CA boosts smallholder crop production in KwaZulu-Natal

MAZWI DLAMINI, Mahlathini Organics, ERNA KRUGER, Mahlathini Organics and HENDRIK SMITH, Grain SA

Conservation agriculture (CA) provides an attractive alternative for smallholders where environmental and economic stresses have reduced grain production considerably. For that reason a long-term project has been launched in two smallholder pilot study areas to investigate and promote the use of CA for sustainable crop production.

These smallholder projects, within the new CA Farmer Innovation Programme (FIP) at Grain SA and the Maize Trust, have currently been established through collaboration between four organisations: The SaveAct Trust, Mahlathini Organics, The Maize Trust and Grain SA.

The projects are aimed at investigating innovation systems and processes assisting smallholder farmers in growing maize and legumes using CA practices. This article deals with the second study area in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal.

Similar to the project in Matatiele (see SA Graan/Grain, August 2014, page 98), the CA-FIP project in Bergville was formally launched in October 2013 and served Grain SA to establish these projects on vibrant local farmer structures (in this case local savings and credit groups [SCGs]), supported by resourceful partners.

It further fulfilled the need of the SCG members for innovative and sustainable ways of producing maize, after recognising that organisational backbone to initiate an innovation process among the local smallholders and hence were identified as an ideal platform to launch a CA-FIP project among their members, in this case focussing on CA and agricultural enterprise development.

The Bergville study area – a “network” of learning activities

The CA-FIP process involves volunteers within SCGs and commodity interest groups (CIGs) undertaking to do CA trials alongside their normal production practices.

The CA practices introduced to them comprised planting without ploughing using specialised hand planters, retaining the crop residues on the soil surface and crop diversity, i.e. intercropping with legumes and crop rotations with winter livestock fodder mixes.

A high crop density approach (i.e. narrow rows and higher plant populations) was followed to reduce soil water loss from evaporation and to suppress weed growth, whilst accelerating soil health improvement.

The volunteering “CA groups” joined in an ongoing learning process throughout the season using their trials as “field laboratories” and their group meetings as social learning events.

31 farmer-led trials have been conducted in the Bergville area between October 2013 and April 2014 as part of the smallholder CA FIP project (see Photo 1). These farmers are also members of CIGs, all of whom participated in the learning processes. Around 120 farmers have been involved.

Participants in this project’s innovation process have recognised the following outcomes and benefits:

• They have experimented with new ways of field crop production (maize, dry beans and cowpeas) that have shown good growth, increased yields, increased soil fertility, reduced soil and water erosion, reduced weed pressure and increased income from selling maize and beans.
• They have learnt about soil management and how to use and apply agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
• They have worked together as teams to plant their plots, which have helped considerably to prepare the fields in time and reduce the burden of labour.
• They have spread the word to other members in the community and have generated a positive force towards working together and increasing production in their areas.
• They have undertaken to increase their planting areas as well as the use of CA, since the benefits from this season have been obvious: Saving money on the hiring of tractors, saving labour after the initial planting process, less infestation of weeds, increased production and improved food security.

Yields for legumes have been exceptionally good and comparable to commercial yields, notwithstanding late season hail and rain that destroyed some of the crop. Average yields for beans have been from 720 kg/ha - 1,8 ton/ha and for cowpeas from 400 kg/ha - 1,2 ton/ha. Maize yields thus far have been equally good averaging around 4,2 ton/ha.

Considerable interest was generated through the FIP process of farmer-led trials in CA at the Bergville communities of Potshini, Emmaus and Stulwane. Farmer days were held in each of the three areas towards the end of the growing season to showcase the work being done. These were well attended by local people and stakeholders alike. The main farmers day was held on 25 March this year (see Photos 2a to 2c). People within the area and from neighbouring areas have taken proactive steps towards being included in the process in the coming year and four new CIG focus groups will be established in the communities of Magangangozi, Ezivombini, Okhombe and Nokophela.

Bergville farmers gaining momentum

Groups have now been set up to facilitate bulk buying in both Emmaus and Stulwane and SCG members have planned their savings in order to buy inputs for field cropping. In addition, a process for the borrowing and hiring of CA equipment for the broader community has been initiated in Stulwane and Emmaus. Positive links were formed in the local agribusiness community, including joining study groups set up through Grain SA, forming relationships with Afritrac for supply of CA implements, forming relationships with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) and the Farming Systems Unit for promotion of CA in the area, as well as with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) to conduct research regarding the adoption and adaptation of CA in the area.

Over the next two years, the process will be scaled out in the Bergville area and surrounds, linking as many villages and communities as possible and working according to a model whereby more experienced farmers will each facilitate and assist five new farmers to establish CA practices in their fields.

In this way, approximately 1 000 smallholders could be on board within the next few years. In the long term, the vision is to establish an incentive scheme, such as payment for ecosystem services, to sustain and grow farmers’ adoption of CA without relying on continued dedicated project funding.

The CA-FIP project platforms among smallholders in Bergville are already gearing up to meet these challenges with the view of sustainable crop production and household food security.