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on their scale of farming. Different modes of planting are accom-
modated, such as hand planting, animal traction and tractor drawn
planting options, which are further supported with the provision of
appropriate implements. Participants also pay a subsidy towards the
input requirements for their trials.
In addition, research plots, managed jointly by field staff (research-
ers) and farmers are set up to glean information on more technical
aspects such as infiltration, water holding capacity, productivity and
soil health.
The basic protocol for planting farmer-led CA trials in the first sea-
son includes: Intercropping with narrow maize tramlines (2 rows,
50 cm row width) and legumes (20 cm between rows x 10 cm in
the rows), use of a variety of open pollinated and hybrid seeds,
rotations between maize and legumes, weed control through a
combination of pre-planting spraying with herbicides and manual
weeding during the planting season and pest control using generic
pyrethroid-based formulations, sprayed once at planting and once
at top dressing stage.
In the following seasons, depending on the farmer level analysis,
they undertake a number of different experimental options including:
Different varieties of maize (white, yellow, open pollinated,
hybrid)
Different varieties and types of legumes
Early planting
Manure and fertiliser combinations
Targeted fertility regimes and pest control measures
Intercropping versus crop rotation options
Summer and winter cover crops
Mulching
Organic options
By the fourth iteration or season of experimentation, the farmers
choose their own experimentation protocols.
Over the four years that this programme has been active, the number
of participants and areas involved have systematically increased and
improved, as have yields, soil health and livelihoods.
Table 1
indi-
cates the expansion (scaling out in both areas) from seven villages
in 2013 to 25 villages in 2016. Trial participants have increased from
52 to 266 and average yields for maize have almost doubled.
In the 2017/2018 season a total of 360 farmer-led trials will be estab-
lished allowing for a further scaling out of CA through this innovation
systems process.
In the face of land degradation and poverty, this process has already
proven to yield enormous potential to provide much needed solu-
tions and opportunities for smallholder livelihoods dependent on
rainfed crop production systems.
In the next two articles on CA and smallholders, two case studies
will be presented on smallholder farmers who have successfully
adapted their cropping systems with CA principles, leading to much
higher levels of sustainability and resilience.
1 to 3: A typical maize and cowpea intercropped plot. Canopy
cover is dense due to close spacing. A summer cover crop plot
with sunflower, millet and sun hemp and a farmers’ awareness
day in Madzikane (southern KwaZulu-Natal) where people are
inspecting the CA trial.
4a and 4b: No-till planting options employed by farmer partici-
pants ranging from tractor drawn planter, animal traction to
hand held planters, such as the Haraka and MBLI planters.
5: Mtholeni Buthelezi Dlamini from Eqeleni, Bergville,
experimented with different traditional and open pollinated
varieties of maize.
1
5
4a
4b
2
3