Soil Erosion Control and Moisture Conservation Using Contour Ridge Tillage in Bougouni and Koutiala, Southern Mali

Soil erosion is among the critical environmental constraint for crop production in southern Mali. Contour ridge tillage (CRT), a water conservation technique had been locally applied since 1990. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of CRT compared with farmer conventional agriculture practice (NoCRT) on runoff, soil loss, nutrient loss, moisture conservation and cereals yields under rainfed conditions in two Southern Mali sites, in 2016 and 2017 in farmer fields. Measurements were performed on erosion plots composed of CRT and NoCRT plots from which water samples were collected to determine sedimentation levels, concentration and nutrients losses using pairwise comparison. Average runoff coefficient in NoCRT plots was 35.62% compared to 19.25% for the CRT plots explaining a runoff reduction of 46%. Mean soil losses of 12,095 t·ha−1 and 4970 t·ha−1 were respectively measured in NoCRT and CRT plots. Losses in calcium, magnesium and potassium nutrients in the NoCRT plots were 80%, 66%, 75% higher compared to CRT ones, respectively. Sorghum grain yield was at least two folds higher in CRT plots compared to the NoCRT plots. Maize average grain yield was 87% higher in CRT plots than in the NoCRT. For sustained soil productivity, CRT is advocated as a better soil and water management technique than the NoCRT one

New Africa RISING geospatial maps show cropping patterns and land use changes in Mali

Africa RISING and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) Geospatial Unit in Patancheru, India, have developed land use maps of Africa RISING project intervention sites in southern Mali. The new maps, which were produced in mid-August 2015, will ease the process of identifying and visualizing different crop domains and possible natural resource management (NRM) sites within the Africa RISING intervention villages in Mali. The maps were produced using high resolution imagery from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “These maps will show us where to focus our sustainable intensification efforts in Mali; they will also guide preparation of country strategies for sustainable primary productivity,” explains Birhanu Zemadim. “We will use the ground survey data they provide to prepare geospatial products associated with land use/land cover, crop intensity, length of growing periods, land use changes over the period, and NRM technologies.” he adds..

The Challenges of Rainfed Agricultural Practices in Mali-Redefining Research Agenda- A Short Communication

Mali is one of the least developed countries with an economy that relies heavily on rainfed cereal production. Rural communities are faced with extreme poverty as a result of unpredictable rainfall pattern and lack of appropriate agricultural intervention practices. Most agronomic practices in support of development in the past had emphasized farm-level productivity issues with limited scope for managing interactions among components and actors beyond the level of the farm. Several studies showed different techniques practiced at farm level to improve the agricultural productivity. However rural communities at large are unable to cope with the impacts of climate change and other shocks related to agricultural input supplies and market access. In this short communication paper recent findings related to the challenges of rainfed agricultural practices were discussed to inform policy makers, researchers and development practitioners to re-define approaches towards sustainable agricultural development. In addition new research agenda was discussed that aim to integrate interactions among components and actors beyond the level of the farm to improve rural resilience

Scaling up climate services for agriculture in Mali Initial findings from piloted implementation of PICSA approach in Africa RISING project intervention zone, southern Mali

The Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach, designed by the University of Reading (UoR), focuses on improving farmers' livelihood and resilience against the effect of climate change. It provides farmers with accurate, locally specific climate and weather information; coupled with diverse, locally pertinent options for crops, livestock and other livelihood activities; and the use of participatory planning tools to improve and enlighten their decision making based on their individual situations. PICSA is a step by step approach, primarily designed for field extensionists to help them integrate new tools in their activities with farmers and improve the efficiency and impact of those activities on farmer's enterprises

Shallow wells, the untapped resource with a potential to improve agriculture and food security in southern Mali

