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Significant progress for
smallholders in CA
O
ne of the main aims of the Conservation Agriculture (CA)
Farmer Innovation Programme (FIP), which is implemented
by Grain SA and funded by The Maize Trust, is to under-
stand, improve and facilitate the implementation of CA
in smallholder farming systems in South Africa.
Through this process the programme expects to achieve significant
improvements in natural resource status and quality, allowing sus-
tained crop production intensification.
The farmer-centred innovation systems research process underpin-
ning the programme is based on working intensively with farmer
learning groups and local facilitators to scale out CA in and between
selected villages and study areas.
Within the learning groups, farmer innovators volunteer to set up
and manage farmer-managed adaptive trials in their backyards or
fields. These plots become the ‘learning venues’ for the whole learn-
ing group.
Farmer field school and action research methodologies are used
within the group to focus the learning on the actual features and
changes in the field throughout the season, such as growth and de-
velopment of the crops and soil health. The new CA practices are
tested against the ‘normal’ practice in the area as the controls.
During frequent learning events or workshops, farmers observe,
analyse and assess what is happening in the trials and discuss ap-
propriate decisions and management practices in view of continu-
ous adaptation. Short information provision and training sessions
(e.g. on special topics) are included in these workshops.
Building of social and financial capital are enhanced by also sup-
porting the formation of local level micro savings and loan associa-
tions and by supporting the development of localised farmer centres.
The latter facilitates bulk buying of inputs, setting up of localised
milling and marketing operations.
The adaptive trials are also used as a focus point for the broader
community to engage through local learning events and farmers
days. Stakeholders and the broader economic, agricultural and
environmental communities are drawn into these processes and
events. Through this, innovation platforms are developed to improve
co-operation and synergy between programmes, and development
of appropriate and farmer-led processes for economic inclusion.
These innovation platforms also provide a good opportunity to fo-
cus further research on the ‘needs’ emerging through the process.
The trials are undertaken on a small portion of the smallholders’ plot
and range in size between 100 m
2
, 400 m
2
and 1 000 m
2
depending
ON FARM LEVEL
Farmer learning groups / CA trials
Conservation agriculture
ERNA KRUGER,
director, Mahlathini Development Foundation and
DR HENDRIK SMITH,
conservation agriculture facilitator, Grain SA
SMALLHOLDER TRIAL SUMMARIES – FOUR SEASONS
BERGVILLE
EASTERN CAPE, SOUTHERN KWAZULU-NATAL
Season
2013
2014
2015
2016
2013
2014
2015
2016
No. of villages
3
9
11
17
4
10
8
8
No. of trial participants
28
83
73
212
23
16
43
54
Area planted (trials) – ha
2,8
7,2
5,9
13,5
0,36
0,3
0,37
1,18
Average maize yield (t/ha)
3,74
3,63
4,12 5,03 (3,09)
0,95
0,7
1,37
2,52
Minimum and maximum yield
for maize (t/ha)
2 - 4,3
1 - 6,7
0,6 - 7,4 0,3 - 11,7 0,3 - 1,7 0,3 - 1,8 0,5 - 4,4 1,1 - 5,2
Actual amount of maize pp
233 kg
576 kg
654 kg
487 kg
15 kg
64 kg
125 kg
161 kg
Rand replacement value
(maize meal)
R1 600
R4 500
R5 500
R4 800
R103
R500
R1 000
R1 600
Average yield for beans (t/ha)
1,24
0,26
0,79
1,05
1,26
0,34
0,69
1,28
TABLE 1: A SUMMARY OF FARMER EXPERIMENTATION RESULTS FOR TWO STUDY AREAS FROM 2013 TO 2016.
“
CA is increasing yields,
improving livelihoods
and improving soil
health for around
360 smallholder
farmers in
KwaZulu-Natal and
the Eastern Cape.
“