Spirit of '76

The sky is rather brooding this morning, low-slung grey clouds rumbling over the Zambezi Floodplains. We had been dry for the previous two weeks, but the past few days has seen a return of clouds and intermittent rain. The farmers in the Conservation Agriculture (CA) project curse this weather, as their maize has largely matured and is drying down on the stalks; any rain at this stage adds to rot. However, it doesn't hurt those within and without who planted late (after Christmas), or planted those tough old African standbys, sorghum, pearl [bulrush] millet, and bambara nuts.

The weather is ominous for more than its implications on the farmers; they seem to reflect the times. The Barotse National Council (BNC) has been meeting just north of Mongu in Limilunga [the traditional seat of the Litungu] the past two days; last night at 18:00 hrs., they finally stepped up to the plate and swung for the proverbial fences when they released what amounts to a Declaration of Independence.

The mood on the street was uncommonly quiet, even for a normal evening in Mongu (they never even unrolled the sidewalks here). No beeping, no shouting; however, that seems in line with how the BNC wants it. They seem enormously wary of repeating the violence of 14 January, 2011; from what I've heard, quiet is what the patriots want, i.e. they intend for a non-violent struggle for the nonce so they have time to negotiate a transitional government, put their case forward to the United Nations, etc.  I overheard this from a couple of Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) members at the Country Lodge while nursing a pair of Mosi's and watching Chelsea stumble through the early stages of the UEFA tournament. The also claim to want no more than what is now Western province.

I am in one of the most confused moods of my life. I finally started my dream job in the country and with the people I love almost as I do my own; that love is in no small part due to the graciousness, courtesy, and love of peace exhibited by the rural people I've met throughout Zambia. However, last night, this part of the country decided that the same country be split in twain. The dream of a peaceful plural (multi-tribal) nation may come to crashing halt.

Whatever comes of it, there will still be poor farmers scratching in the dirt with the specter of hunger lurking over them; fundamentally, my work doesn't change. It just might get harder ...

oh to be the Conservation Agriculture (CA) Coordinator

From a recent email ... have been to busy or tired to type lately.

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Hi [           ] –

This is a lot of data, so let me summarize a bit.

The Mechanics

Conservation Agriculture is based on three pillars:

1)      Retention of crop residues (maize stalks, chopped weeds, etc. are left on the field to rot, be eaten by termites, etc.) … so, *no burning or grazing* during the dry season.

2)      Minimum tillage – only the places where crops are to be planted are dug, i.e., small basins that are dug in rows at a predetermined spacing. The rest of the soil surface is only tilled superficially to chop weeds. *No ploughing or digging of the entire surface*

3)      Crop rotation with legumes … at least 33% of the crops planted on a farmer’s cultivated should be legumes … *no monocropping of maize*

Why?

1.       Leaving the dry matter on the soil serves a number of purposes:

a.       Dry season:

                                                               i.      Shields topsoil from sun, lower relative soil temps (making a more condusive environment for beneficial soil bacteria and other micro/mesofauna)

                                                             ii.      Termites consume dry matter slowly. This creates micropores in the soils (allowing for improved water infiltration and retention), plus the termites bring up soils from depth that contain vital soil nutrients.

b.      Wet season:

                                                               i.      Residues prevent water erosion during acute rainfall events;

                                                             ii.      Prevents excessive soil moisture evaporation, mitigating dry spells,

                                                            iii.      Hinders the growth of competitive weeds.

                                                           iv.      Slows percolation of water into the soil, mitigating against nutrient loss during acute rainfall events.

2.       Min. tillage … Essentially, inversion of the topsoil (ie. Ploughing) results in oxidation of soil organic matter. This wrecks the soil’s ability to hold nutrients, moisture, etc., etc. Soils under conventional tillage eventually become “massive” in structure, not size-wise, but meaning they become enormously hard when dry. Not tilling allows SOM to build up, more ability to hold nutrients, etc.

3.       Crop rotation with legumes … not a hard one; provides biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen (i.e., nitrogen-fixing) that benefit subsequent grain crops, plus valuable sources of household protein. Monocropping with hybrid maize essentially zaps even the best soil of all its inherent fertility in about three to four years.  

Other Mechanics:

1.       Timely application of fertilizers and seeds:                                           Apply inputs at the right time; have fields prepared so crops can utilize the first rains.

2.       Continuous weeding (or many instances of weeding):                    Weeds compete for water and nutrients; also, we want to cut back on the weed seed load in a farmer’s field to eventually reduce

weeding labour.

How we’re doing it:

The project was modeled after a project in Zimbabwe about five years ago, along with existing CA projects under the Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) of Zambia Natl. Farmers’ Union (ZNFU).

We have 1,400 beneficiary farmers in 3 districts (Kaoma, Mongu, Senanga). These beneficiary farmers are led by 170-odd lead farmers (8-10 ben. Farmers per lead farmer), organized under various Area Farmers’s Associations (AFA) in the three districts (4 AFAs in Kaoma, 3 in Mongu, and 6 in Senanga). Each AFA’s CA activities are lead by a single Field Extension Worker (FEW), so we have 13 of those, who receive a monthly salary of K300,000 and are largely responsible for the monitoring of all the CA farmers in their AFA.

Beneficiaries receive 25kg of fertilizer (half/half D compound and Urea), seeds for maize / groundnuts / cowpeas (and/or) sunflower (Kaoma gets sunflower). Lead farmers get double fertilizer and maize seed, with the intention of them making a “control plot” where they are supposed to plant maize conventionally to contrast the difference between CA and conventional ag. Currently, we recommend to beneficiary farmers that they have 50% maize, 25% cowpeas, and 25% groundnuts on a 40x40m “practice” plot.

By end of May 2012, we intend to increase the number of beneficiaries to 3,000.

I won’t go into the challenges and innovations, because that would make the email into a e-book. We’ll discuss those offline.

One document to note is the short discussion paper (uncirculated) that I drafted regarding the ripper; though this isn’t official, we aren’t seeing much use of that particular implement for the reasons mentioned within.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Carl

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Carl T. Wahl - Conservation Agriculture (CA) Coordinator

Concern Worldwide, Zambia

Plot 41A, Lyambai Rd., Mongu, Zambia

011-260-979-045004

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