:

• durante experimentos/ investigación

Comentarios (tipo de proyecto, etc.):

Development of the Magoye planter began in 2008 in response to farmers’ feedback on the Magoye Ripper. Farmers started adopting the technology in 2011

3.2 Tipo(s) actuales de uso de la tierra donde se aplica la Tecnología

Comentarios:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Loss of soil structure and low soil fertility
Major land use problems (land users’ perception): Droughts and dry spell

3.3 Información adicional sobre el uso de tierras

Provisión de agua para la tierra donde se aplica la Tecnología:

• de secano

Número de temporadas de cultivo por año:

• 1

Especifique:

Longest growing period in days: 135Longest growing period from month to month: mid Nov to end of March

Densidad del ganado (si fuese relevante):

1-10 LU /km2

3.5 Difusión de la Tecnología

Comentarios:

Total area covered by the SLM Technology is 0.56 m2.

Zero-Till with the Magoye planter technology was introduced in 2011 and is only in its second season of use. Only four farmers have adopted the technology although it has not yet been officially launched and promoted.

3.6 Medidas MST que componen la Tecnología

Comentarios:

Specification of other agronomic measures: Zero till, Crop residue
Type of agronomic measures: early planting, mulching, manure / compost / residues, mineral (inorganic) fertilizers, soil conditioners (lime, gypsum), zero tillage / no-till

3.7 Principales tipos de degradación del suelo encarados con la Tecnología

Comentarios:

Main causes of degradation: soil management (Overploughing, soil nutrient mining), crop management (annual, perennial, tree/shrub) (Monocropping), overgrazing (Overgrazing of crop residues), poverty / wealth (Charcoal burning, under application of fertilizer), inputs and infrastructure: (roads, markets, distribution of water points, other, …) (high cost of fertilizer)

Secondary causes of degradation: deforestation / removal of natural vegetation (incl. forest fires) (Charcoal burning), Heavy / extreme rainfall (intensity/amounts) (Overgrazing of crop residues), droughts, land tenure (Communal land overexploited), education, access to knowledge and support services (inadequate extension staff), governance / institutional (lack of credit facilities)

3.8 Prevención, reducción o restauración de la degradación del suelo

Especifique la meta de la Tecnología con relación a la degradación de la tierra:

• prevenir la degradación del suelo
• reducir la degradación del suelo

Comentarios:

Secondary goals: rehabilitation / reclamation of denuded land

4.1 Dibujo técnico de la Tecnología

4.2 Especificaciones técnicas/ explicaciones del dibujo técnico

Planting lines are done at a depth of 8-12cm with inter row of 75 or 90cm. The width of the open furrow is 5-10cm wide. Planting rows are done across the slope to reduce runoff, these planting rows are done when the soil is moist during the rainy season and planting is done at the same time with land preparation. Farmers in Monze have combined ripping and zero till together. In the dry season they rip with the Magoye Ripper or GART Planter and later when the soil is moist use a zero till implement to plant.

Location: Magoye. Mazabuka/Southern Province/Zambia

Date: 2014-06-29

Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: high (This is a new technology and the extension staff must be able to help farmers troubleshoot and adapt the technology to local conditions.)

Technical knowledge required for land users: moderate (The farmers have to adopt new soil management practices, crop rotations and adapt the weeding approaches to complement the planting technology)

Main technical functions: improvement of surface structure (crusting, sealing), improvement of topsoil structure (compaction), increase of infiltration, increase / maintain water stored in soil

Secondary technical functions: control of raindrop splash, improvement of ground cover, improvement of subsoil structure (hardpan), increase in organic matter, increase in nutrient availability (supply, recycling,…), increase of groundwater level / recharge of groundwater, water harvesting / increase water supply, improvement of water quality, buffering / filtering water

Early planting
Material/ species: maize
Quantity/ density: 44,000 pla
Remarks: 25cm intra row by 75cm

Mulching
Material/ species: crop residues
Quantity/ density: 3ton/ha
Remarks: uniformly spread

Manure / compost / residues
Material/ species: crop residues
Quantity/ density: 3ton/ha
Remarks: uniformly spread

Mineral (inorganic) fertilizers
Material/ species: basal and top dressing
Quantity/ density: 400kg/ha
Remarks: spot application

