Growth and yield of two sorghum hybrids (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) under a limited supply of soil moisture imposed at different stages of growth

This study evaluated relative responses of two grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) hybrids to moisture stress treatments imposed during the seedling, early boot, flowering and grain-filling stages. The two hybrids, T.E. Y77 and FUNK HW6125, are high and low yielding respectively, having similar maturity periods. Twelve phenological characters were measured. The height to upper leaf collar, peduncle exsertion, panicle length, total plant height and total leaf area showed significant differences between the hybrids. Early boot stage stress was most sensitive to vegetative characters. T.E. Y77 produced more heads/m², grains, panicle, 500 grain weight (seed size), and grain yield/ha than FUNK HW 6125 across all treatments. Seed size was the most important determinant of grain yield in both hybrids. Moisture stress during the seedling and early boot stages enhanced grain yield, whereas during the grain-filling stage it was detrimental to grain yield in both hybrids

Climate Smart Agriculture? Assessing the Adaptation Implications in Zambia

We examine a set of potentially climate smart agricultural practices, including reduced tillage, crop rotation and legume intercropping, combined with the use of improved seeds and inorganic fertiliser, for their effects on maize yields in Zambia. We use panel data from the Rural Incomes and Livelihoods Surveys merged with a novel set of climatic variables based on geo-referenced historical rainfall and temperature data to explore the changing effects of these practices with climatic conditions. We estimate the impacts on maize yields, and also on the exhibition of very low yields and yield shortfalls from average levels, as indicators of resilience, while controlling for household characteristics. We find that minimum soil disturbance and crop rotation have no significant impact on these yield outcomes, but that legume intercropping significantly increases yields and reduces the probability of low yields even under critical weather stress during the growing season. We also find that the average positive impacts of modern input use (seeds and fertilisers) are significantly conditioned by climatic variables. Timely access to fertiliser emerges as one of the most robust determinants of yields and their resilience. These results have policy implications for targeted interventions to improve theproductivity and the resilience of smallholder agriculture in Zambia in the face of climate change

Diversification under climate variability as part of a CSA strategy in rural Zambia

This paper aims at presenting empirical evidence from Zambia to better understand the linkages between climatic shocks, livelihood diversification and welfare outcomes with the goal of highlighting potential policy entry points to incentivize the types of diversification aimed at improving food security and resilience to climate shocks. We also investigate the role of different institutions in shaping diversification decisions to shed some light into potential policy levers at institutional level

Food security and adaptation impacts of potential climate smart agricultural practices in Zambia

This paper analyzes how a set of widely promoted agricultural practices, including reduced tillage, crop rotations, legume intercropping as well as the use of modern inputs, affect crop yields and their resilience (i.e. probability of disastrously low yields) in Zambia using panel data from the Rural Incomes and Livelihoods Surveys (RILS). The RILS data are merged with a novel set of climatic variables based on geo-referenced historical rainfall and temperature data to understand whether and how the effects of the practices analyzed here change with climatic conditions. We estimate the impacts on the level of maize yields and the probability of very low yields controlling for time invariant unobservable household characteristics. We find no significant impact of minimum soil disturbance, positive impact of legume intercropping and a negative impact of crop rotation on maize yields, which is off-set by a significantly positive impact under highly variable rainfall conditions. We also find that the average positive impacts of modern input use are conditioned by climatic variables, whereas that of legume intercropping is robust to shocks. Timely access to fertilizer is the most robust determinant of yields and resilience. This paper provides important insights into the interplay between food security outcomes and climatic variables, and provides policy implications for targeted interventions to improve the productivity and the resilience of smallholder agriculture in Zambia in the face of climate change