Background Excessive rainwater during the rainy season and lack of water in the dry season have been challenging the agricultural productivity and food security for rural communities in southern Mali. Various soil and water conservation practices were implemented in the past to improve crop yields and income, and reverse the effect of land degradation. However, none of these efforts looked into the potential use of shallow wells at a spatial scale to improve the agricultural productivity and hence the food security in the region. Results In total 484 shallow wells were geo-referenced, mapped and studied in two districts, Bougouni and Koutiala, in southern Mali to understand the dynamics of groundwater recharge and relationship with rainfall in different seasons. The study found out that shallow wells were mainly utilized for household and livestock water consumption and not for agricultural water use. Well construction history followed the trend of the severe drought that hit the Sahel in the years of the 1970s and 1980s. Majority of wells (87 % in Bougouni and 84 % in Koutiala) were constructed after the drought period with significant variation of construction in the two districts (p value 0.032). Well depths ranged from 1 to 150 m, with the majority of wells (64 %) within the depth range of 6.5–14.5 m (p value 0.043). During the dry season water was available in the majority of wells (73 %) at a depth range from 5.5 to 15.5 m (p value 0.996). In the rainy season on average 84 % of wells in Bougouni and 94 % of wells in Koutiala experience water level rise within the range of 0.5–10.5 m (p value 0.423/Bougouni and 0.991/Koutiala). In few of the studied villages shallow wells were found to be fast recharging, thus enabling farmers to buffer the negative effects of drought conditions. Conclusion Shallow wells are important sources of water in rural Mali. The wells have adequate recharging capacity during the rainy season and insignificant water level variation during the dry season. Though accessing water from shallow wells was labour-intensive and mostly done by women and the youth, water is available within an average depth ranging from 5.5 to 15.5 m from most studied wells. The issue of water scarcity in different seasons was thus attributed to accessibility due to the lack of appropriate water lifting mechanisms. Groundwater was an untapped resource in Mali, and we suggest groundwater management needs to be given consideration along with other management practices in the changing climate condition to improve the agricultural productivity and food security

Water Demand Analysis and Irrigation Requirement for Major Crops at Holetta Catchment, Awash Subbasin, Ethiopia

The water demand and irrigation requirement of Holetta Catchment is not fully studied. In addition to this, due to scarcity of the available surface water and increase in water demand for irrigation, the major users of the river are facing a challenge to allocate the available water. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the water demand of the major users of Holetta River and to study the irrigation requirement for major crops at Holetta catchment using questionnaire survey, statistical methods, and CropWat model. Structured questionnaire was used to identify information such as the number of Holetta River users, major crops grown by irrigation and the total area coverage. The major users are Holetta Agricultural Research Center (HARC), Tesdey Farm and Village Farmers. CropWat model was used to calculate the irrigation water requirement for major crops. Based on the result of CropWat model and survey analysis, the total irrigation requirement of all three users of Holetta River was 0.305, 0.575, 0.995, 0.865, and 0.332 MCM for January, February, March, April, and May respectively. The analysis also indicated the total water demand of all three major users of Holetta River during the irrigation season from January to May. The total water demand was 0.313, 0.583, 1.004, 0.873 and 0.341 million cubic meters (MCM) for January, February, March, April, and May respectively. The available river flow from January to May was 0.749, 0.419, 0.829, 0.623 and 0.471 MCM respectively. From the five months, the demand and the supply showed a gap during February, March and April. The total shortage of supply during these months was 0.59MCM. During these months, there was also conflict between users at diversion and water allocation. Therefore, in order to solve water shortage, alternative source of water supply like ground water and water harvesting technologies should be studied and integrated water management system should be implemented. In addition to this, to improve the efficiency of irrigation water, different irrigation methods like drip irrigation should be improved in the area

Malian women lead by example in climate resilient farming

In Mali, the heritage system attributes land to man; it is rare for a woman to own land, and land loaned to women is generally small and marginal. Malado Cissé from the village of Touba Sylla was given by her husband a bare, rocky piece of land, located far from the village. After attending RIC4REC’s training on the implementation of climate-resilient agriculture for sustainable farming production, Cissé is putting her knowledge to use, and in doing so is transforming her life..