Soil conditioners (lime, gypsum)
Material/ species: lime
Quantity/ density: 1ton/ha
Remarks: broadcast

4.3 Información general sobre el cálculo de insumos y costos

otra / moneda nacional (especifique):

Kwacha

Indique la tasa de cambio de USD a la moneda local (si fuese relevante): 1 USD =:

5,0

4.5 Costos e insumos necesarios para el establecimiento

	Especifique insumo	Unidad	Cantidad	Costos por unidad	Costos totales por insumo	% de los costos cubiertos por los usuarios de las tierras
Mano de obra	Magoye Planter		1,0	500,0	500,0	100,0
Mano de obra	Knapsack sprayer		1,0	80,0	80,0	100,0
Equipo	machine use		1,0			100,0
Costos totales para establecer la Tecnología					580,0

Comentarios:

Duration of establishment phase: 2 month(s)

4.6 Actividades de establecimiento/ recurrentes

	Actividad	Tipo de medida	Momento/ frequencia
1.	Slashing, spreading residues	Agronómicas	May-June every year after harvest
2.	Liming	Agronómicas	Nov - Dec every 3years
3.	Planting and fertilizing	Agronómicas	Nov-Dec at onset of rain
4.	Chemical weeding	Agronómicas	3 times per growing season
5.	Harvesting	Agronómicas	May-June

4.7 Costos e insumos necesarios para actividades de mantenimiento/ recurrentes (por año)

	Especifique insumo	Unidad	Cantidad	Costos por unidad	Costos totales por insumo	% de los costos cubiertos por los usuarios de las tierras
Mano de obra	labour		1,0	69,0	69,0
Equipo	tools		1,0	40,0	40,0	100,0
Material para plantas	seedlings		1,0	50,0	50,0	100,0
Material para plantas	fertilizer		1,0	320,0	320,0	100,0
Material para plantas	herbicides		1,0	42,0	42,0	100,0
Material para plantas	lime		1,0	30,0	30,0	100,0
Indique los costos totales para mantenecer la Tecnología					551,0

Comentarios:

Machinery/ tools: The Magoye planter

Calculation are for 1ha of maize under strip tillage based conservation tillage and costs are for the Zambia situation in Magoye as of August 2012.

4.8 Factores más determinantes que afectan los costos:

Describa los factores más determinantes que afectan los costos:

The weed control method is the main determinate factor depending on whether the farmer uses hand hoe or herbicides. Weed densities are higher in unploughed fields increasing the labour requirements/costs by a factor of about 5 if hand weeding is used instead of herbicides. Another major cost is that of fertilizer which makes up about half the cost hence the total cost will vary significantly depending on fertilizer cost.

5.1 Clima

5.2 Topografía

5.3 Suelos

5.4 Disponibilidad y calidad de agua

5.6 Las características de los usuarios de la tierra que aplican la Tecnología

Indique otras características relevantes de los usuarios de las tierras:

Land users applying the Technology are mainly common / average land users

Difference in the involvement of women and men: The technology is applied mostly by men since most households are male headed and animal traction operation are reserved for men

Population density: 10-50 persons/km2

Annual population growth: 3% - 4%

8% of the land users are rich and own 15% of the land (own more than 10 cattle).
8% of the land users are average wealthy and own 15% of the land (own between 5 and 10 cattle).
16% of the land users are poor and own 20% of the land (own less than 5 cattle).
68% of the land users are poor and own 40% of the land (do not own cattle).

Off-farm income specification: sale of rainfed crops makes up about half of their income, the remainder coming from sale of livestock, petty trading, hiring out labour and remittances

Market orientation of production system: subsistence (self-supply), subsistence (self-supply), mixed (subsistence/ commercial

5.7 Área promedio de la tierra que pertenece a o es arrendada por usuarios de tierra que aplican la Tecnología

5.8 Tenencia de tierra, uso de tierra y derechos de uso de agua

Tenencia de tierra:

• individual, sin título

Derechos de uso de tierra:

• acceso abierto (no organizado)
• individual

• Land is apportioned by traditional leaders

Derechos de uso de agua:

• acceso abierto (no organizado)

