Sustainable Intensification of Maize - Legume Systems for the Eastern Province of Zambia - Africa RISING

Transcription

1 2014 Bulletin SIMLEZA-Africa RISING Articles Conservation Agriculture in Zambia: Less Labour and Higher yields One cannot eat tobacco! SIMLEZA-AR Field Tour in Eastern Zambia Crop Rotations in Conservation Agriculture Systems Equal Healthy Profits and Soils in Zambia s Eastern Province Making Sustainable Intensification Conventional: Traditional Chiefs Learn from SIMLEZA-AR in Eastern Zambia Sustainable Intensification of Maize - Legume Systems for the Eastern Province of Zambia - Africa RISING Our Objectives To enhance technology targeting and delivery of input and output markets through value chains. To facilitate adoption and adaptation of productive, resilient and sustainable agronomic practices for maize - legume cropping systems. To improve diet diversification through soybean use at the household level. To increase the number of maize and legume varieties adapted to small scale farm conditions. To enhance the capacity of national partners. Exposing Zambia Maize Technicians to New Breeding Tools Three New Drought Tolerant Maize Hybrids Released in Zambia Why Farmers Still Grow Maize Land Races: the Institutional Dimensions of Variety Choices in Eastern Zambia Supporting Companies to Deliver Improved Seeds to Farmers Intensification of Smallholder Agriculture in Eastern Zambia: Adoption Monitoring of Agricultural Technologies Promoted under SIMLEZA-AR Maize grown in rotation with cowpeas under conservation agriculture improves our soils, nutrition and income.

2 Conservation Agriculture in Zambia: Less Labor and Higher Yields By Christian Thierfelder To reduce farm labor, improve soil productivity and crop yields and contribute towards food security of farming households in the changing climate environment, CIMMYT, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Total Land Care (TLC) and the Zambian Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) introduced and expanded conservation agriculture (CA) in Zambia. The activities are implemented under the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume based Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern Province of Zambia (SIMLEZA-AR) project, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). field days and community meetings. Maren Tembo, who hosts a demonstration plot in the Mangena community in Chipata District, is excited about this new technology: The practice demands less labor, which enables me to grow other crops such as groundnuts, tobacco and cotton. I m looking forward to earning additional income from these crops to supplement my current household budget. Another farmer from the district, Mulenga Zulu, has also benefitted from the project. My crop shows greater yields than before. I anticipate higher profits as a result of applying CA on my farm, he says. Like Tembo, he is also happy about the reduced labor demands. Having experienced the benefits of CA, both Tembo and Zulu hope that more farmers will adopt the practice. This project should continue so that others can learn from us that we do things differently now, Tembo added. Learning about CA has enabled Tembo to lessen the challenges her family faces, especially the tedious labor in preparing the field. Zulu is proud to see that other farmers admire what they see on his farm. The future of the project is promising: with testimonies from fellow farmers, assistance from dedicated extension workers and community media broadcasts, more farmers in the neighboring districts are bound to pick up the practice. Besides higher yields for less work, there is an added long-term bonus for the farmers: their interaction with service providers, initiated through the project, will improve their market access for both farm inputs and outputs. CA entails reduced or no tillage systems, keeping crop residue on the soil surface as mulch and using crop rotation. It increases the infiltration of water in the soil and thus reduces soil erosion and surface run-off of water that is desperately needed for plant production. This is a crucial change in regions like Zambia s Eastern Province, where most smallholder farmers engage in the traditional ridge and furrow farming and planting maize in monocropping. While ridging was once promoted as a measure against erosion and high intensity rainfall, it now shows its drawbacks: ridge preparation, mostly done by women and children, is long, tedious and difficult as most farmers use hoes. Furthermore, farm productivity in eastern Zambia is already generally low due to increasingly erratic rainfall, low fertilizer use, soil degradation, pests and diseases in the mono-cropped maize and