109
September 2014
ON FARM LEVEL
Conservationagriculture
Conservation agriculture / Smallholder cropproduction
CA boosts smallholder crop
production inKwaZulu-Natal
C
onservation agriculture (CA) provides an attractive
alternative for smallholders where environmental and
economic stresses have reduced grain production consi-
derably. For that reason a long-term project has been
launched in two smallholder pilot study areas to investigate and
promote theuseof CA for sustainable cropproduction.
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 organisa-
tions: The SaveAct Trust, Mahlathini Organics, TheMaize Trust and
GrainSA.
The projects are aimed at investigating innovation systems and
processes assisting smallholder farmers in growing maize and
legumesusingCApractices. Thisarticledealswith the second study
area inBergville, KwaZulu-Natal.
Similar to theproject inMatatiele (see
SAGraan/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]), supportedby resourceful partners.
It further fulfilled the need of the SCG members for innovative
and sustainable ways of producing maize, after recognising that
maize is a viable commodity. These SCG groups provide a strong
organisational backbone to initiate an innovation process among
the local smallholders and hence were identified as an ideal plat-
form to launch a CA-FIP project among their members, in this case
focussingonCA and agricultural enterprisedevelopment.
The Bergville study area – a “network” of
learning activities
The CA-FIP process involves volunteers within SCGs and commo-
dity interest groups (CIGs) undertaking to do CA trials alongside
their normal productionpractices.
MAZWI DLAMINI,
Mahlathini Organics,
ERNAKRUGER,
Mahlathini Organics and
HENDRIKSMITH,
Grain SA
“
Take care of the land
and the landwill take
care of you.”
–HughHammondBennet, 1950
“
1
1: ThulisileHlongwane fromStulwane inhermaize anddrybean intercrop trial plot, January 2014.