• Land is apportioned by traditional leaders

5.9 Acceso a servicios e infraestructura

6.1 Impactos in situ demostrados por la Tecnología

Impactos socioeconómicos

Producción

Ingreso y costos

Impactos socioculturales

Impactos ecológicos

Ciclo de agua/ escurrimiento de sedimento

Suelo

Biodiversidad: vegetación, animales

Reducción de riesgos de desastres y riesgos climáticos

6.2 Impactos fuera del sitio demostrados por la Tecnología

6.3 Exposición y sensibilidad de la Tecnología al cambio climático gradual y a extremos relacionados al clima/ desastres (desde la percepción de los usuarios de tierras)

Cambio climático gradual

Cambio climático gradual

	Estación	tipo de cambios climáticos/ climas extremos	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
temperatura anual		incrementó	no se sabe

Extremos (desastres) relacionados al clima

Desastres climatológicos:

	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
tormenta de lluvia local	bien
tormenta de viento	no se sabe

Desastres climatológicos

	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
sequía	bien

Desastres hidrológicos

	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
inundación general (río)	no muy bien

Otras consecuencias relacionadas al clima

Otras consecuencias relacionadas al clima

	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
periodo reducido de crecimiento	bien

6.4 Análisis costo-beneficio

¿Cómo se comparan los beneficios con los costos de establecimiento (desde la perspectiva de los usuarios de tierra)?

¿Cómo se comparan los beneficios con los costos de mantenimiento/ recurrentes (desde la perspectiva de los usuarios de tierra)?

Comentarios:

Timely and quicker planting enables larger areas to be planted and with less labour in the short term. Improved soil structure and soil fertility leads to higher yields and better resilience to droughts in the long term

6.5 Adopción de la Tecnología

• casos individuales / experimentales

De todos quienes adoptaron la Tecnología, ¿cuántos lo hicieron espontáneamente, es decir, sin recibir incentivos/ pagos materiales?

• 0-10%

Comentarios:

4 land user families have adopted the Technology without any external material support

Comments on spontaneous adoption: The Magoye planter has not yet been officially launched or promoted and the farmers currently using the technology heard of it by word of mouth and insisted on purchasing

There is a strong trend towards spontaneous adoption of the Technology
There has been numerous inquiries to purchase the Magoye planter even before it can be promoted

6.7 Fuerzas/ ventajas/ oportunidades de la Tecnología

Fuerzas/ ventajas/ oportunidades desde la perspectiva del usuario de la tierra
Enables early planting How can they be sustained / enhanced? Plant in with the first rain
Quicker planting enables the planting of larger areas How can they be sustained / enhanced? Plant the seed and fertilize in one operation
reduced workload How can they be sustained / enhanced? Encourage minimum tillage

Fuerzas/ ventajas/ oportunidades desde la perspectiva del compilador o de otra persona de referencia clave
Enables early planting How can they be sustained / enhanced? Plant in November with the first heavy rain
Quicker planting enables the planting of larger areas How can they be sustained / enhanced? Use herbicides because without them, the capacity to weed will limit the production capacity
Preserves soil cover and reduces soil disturbance How can they be sustained / enhanced? Training in residue management and zero till

6.8 Debilidades/ desventajas/ riesgos de la Tecnología y formas de sobreponerse a ellos

Debilidades/ desventajas/ riesgos desde la perspectiva del usuario de la tierra	¿Cómo sobreponerse a ellas?
The purchase price of the Magoye planter is quite high	Subsidize the implement
Excessive weeds and lack of information on herbicide use	More training on herbicide use

Debilidades/ desventajas/ riesgos desde la perspectiva del compilador o de otra persona de referencia clave	¿Cómo sobreponerse a ellas?
The purchase price for the planter is on the higher side making it affordable only to the larger small-scale farmers	the price is likely to go down when the planter is mass produced
difficult to control weeds in the absence of herbicides	use herbicides

7.2 Vínculos a las publicaciones disponibles

Título, autor, año, ISBN:

Social-economic analysis of conservation agriculture in southern Africa, FAO, 2011

¿Dónde se halla disponible? ¿Costo?

FAO

Título, autor, año, ISBN:

Conservation farming in Zambia, Steven Haggblade, Gelson Tembo, October 2003

¿Dónde se halla disponible? ¿Costo?

Indaba project, Michigan state university

Título, autor, año, ISBN:

Conservation farming in Zambia, Conservation farming unit (CFU), 2011

¿Dónde se halla disponible? ¿Costo?

cfu@zamnet.zm