weeds, which lead to yields too low to sustain households food requirements from one harvest to the next. Crop rotation and diversification help farmers arrest the spread of disease and reduce the risk of crop failure. In addition, they enable farmers to grow cereals and legumes, a source of cash and food crops to boost household incomes. To address these issues, CIMMYT organized community meetings to raise awareness on CA and conducted training sessions for extension officers and farmers to build knowledge, capacity, and skills. A conservation agriculture treatment with maize-cowpea intercropping in Chipata Facilitators from CIMMYT and IITA led a handson training for extension officers in November The extension officers then went on to train farmers in their communities and facilitated the establishment of demonstration plots, where they showcased successful examples of CA systems. The demonstration plots serve as learning centers for farmers in each community. Farmers also have a chance to share information on CA through farmer-to-farmer exchange visits, Christian Thierfelder, Cropping Systems Agronomist from CIMMYT is discussing problematic weeds with researchers and extension officers in a late seeded maize field, Katete 02

3 One Cannot Eat Tobacco! SIMLEZA-AR Field Tour in Eastern Zambia By Jens A. Andersson, Stephanie Cheesman, Christian Thierfelder In rural areas surrounding Chipata in eastern Zambia, tobacco, cotton and maize seem to dominate the agricultural landscape. Only if one looks closer, one observes also smaller fields with groundnuts, cowpeas, soya and sunflower. Yet, there is another dimension of diversity visible in this landscape. The different growth stages and (inadequate) fertilization levels of the crops have resulted in a patchwork of yellow to deep green fields of different sizes and shapes, with various degrees of weed infestation. In this smallholder farming area with an average annual rainfall of more than 1000 millimeters, it is apparently neither easy to stay ahead of the weeds in all one s fields, nor to buy enough fertilizer for a healthy crop. The SIMLEZA-AR project seeks to address production and sustainability constraints through on-farm testing and demonstration of improved maize and legume varieties (soya and cowpeas), and agronomic practices that build on CA principles. The latter addresses the high labor demand of local agriculture. It can drastically reduce smallholder farmers workload at the beginning of the season, replacing the commonly hand-made ridge-and-furrows with herbicide use and direct seeding on the flat with the dibble-stick planting tool. As a SIMLEZA-AR demonstration farmer who had been given the tool and herbicides for testing exclaimed [Up until now] I have been punishing myself! The second major issue, the need for higher fertilizer inputs, is more difficult to resolve. Zambia s fertilizer subsidy program has increased fertilizer access for poor rural households, but the scheme provides only for two bags at reduced prices, and is insufficient to cover farmers total land area. SIMLEZA-AR s focus on improving intercropping and crop rotation with legumes seeks to decrease farmers reliance on cash-demanding fertilizers. Nitrogen fixed by legumes benefits the following year s crop on that plot and reduces the need for expensive fertilizers. For this to really work at farm-scale, farmers will have to increase their land areas dedicated to legumes. A short group discussion in the Khokwe community revealed farmers interest in doing just that. Asked what the best crops for making money are, cotton and tobacco appeared least popular. One cannot eat tobacco! was the simple explanation for the apparent contradiction between the large area dedicated to this crop, and farmers dislike of it. Late payments to farmers and the decreasing prices in past years are likely causes for this dislike. Legumes such as groundnuts, common beans and soya, on the other hand, topped the list of favorite cash crops. Yet, the volumes traded are small and do not reach the urban market of Chipata. In Chipata, farmers complain, buyers are few and prices low, despite (export) demand for legumes. Increasing smallholder farmers legume production and simultaneously linking them to more distant and profitable markets is, arguably, one of the major challenges in the years to come. In neighboring Malawi, only a stone s throw away, this shift towards increased legume production seems already underway. There, the agricultural landscape has far less tobacco than before, as legumes such as soya and groundnuts are increasingly replacing it. Free provision of seeds by the government has undoubtedly stimulated poor farmers uptake of these legumes and boosted volumes traded. Together with its partners, SIMLEZA-AR contributes to a similar productivity-enhancing change in the agricultural landscape of Zambia. SIMLEZA-AR project management team and farmers participating in the annual study tours in 2013, Chipata 03

