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)

The Transboundary Agro-ecosystem Management Project for the Kagera River Basin (GEF-FAO / Kagera TAMP )

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

Rwanda Agriculture Board (Rwanda Agriculture Board) - Rwanda

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

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - Italy

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

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Banana planted in a regularly spaced manured pits and in combination with grass and banana mulch application to enhance soil fertility and moisture and improve crop production.

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

Banana is planted in a manure pit and the soil surface is carefully covered by banana or grass mulch. The manured pit is 0.6m deep and 2.0-2.0m wide. During establishment activities pits are filled with a mixture of soil and organic manure. Attention should be made when adding the mixed soil to the pits as a radius of 20 cm starting from the center of the pit where the banana is planted must not be filled with the mixture but filled merely with soil.This will assure that banana roots grow deeper in search for the nutrients. Recommended parallel and perpendicular spacing between the banana planting pits is 5m.

Purpose of the Technology: Banana manured pits and mulch application is a combination of an agronomic and structural technique. This method allows nutrients to be concentrated around the roots zone and keeps longer the available soil water content and controls the soil erosion.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: The banana manure pits and mulching provides easy crop management options. The high demand of water and nutrients by banana can be easily met to maximize the fruiting potential. To achieve this potential, farmers are required to maintain a minimum of 3 plants per pit, one mature (grand) banana plant fruiting, a second half grown (mother), and one sucker (child) growing in the same pit. Every four months a farmer is expected to harvest a bunch of banana of around 80 kg per pit.

Natural / human environment: The constituted layer of mulch prevents rainwater from eroding the top soil, improves soil organic carbon, provides shade to plant roots, and most importantly keeps longer soil moisture in dry seasons.

2.3 Photos 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

If precise year is not known, indicate approximate date:

• 10-50 years ago

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• through land users' innovation

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve production

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

Comments:

Major cash crop and major food crop: Banana

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Banana plantation is sensitive to dry season where evapotranspiration is high, and high erosion impact in rainy season.

Major land use problems (land users’ perception): Surface runoff

Future (final) land use (after implementation of SLM Technology): Cropland: Cp: Perennial (non-woody) cropping

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

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

• Yes (Please fill out the questions below with regard to the land use before implementation of the Technology)

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

• improved ground/ vegetation cover
• integrated soil fertility management

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

Comments:

Main measures: agronomic measures, structural measures

Type of agronomic measures: mulching, manure / compost / residues, pits

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

Comments:

Main causes of degradation: soil management (Lack of knowledge in soil conservation practices.), droughts (it tend to happen due to the unpredictable rainfed changes), population pressure (as the population increases the soil exploitation increases as well)

Secondary causes of degradation: poverty / wealth

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

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

• reduce land degradation

Comments:

Secondary goals: prevention of land degradation, rehabilitation / reclamation of denuded land

4.1 Technical drawing of the Technology

4.2 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

Specify currency used for cost calculations:

• USD

4.3 Establishment activities

	Activity	Timing (season)
1.	Establishment of pits
2.	Seedling plantation
3.	Seedling transportation

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Land preparation, planting, thinning weeding	persons/day/ha	221.7647	1.7	377.0	100.0
Equipment	Tools	ha	1.0	30.0	30.0	100.0
Plant material	Acquisition of suckers	ha	1.0	937.5	937.5	100.0
Fertilizers and biocides	Compost manure	ha	1.0	650.0	650.0	100.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology					1994.5
Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD					1994.5

Comments:

Duration of establishment phase: 1 month(s)

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Timing/ frequency
1.	Thinning banana field	dry season
2.	Weeding	rainy season
3.	Planting seedlings	rainy season

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

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Labour	ha	1.0	42.0	42.0	100.0
Labour	Thinning and weeding	ha	1.0	25.0	25.0	100.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology					67.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology in USD					67.0

4.7 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

The labor affects most the cost of this technology. However, suckers or planting materials could increase the cost if not readily available at farm gate or in the neighborhood.

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Indicate if the Technology is specifically applied in:

• concave situations

5.3 Soils

If available, attach full soil description or specify the available information, e.g. soil type, soil PH/ acidity, Cation Exchange Capacity, nitrogen, salinity etc.

Soil fertility is medium

Soil drainage / infiltration is medium

Soil water storage capacity is medium - low

5.4 Water availability and quality

5.5 Biodiversity

Comments and further specifications on biodiversity:

The mulched land become a suitable niche of many kind of lizard and rat

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

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

Population density: 200-500 persons/km2

Annual population growth: 2% - 3%

20% of the land users are average wealthy and own 70% of the land.
78% of the land users are poor and own 20% of the land.
2% of the land users are poor and own 5% of the land.

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:

• individual, titled

Land use rights:

• individual

Water use rights:

• open access (unorganized)

5.9 Access to services and infrastructure

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Income and costs

Socio-cultural impacts

Ecological impacts

Water cycle/ runoff

Soil

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)

Climate-related extremes (disasters)

Climatological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
drought	not well

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

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

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

• > 50%

If available, quantify (no. of households and/ or area covered):

43000 housheolds covering 80 percent of stated area

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

• 91-100%

Comments:

43000 land user families have adopted the Technology without any external material support

There is a strong trend towards spontaneous adoption of the Technology

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Increase production How can they be sustained / enhanced? Regular maintenance
Reduce surface runoff by enhancing the retention soil moisture How can they be sustained / enhanced? Regular maintenance

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Increased food security and income of land users How can they be sustained / enhanced? Scaling up the technology
Increased water holding capacity How can they be sustained / enhanced? Good maintenance by regularly replacing mulch
Increased soil moisture How can they be sustained / enhanced? Good maintenance by adding very often organic manure

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

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
This technology maybe expensive at establishment phase, maybe not affordable by every smallholder farmer	Allow farmers to access credits through farmer saving schemes or cooperatives

7.1 Methods/ sources of information