Biomass and nutrient flow dynamics and sustainability practices to de-risk environmental challenges in the sub-saharan Africa farming system

In sub-Saharan Africa, productivity risks stem from weather variability, while environmental risks include soil nutrient depletion due to unsustainable farming practices that include monoculture, inadequate or lack of soil and water conservation measures, and low-nutrient application. As a result, shifts from the prevailing fallow system to permanent cultivation lead to soil degradation. The present study aimed to quantify the fluxes of biomass, nutrients, and nutrient balances from different fertilizer sources to de-risk the challenges related to agriculture and the environment in Mali. A farm household survey was conducted over two years (July 2018 to June 2020) with 45 households. The survey enabled us to categorize farm households into three typologies: high resource endowment (HRE), medium resource endowment (MRE), and low resource endowment (LRE). Data on sustainability indicators from cropland, livestock, farm input use, and redistribution units enabled the analysis of biomass and nutrient flow dynamics from households to farmlands and vice versa. The nutrient monitoring (NUTMON) tool generated nutrient flows and balances. Results showed that the total annual biomass collected per hectare by HRE (22.3t) is significantly higher than that collected by MRE (13.4t) and LRE (5.35t) farms (P ​< ​0.001). Compared to LRE (10.3 ​t ​ha−1 year−1), HRE and MRE farmers produced six times (60 ​t ​ha−1 year−1) and three times (34 ​t ​ha−1 year−1) more manure, respectively. Farm households with better endowment status observed a higher rate of nutrient utilization. For the major crops, nutrient application rates of HRE farms in kg ha−1 (cotton: 12.6 ​N, 4.2 ​P, 18.2 ​K) and (maize: 9.18 ​N, 2.34 ​P, 10.7 ​K) were significantly higher than that of MRE and LRE farms (P ​< ​0.01). The study confirms that household endowment status determines farmlands' nutrient flows and fertility levels. Quantifying biomass transport and understanding nutrient flow dynamics enable the derivation of context-specific solutions to reduce risks associated with productivity and the environment

Farms of the future: a climate twinning project in Mali

Using a new online weather prediction tool, the RIC4REC project has been identifying communities in Mali that are currently experiencing weather and climate scenarios similar to those that other communities could face in 30 years’ time. The “Farms of the Future” approach, developed by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) research programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), aims to improve the capacity of communities to adapt to climate change by connecting farmers who are currently confronting a range of climate risks with those who may be dealing with them down the line. The exchanges, in which community members visit their “future village”, allow farmers to learn about new opportunities to tackle climate stresses

Economic analysis of alternative systems for sorghum production in Southern Mali

This article aims to evaluate sorghum grain yields, cash income as well as risk-efficient choice associated with treatments of sorghum under the Africa RISING project in Mali. The analysis used the survey data related to on-farm trials covering the seasons 2014 and 2015. Four treatments have been experimented for sorghum including control treatment, treatment with only manure, treatment with mineral fertilizer, and treatment with manure and mineral fertilizer. Stochastic dominance analysis was used to evaluate the cumulative distributions of grain yields and cash income associated with each treatment. The results showed that the control treatment for sorghum is dominated by the manure and fertilizer treatments. The manure and mineral fertilizer treatment has higher yields and net returns compared to the three other treatments. The control treatment has a 50% chance of generating grain yields up to 850 kg/ha, while the manure treatment, mineral fertilizer treatment, and manure and mineral fertilizer treatment have the same probability of generating respectively 1,050 kg/ha, 1,275 kg/ha, and 1500 kg/ha. The net returns were estimated to US$122 for manure and mineral fertilizer treatment, US$ 87 for treatment with only mineral fertilizer, and US$ 84 for treatment with only manure. The cumulative distribution of manure and mineral fertilizer treatment was to the right of the remaining cropping treatments, indicating that manure and mineral fertilizer treatment provides higher returns to smallholder farmers than the alternative treatments for a given risk level. Risk-averse farmers will prefer treatment applying manure and mineral fertilizer if they can afford manure and chemical fertilization