4 Crop Rotations in Conservation Agriculture Systems Equal Healthy Profits and Soils in Zambia s Eastern Province By Christian Thierfelder; Stephanie Cheesman and Walter Mupangwa During February 2012, a team of CIMMYT scientists travelled to six communities in Zambia s Eastern Province to monitor progress on activities implemented under the SIMLEZA-AR project, funded by USAID as part of the Feed the Future initiative. The team was joined by national partners from governmental extension services, field coordinators from Total Land Care, Zambian researchers from Msekera Research Station, IITA, and the International Potato Center (CIP), and a group of farmers from Monze, in Zambia s Southern Province. Journalists from two radio stations, a daily newspaper and Zambian television covered the visit. The SIMLEZA-AR project began in October 2011 and exhibits a large variety of validation trials using improved maize and legume varieties, in conjunction with CA to sustainably increase productivity on farmers fields. The validation trials currently demonstrate maize grown either as a sole crop, intercropped or planted in full rotation with legumes. Farmers in the Eastern Province are excited about these new ways of farming; they want to shift from traditional, mono-cropped systems to more profitable crop rotations. In field discussions, farmers commended the other benefits of CA: reductions in labor, effectiveness of weed control through judicious use of herbicides, increased moisture conservation and reduced surface run-off and soil erosion. The project also has a strong emphasis on involving women in the extension of new technologies to improve their livelihoods. Identifying a suitable market for alternative crops such as cowpeas or soya beans remains a challenge in the Eastern Province; SIMLEZA-AR is addressing this by targeting bottlenecks in the value chain. Through the involvement of agro-dealers, the availability of improved seed and markets for produce will be facilitated and processing skills will be enhanced. CIMMYT also collaborates with IITA scientists in this project to make use of their expertise in legume production and processing. Currently the SIMLEZA-AR project operates in six target communities, but it aims to impact 20,000 households in the Eastern Province by

5 Making Sustainable Intensification Conventional: Traditional Chiefs Learn from SIMLEZA-AR in Eastern Zambia By Walter Mupangwa and Christian Thierfelder The usually quiet Khokwe village of Chanje Central Block in Chipata district was a beehive of activities hive on 2 April 2014 when six traditional chiefs visited the USAID-funded SIMLEZA-AR project. Traditional leaders are very important in African societies as they hold the deep-rooted powers in the communities, making important decisions on land use and distribution, and guiding villagers in times of change and uncertainty. Smallholder farmers in the province face high labor costs and low labor availability, and are confronted by the negative effects of climate variability, which require climate-resilient, low-cost alternatives to improve farm productivity. CA-based management practices combined with drought-tolerant maize varieties as suggested by SIMLEZA-AR can reduce production costs and improve resource-use efficiency, productivity and profitability. Honored by the chiefs visit, farmers from communities surrounding Khokwe village warmly welcomed the six chiefs drawn from Chewa and Tumbuka speaking tribes of Eastern Zambia (Below). The Nyao traditional dancers known as Gule Wankulu and the Ngoni dancers also joined the farmers in welcoming and entertaining the chiefs. The chiefs were accompanied by two female representatives from the Ministry of Chiefs Affairs, village headmen, councilors and officers from the District Agricultural Coordinator s (DACO) office. They were invited by the SIMLEZA-AR project team with researchers from CIMMYT, ZARI, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) and IITA, officers from TLC and National Agricultural Information Service (NAIS), and representatives of community agricultural committees (CAC). Chiefs wearing yellow and white SIMLEZA-AR T-shirts and caps pose for a photograph at the conservation agriculture field during a tour of SIMLEZA-AR project The CA trial was next on the agenda, where the chiefs studied maize crops planted under no-tillage in rotation or intercropped with cowpeas. Malita Chirwa, the host of a CA trial, explained all the