Adapted combination of technologies in improved cassava production (坦桑尼亚联合共和国)

Improved cassava production through the use of contour bund stabilized with cajanus cajan, manure application, cover crops (ground nuts) and improved cassava germplasm.

The technology involves a combination of structural, vegetative and agronomic land use practices aiming at improving production of cassava (Manihot esculenta), improving potential of the soil and environmental function of the land. The technology is among a list of basket of choices of SLM practices recently introduced and adapted to the area by land user and experts working with SCC-Vi Agroforestry an NGO contracted/outsourced by the Tras-boundary Agro-ecosystem Management Project (Kagera TAMP) for provision of SLM advisory and extension services.
Contour bunds are constructed across the sloppy landscapes of average slope 5 – 8 % and are arranged in rows from the top to the bottom of the slope. The average distance between contour bunds is 15 meters. A contour bund is a row of long narrow furrow of average width 90cm and average depth 30cm dug across the slope using simple tools and leveled using A-frame method. Dug soils are piled below the slope to form a long strip earth of fanya chini bund. The average height and width of a bund is 30cm and 45cm respectively. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) are planted on contour bund to make them more stronger and productive. A single stand of pigeon pea has two plants and the distance between stands is 30 cm. Improved cassavas (Manihot esculenta) variety (mkombozi) that are resistant to cassava mosaic virus are planted in rows between contour bunds. Within rows, the space between cassavas is 1meter and between rows is 1meter. Manure application is applied before cassava planting at the rate of 2kgs per each plant hole. Cassava is usually planted on May and is harvested after one year. Cassava is planted together with groundnuts (Arachis hypogea) as a cover crop. Despite of having the nutritional advantage to farmers, pigeon pea and groundnuts also diversifies farmers’ livelihood income and have a key role of improving ecosystem through soil water conservation (prevent unproductive loss of green water) and improve soil fertility (through soil nutrient replenishment) and their after harvest remains are sources of organic matter.

Purpose of the Technology: The purpose of the technology is to:
1) Increase cassava productivity 2) Improved livelihood of the rural poor through diversification of income sources (cajanus cajan, groundnuts and cassava) and 3) conserve and restore ecosystem through soil fertility improvement (replacement of nutrients lost through uptake by plants), soil moisture improvement (by preventing blue water loss through runoff and green water loss through unproductive evaporation) and control of cassava pests and diseases (use of cassava varieties that are resistant to cassava mosaic virus).

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: Establishment activities include land preparation, ploughing and harrowing, contour bund construction and leveling using A-frame, manure procurement and application. Maintenance and recurrent activities involves collection of cassava planting materials and planting, vegetative stabilization of the bunds by planting Cajanus cajan, planting of cover crops (groundnuts within cassava farm), weeding/gap filling and harvesting.

Natural / human environment: The natural environment includes crop land dominated with separate annual crops. A combination of structural and vegetative measure (contour bund strengthened and made more productive with Cajanus cajan). Climatic zone is sub humid with 210 length of growing period (LGP). Slope category is moderate lying between 5-8%. Soil texture is gravel sandy loam with medium soil depth.
On human environment, mechanization is dominated by use of handy tools and occasional use of tractors. Production system is mixed (both for subsistence and commercial purposes). Inputs used includes tools (hand hoe, machete, sickles, spade and mattock), light and heavy labour, manure, seeds and cassava planting materials with average annual costs of 1033.47 USD per hectare. Land ownership is individual not titles. The expected average annual gross revenue per hectare accrued from cassava alone is 20580 USD.

地点: Missenyi District Council/Minziro village, Tanzania/Kagera region, 坦桑尼亚联合共和国

分析的技术场所数量:

技术传播: 均匀地分布在一个区域 (approx. < 0.1 平方千米（10 公顷）)

在永久保护区？:

实施日期: 不到10年前（最近）

• 通过土地使用者的创新
• 作为传统系统的一部分（> 50 年）
• 在实验/研究期间
• 通过项目/外部干预