Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 12.15
CA Treatments Used by Farmer Field School (FFS) Group for Verification of
Technologies and Crop Yields in Karatu District, Tanzania
Maize Yields
(Mg/ha)
Lablab
(t/ha)
Pigeon Pea
(Mg/ha)
No
CA Technology Tested
1
Ripped plot, planted with maize
intercropped with lablab
3.75
1.63
N/A
2
Ripped plot, planted with maize
intercropped with pigeon pea
3.38
N/A
0.75
3
Nonripping plot, planted with maize
intercropped with lablab
3.50
1.00
N/A
4
Nonripping plot, planted with maize
intercropped with pigeon pea
2.00
N/A
0.75
5
Farmers' normal practice; ploughing twice
and then planting maize intercropped
with pigeon pea, beans, and pumpkin
1.88
Beans (0.50)
0.63
Source:
Adapted from Owenya, M.Z., W.L. Mariki, J. Kienzle, T. Friedrich, and A. Kassam,
International
Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
, 9, 145, 2011.
TABLE 12.16
Maize Yield Trend in Karatu District Tanzania during
Years of CA Adoption
Year
Average Yield (Mg/ha)
Comments
2004
2.1
CA adopted
2006
2.4
After CA adoption
2009
2.8
After CA adoption
Source:
Adapted from Owenya, M.Z., W.L. Mariki, J. Kienzle, T.
Friedrich, and A. Kassam,
International Journal of Agricultural
Sustainability
, 9, 145, 2011.
the CA was adopted to 3 Mg/ha in 2009 (Owenya et al. 2011). The increase in crop
production in the 2009 season, despite that the crop had suffered from drought, is
an indication that was brought about by improved soil conservation and water man-
agement under CA. Farmers in this area also learned that intercropping of maize
with cover crops (pigeon pea [
Cajanus
cajan
(L.) Millsp.] and
Dolichos lablab L
[
synonym: Lablab purpureus
(
L.
)] or
Mucuna
[
Mucuna pruriens
]) provided three
harvests per season instead of two.
The CA Involving Farmer Field Schools (CA-FFS) were also established in sev-
eral districts in Kenya and Tanzania, supporting 101 CA-FFS groups—48 groups in
Kenya and 31 in Tanzania (FAO 2006b). It was noted in this project that adoption of