operations done on the trial and emphasized that the maize crop planted only with a pointed stick (dibble stick) looks better during crop growth and she always harvested more grain from it compared to the conventional ridge and furrow system. While visiting other CA trials, the chiefs observed that the maize in the ridge and furrow system was severely moisture-stressed while the maize on the CA plots was still green and growing well. I never knew that there are such activities happening in our district, exclaimed Chief Misholo of Chiparamba block in Chipata district, which was an eyeopener for him. As the SIMLEZA-AR project promotes herbicides for weed control, Chief Mban ngombe of Katete was concerned about the use of chemical products and asked Mankwala yamauzu siaononga ntaka? meaning Are you not destroying the soil with these herbicides? Walter Mupangwa from CIMMYT highlighted the different products used on CA fields, which are environmentally benign, and the important procedures that farmers should follow when they are using herbicides for weed control. Next to the CA field, new animal traction seeding equipment was showcased to highlight the next development steps the SIMLEZA-AR project aims to pursue. On display were the animal traction direct seeder, Magoye ripper tines and a hand-held no-tillage planter. An agro-dealer from ATS Agro-Chemicals, which is part of the SIMLEZA-AR innovation network also displayed the different herbicides and pesticides that are available for smallholder farmers in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The chiefs were informed about the SIMLEZA-AR project activities before they visited trial sites in Khokwe village. At the first stop, a maize regional on-farm trial was on display. Davies Melele from ZARI explained the objectives and progress made on the on-farm regional trial. The fact that farmers are directly involved in selecting the best maize varieties from the 20 that are being tested was emphasized in explaining the participatory variety selection process. Most crops looked seriously drought-stressed as the area did not receive any rain for one month. Mbeu zimalimbikila kuchilala meaning these varieties are really drought-tolerant remarked Chief Magodi as participants left the maize regional on-farm trial. Secondly, a maize mother-baby trial, where 12 drought-tolerant maize varieties are being tested was visited. Kodi mulimbikisa alimi kuchita kasinta-sinta ndiponso nakusewenzesa fataleza? meaning Are you encouraging farmers to use crop rotation and fertilizer? asked Chief Mban gombe of Katete district, which has been strongly supported by the project team as an integral part of the SIMLEZA-AR. Davies Melele of ZARI explains the activities and observations made on the maize regional on-farm and mother-baby trials in Khokwe village, Chipata district 05

6 Towards the end of the field tour, farmers were keen on interacting more with the traditional leaders on farming-related issues. The main discussion points included the need to improve market linkages and information flow for soybean and maize crops. Chief Mban gombe encouraged farmers to diversify the crops they grow in the face of low prices for maize. The chiefs strongly advocated that the SIMLEZA-AR project team sets up trials close to their homesteads in future to help in the dissemination of technologies to more farming households within their jurisdiction. The chiefs visit is a major breakthrough for the SIMLEZA-AR project as traditional leaders are major drivers of change towards more sustainable intensification once they support the initiatives. (Right) Walter Mupangwa of CIMMYT explains how the animal-drawn direct seeder works. Exposing Zambia Maize Technicians to New Breeding Tools By Peter Setimela Regular training sessions are a key component of capacity building for partners CIMMYT works with in breeding and seed systems. During the week of 24 to 27 March, 28 maize technicians, including 10 women, participated in a week-long training program at the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) in Lusaka, Zambia. A joint seed systems, breeding and seed business development team from the CIMMYT-Southern Africa Regional Office in Harare and staff from ZARI conducted the training. The participants were drawn from selected seed companies and various government units in the Ministry of Agriculture. The course was supported by two CIMMYT projects, Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) and SIMLEZA-AR, in collaboration with ZARI. The training gave the participants insights into key processes in germplasm development using conventional and molecular tools, variety testing and release, seed production and seed business development. Emphasis was given to new phenotyping tools, the importance of trial uniformity and good agronomic management. The course organizers and resource persons were Kabamba Mwansa, the Zambian maize coordinator and Franscico Miti from ZARI, the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture and CIMMYT s Peter Setimela, Cosmos Magorokosho, Kennedy Lweya, Zaman-Allah Mainassara and Obert Randi. Cosmos Magorokosho, Senior Maize Breeder with CIMMYT is explaining pollination techniques to technicians from different seed companies 06

7 Three New Drought Tolerant Maize Hybrids Released in Zambia By Peter Setimela ZARI, in collaboration with CIMMYT and IITA, has developed and released three drought-tolerant maize hybrids suitable for drought-prone areas of Zambia under the SIMLEZA-AR and DTMA projects. The three hybrids were evaluated for three years in regional and national trials and were found to perform very well in the drought-prone areas. The hybrids are also tolerant to major maize diseases in Zambia. The hybrids were also tested in farmers fields and farmers liked them because of high grain yield and their flintiness. The hybrids can yield up to 8 tons/hectare under optimum conditions. The three hybrids have been renamed Golden Valley (GV638, GV635 and GV628.The hybrids have been allocated to local seed companies to start seed production. Stephanie Angomwile of Stewards Globe seed company in discussion with maize breeder Kambamba Mwansa at a seed production farm of a recently released drought-tolerant hybrid in Lusaka, Zambia. Stephanie is one of the few women who own seed companies that play an important role in the dissemination of drought-tolerant maize seed to farmers (Above). Seed production of newly released hybrids by Steward Globe in Zambia 07

8 Why Farmers Still Grow Maize Land Races: the Institutional Dimensions of Variety Choices in Eastern Zambia By Jens A. Andersson, Peter Setimela, Southern Africa Regional Office, Harare In eastern Zambia, a large group of researchers and journalists embarked on the annual field tours of the USAID-funded SIMLEZA-AR project at the end of January As they did last year, they visited on-station experiments at Msekera research station, and the different on-farm trials of the project, including CA, soya agronomy, cowpea, soya and maize variety trials. SIMLEZA-AR staff, farmers and journalists visiting a CA agronomy trial with hybrid maize in front of a field with dry-planted local maize, Katete District, Eastern Zambia In the Katete district, on the border with Mozambique, the contrast with last year s field tour is immediately apparent. Instead of trial plots with green maize that is to tassel within a few weeks, one now sees maize plants that are a mere 30 centimeters high. The maize in the trial plots was planted only a month ago, on account of a very late start of the rainy season. Yet, next to the trial plots we see maize of varying colors from dark green to dangerously yellow and a highly uneven crop stand that is characteristic for eastern Zambia. Different planting dates, levels and timing of fertilizer application are the major determinants of this variability. As in the SIMLEZA-AR trials, the maize on farmers own fields is often still very small. But one also observes fields with very tall and sometimes already tasseling maize. These are low-yielding landraces, dry-planted in October, just before some early showers that announced the upcoming rainy season. In the next few weeks, farmers will be able to harvest these fields, while the fate of their other maize fields, cultivated with hybrid varieties, is to be determined in the course of the coming months. Why would Zambian smallholder farmers plant low-yielding landraces when high yielding open pollinated varieties (OPVs) and hybrid varieties are available? The answer to this question is usually sought at the household level. Conventional wisdom has it that smallholder farmers often prefer landraces for their taste and storability. But there seems to be more to it. In Zambia, most farmers do grow and eat OPVs and (recycled) hybrids. Certified seeds are widely available at agro-dealer shops and also distributed through the government s Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP), which provides smallholders with a package of 100 kilograms (kg) of basal fertilizer, 100 kg of top dressing fertilizer and 10 kg of hybrid maize seed for a nominal price. In addition, the government of Zambia has instituted a good market for maize. Its Food Reserve Agency (FRA) offers high prices and buys locally, and has thus turned maize into a lucrative cash crop. Zambian farmers have responded to these institutional changes; they dedicate larger land areas to the cultivation of hybrid maize. The SIMLEZA-AR project plays into these changes; in addition to improving the agronomic practices of maize and legume farmers in eastern Zambia, it introduces and demonstrates new maize varieties, including drought-tolerant maize hybrids. Thus, the project enlarges farmers options for increased maize production; Recently, three new varieties were released and seed companies have come on board to produce these hybrids so that large numbers of farmers can access these at good prices (see photo). A recent survey by the project found that once farmers are aware of the SIMLEZA-AR maize varieties, nearly half of them cultivate these varieties. Why then do farmers in this part of rural Zambia continue to grow landraces next to high-yielding varieties, instead of switching to high-yielding varieties altogether, and earn more? For farmers in Kawalala village, it is about agronomic and institutional risks. Obviously, dry-planting is a gamble as limited first rains may result in failure, necessitating re-planting. Hence, as farmer Gertrude Banda explains, Certified seed we only plant with good rains, otherwise you lose money. (For this very reason, one cannot say the on-farm trials were planted too late; they matched a common practice among farmers.) One does not invest one s expensive seeds and fertilizers in risky dry-planting, is the general opinion. This also explains the common practice among Zambian farmers to apply basal fertilizer only after the maize has germinated (a practice not copied in the on-farm trials). But the highly uneven maize crop stand in Kawalala is not merely a difference between early-planted, tallgrowing landraces and late-planted hybrids. Farmers also delayed planting on account of late payments by the FRA for last season s crop; they simply lacked the cash to buy seeds and fertilizers in time. Others had to wait for the FISP input packages that were distributed late even now, as their maize turns yellow, some farmers are still waiting for their FISP top dressing fertilizer. With such institutional risks of late payment and input delivery, it is clear that at least for the time being there remains a niche for local maize varieties. But this gap may soon be filled by less cash-demanding OPVs, like the SIMLEZA-AR-introduced MV409 variety, which does not require farmers to purchase new seed annually. New, hybrid varieties such as those introduced by SIMLEZA-AR may thus take time to be adopted by the majority of farmers, but the project s farmers in Kawalala are convinced: more and more farmers will grow these hybrids. 08

9 Supporting Companies to Deliver Improved Seeds to Farmers By Florence Sipalla Seed companies play an important role of providing smallholder farmers access to improved seed. CIMMYT s breeding and seed systems teams have been supporting Afriseed a brand produced under the flagship of Stewards Globe Limited to build its product offering. The company has recently added maize hybrids (GV638 and GV635) to their existing portfolio, including OPVs and legumes such as beans, cowpeas, groundnuts and soybeans. Stewards Globe was established in 2007 as a family business but has since expanded to bring in more shareholders. The company responded to an advertisement by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) calling for proposals for seed multiplication. After a successful application in 2010, the company started multiplying beans, cowpea, OPV maize and soybeans. Having a diversified product portfolio is important to appeal to and satisfy farmers needs. We started with OPVs and have been looking forward to marketing a hybrid variety, said Stephanie Angomwile, the acting chief executive officer of Stewards Globe. We are very excited to have hybrid varieties in the products we are offering to farmers. We have received technical as well as financial support especially for the drought-tolerant maize varieties, said Angomwile. Through the CIMMYT-led DTMA and SIMLEZA-AR projects, the company has received technical backstopping from the CIMMYT breeders and seed systems specialists. The company values the partnership with CIMMYT. We don t have a breeding program and need the partnership until we are big enough to breed, said Angomwile. Both AGRA and DTMA are funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF) while SIMLEZA-AR is funded by USAID. Agriseeds production manager Emma Sekelechi participated in training sessions facilitated by CIMMYT. Research on seed production enables companies to plan for hybrid seed production; synchronizing the flowering dates of the male and female parents (called nicking) is important for successful seed production. Sekelechi received practical training on hand-pollination and other technical aspects that have contributed to honing her skills during a visit to the CIMMYT-Harare research station. She also attended a week-long training session for maize technicians held at NRDC in Lusaka, Zambia supported by DTMA and SIMLEZA-AR. The course was facilitated by CIMMYT scientists in collaboration with colleagues from ZARI. CIMMYT and ZARI assist Agriseeds in producing foundation seed for the maize varieties released through the institutions breeding programs. In breeding for drought tolerance, we also incorporate disease tolerance without affecting the Stewards Globe acting chief executive officer Stephanie Angomwile displays 10kg bags of maize seed at the Afriseeds warehouse in Lusaka, Zambia. CIMMYT provides technical support to companies to boost their seed production activities. Afriseeds David Lungu gives tips on how to take care of the crop to a worker at Sable Transport Chankhunkula Farm in Lusaka, Zambia. The company s production team provides training and regular visits to contract farmers 09

10 yield, said CIMMYT seed systems specialist Peter Setimela. IITA brings the breeding of legumes into the maize-legume systems. IITA also partners with CIMMYT in the implementation of DTMA. Agriseeds works with approximately 170 smallholder farmers on contract to multiply seed. However, they face challenges such as on-farm cleaning and storage of seed, according to Angomwile. The company provides training for the farmers and visits their farms to provide extension support. However, Agriseeds is now exploring the option of working with fewer farmers with larger pieces of land. The company is working on an aggressive marketing drive to popularize the varieties to farmers through demonstration plots, providing demonstration packs (100 grams each), increasing the number of agro-dealers it works with and the number of field days it holds for farmers to evaluate the crop. Fake seed will not give you anything, said Agriseeds marketing manager Mike Chungu advising farmers. Use seed that comes from a reputable dealer and is approved by the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI). Intensification of Smallholder Agriculture in Eastern Zambia: Adoption Monitoring of Agricultural Technologies Promoted Under SIMLEZA-AR By Munyaradzi Mutenje and Julius Manda Sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping system has been implemented as one of available options to enhance agricultural productivity, food and nutritional security while restoring soil fertility in eastern Zambia. Thus SIMLEZA-AR has been promoting improved maize and legume varieties, mechanized and manual CA practices since A number of socioeconomic activities have been implemented to characterize the maize-legume producing households and to assess the adoption of improved maize and legume varieties, fertilizer and conservation technologies. These include a baseline survey of 809 households, an adoption monitoring survey of the improved agricultural technologies and an economic analysis of on-farm trial data. Farmers assessments indicated that land and livestock are the most important physical assets for these rural households. The average farm size per household ranged from 2.75 hectares (ha) in Chipata to 4.57 ha in Lundazi. About 43 percent of the land was allocated to maize and legumes crops. Overall, 17.5 percent, 33.3 percent and 15.2 percent of the surveyed households reported ownership of cows, oxen and other livestock respectively. Awareness and adoption of maize varieties varied significantly across the three project districts (Chipata, Katete, and Lundazi). The most widely known and adopted maize varieties across all districts were Pan 53, SC 513, DKC 8033 and 8053, MRI 624 and 634. Chalimbana (62 percent) and MGV4 (33 percent) groundnut varieties were widely known and adopted in all the project districts. An analysis of the major production challenges revealed that price of fertilizer was the most limiting factor in maize production as indicated by 56 percent of the sampled households. Timely availability of fertilizer and improved seeds as well as the price of improved seed were also rated as major constraints to maize production in this target area. Production challenges varied significantly across districts, access to input market and output market information and crop diseases were also ranked among the major maize production challenges in Katete District. Among the legume varieties, timely availability of fertilizer and access to markets and agronomic information were reported as the most important constraints affecting the production of soybeans. Groundnut production was mainly constrained by prices of improved seeds and timely availability of improved seeds. Pest and access to output markets were recorded as the most important constraint affecting cowpea production. Results at district level showed that low yields and susceptibility to diseases and storage pests were among the most important reasons for the dis-adoption of improved maize and legume varieties. The adoption monitoring survey results further confirmed these results. Adoption monitoring assessment indicated that more than half of households (52 percent) did not adopt or never planted the improved crop varieties after they were introduced to them, citing lack of access to improved seed and skills to use varieties as the main reasons. The economic analysis of different technologies in the three districts revealed that the dibble stick in the manual tillage farming system was more profitable relative to the conventional ridge and fallow system. In the mechanized farming system, ripping yielded more profits relative to the conventional system. The results of the surveys suggested that the primary constraints that lock most smallholder farmers in the target area in subsistence staple food production are limited financial capital, crop husbandry knowledge, marketing skills and practices. About 22 percent of the sample households were not able to produce sufficient grain for their own consumption. The implication of these results is that improvement in market access alone cannot improve the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers in eastern Zambia. Comprehensive strategies that improve access to agricultural technology, crop management knowledge appropriate to their conditions, credit, improved road infrastructure and a conducive environment for private investment in rural input retailing and reliable output market that protects against severe downward price risk would be required for these smallholder farmers to invest in sustainable agricultural intensification. 10

11 SIMLEZA-AR Project News 1. MSc. Students Approach the Finishing Line In 2012, the SIMLEZA-AR project teamed up with the University of Zambia and engaged two students, Anita Kaleba and John Banda, to carry out research in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Kaleba s research has been focusing on Effects of different CA practices on crop yields and some selected soil physical properties and Banda looked at Evaluation of Conservation Agriculture systems as effects on the fertility status of the agricultural soils in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The two students are currently working on their theses and are expected to submit them by 31 July Walter Mupangwa of CIMMYT visiting greenhouse trials conducted by John Banda at UNZA in March 2014 (left) and Anita Kaleba showing visitors her research experiment at Msekera Research Station in February 2014 (right). 2. Double-Up Legume Trial Receives Visitors This trial focuses on finding strategies for growing different legumes on the same piece of land in the same season for farming households with limited land holdings. The trial was established at four locations Kapara, Mtaya and Chanje camps and Msekera Research Station. The trial was visited by farmers, Chief Misholo from Chiparamba area, extension agents and researchers during the 2013/14 cropping season. The trial is now being harvested and pigeon pea in the trial will be harvested by the end of July Researchers from ZARI, IITA and CIMMYT visiting the trial in Kapara camp in February 2014 (left) and farmers from Kapara camp visiting the same trial in March 2014 (right). 3. Upcoming Project Meetings A series of end-of-season evaluation meetings with farmers are planned for June 2014 when researchers from ZARI, CIMMYT and IITA will evaluate the different technologies tested during the 2013/14 season with farmers and extension agents. The meetings will be conducted at camp level in each district and other stakeholders from the Innovation Platforms will also be invited to participate. A planning and evaluation meeting is scheduled for the first week of August 2014 where project stakeholders will evaluate the 2013/14 season and draw work plans for 2014/15 season. 11

12 4. Upcoming Pre-season Training-of-Trainers An annual training of key project stakeholders from ZARI, MAL, NGOs and CACs members will be conducted in October 2014 in preparation for the 2014/15 season. The training will be jointly facilitated by CIMMYT and IITA in Chipata. Acknowledgment: This work was carried out under the CGIAR Research Program MAIZE and was funded by USAID through Feed the Future and Africa RISING. Their support is greatly acknowledged. For more information please contact: Peter Setimela (Maize Seed Systems), Christian Thierfelder (Maize Agronomy), Setegn Gebeyehu (Legume Agronomy),