Results from the fertilizer demonstration experiment with maize at Farm for the Future Tanzania in Iringa, in 2021: Final narrative report

In 2021, an experiment was run for the fourth consecutive season at the Farm for the Future Tanzania Ltd (FFF) which is part of Ilula Orphan Program (IOP)’s Farm, Ilula, Iringa Region, in Tanzania. The FFF farm, is training farmers in 16 villages, with a focus on dissemination activities at regional, as well as national level. The purpose of the experiment is to experimentally test and demonstrate low-emission crop fertilisation strategies that combine high maize yields with high nutrient use efficiency and low emissions. Four nutrient management treatments were combined in a full factorial setup with two tillage options. Lowest yields were obtained with no fertilizer addition (control treatment) under conventional tillage and reduced tillage (1-2 t/ha), while the treatments with fertilizer addition consistently showed very high yields (close to 10 t/ha). Root number and root length were larger for reduced tillage compared to conventional tillage at the control treatment, but this difference was not significant. Root penetration resistance was significantly higher at conventional tillage compared to reduced tillage for the control treatment. Around 100 pupils from primary as well as secondary school made two field visits to the trial. Also, a farmers field day was organized, and from the sixteen villages surrounding the farm, a total of about 400 farmers attended the planting session and the field day

Results from the fertilizer demonstration experiment with maize at Farm for the Future Tanzania in Iringa, in 2020

In 2020, an experiment was run for the third consecutive season at the Farm for the Future Tanzania Ltd. (FFF), which is part of Ilula Orphan Program’s (IOP) Farm, Ilula, Iringa Region, in Tanzania. The FFF farm is training farmers in 16 villages with a focus on dissemination activities at regional and national levels. The purpose of the experiment is to test and demonstrate crop fertilization strategies that combine high maize yields with high nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Five nutrient management treatments were combined in a full factorial setup with two tillage options. Highest yields were obtained with reduced tillage combined with NPK fertilizer to target 70% of waterlimited yield (Yw) and micro-nutrients (Mg, S, Zn combined), and with half NPK fertilizer and half composted manure. The lowest maize yields were obtained from both the treatment without fertilizer application and the fertilizer treatment with only P and K applied at reduced and conventional tillage. Results showed no significant differences in both agronomic N use efficiency (N-AE, additional grain yield per kg N applied when correcting for the P and K applied) and fertilizer use efficiency (additional grain yield per kg N applied when including yield effects from P and K) between reduced and conventional tillage. N-AE obtained in the experiment of 34.0 kg yield/kg N was much higher compared to the current average N-AE in sub-Saharan Africa of 14.3 kg yield/kg N. When targeting 70% of Yw for maize, this improved N-AE value could result in 58% reduction in GHG emission per hectare (ha) from fertilizer application (direct and indirect emissions). Despite the cancellation of the farmers field days, due to the Covid19 pandemic, ten young farmers still took part in the experimental setup and trial planting

D1940: Results from the Fertilizer demonstration experiment with maize at IOP Farm in Iringa, Tanzania in 2018

In 2018, an experiment was run at the IOP farm in Tanzania. Four nutrient management treatments were combined factorial with two tillage options. The results show that the lowest maize yield was obtained under conventional tillage without fertilizer application, and the highest with reduced tillage and NPK fertilizer to target 70% of water-limited yield and the addition of micronutrients. A number of field visits was organized, and from the six villages surrounding the farm, hence a total of 120 farmers made at least 4 visits to the farm, one every month between February and June. That brings the number of farmers that learned from the 2018 trial to 480+. In addition, the Tanzania Uhuru Torch made a stop at the Trial, to recognize the importance of the training tool for the farmers. During this festive day a large array of different stakeholders visited the farm, such as village leaders, region and district level leaders and young and older farmers

Conservation Agriculture in the Highlands of Tanzania under a Coffee-Banana-Agroforestry Farming System. Training Manual for Small Scale Farmers

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Major factors influencing the occurrence of landslides in the northern slopes of the Uluguru mountains, Tanzania

Landslide mitigation largely depends on the understanding of the nature of the factors that have direct bearing on the occurrence oflandslides. Identification of these factors is of paramount importance in setting out appropriate and strategic landslides control measures. The present study focused on the identification of the major factors influencing the occurrence oflandslides in the Northern slopes of the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. The main objective was to establish relationship between spatial distribution of landslides and their causative factors. Such information would enable the planning of appropriate and strategic control measures. Aerial photographs, field survey and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques were employed to identify the landslides features which occurred during EL NINO rains, spatial distribution and their corresponding factors. The results show that landslides dominate the geomorphic units with slope gradient ranging from 25% to over 80%. The most affected geomorphic units are in the order: debris slopes> incisions and V-shaped valleys > amphitheatres. Factors which cause theoccurrence of landslides are both soil and terrain related. The most important soil characteristics are presence of shallow soil solum with low bulk density and high macro porosity overlying a relatively less porous saprolite or hard bed rock. The terrain related factors include: undercutting of slopes by roads and pathways and presence of very steep concave side slopes. Water flow from roads and pathways and seepage from irrigation channels are precursors for the triggering oflandslides in the study area

Soil acidity management by farmers in the Kenya highlands

Declining soil fertility attributed to soil acidity is a major soil productivity problem in sub-Saharan Africa. A study was carried out in nine counties across the Kenya highlands, namely Meru, Embu, Kerugoya, Nyeri, Kiambu, Kinangop, Siaya, Busia and Eldoret, where the problems associated with soil acidity are prominent. The study aimed at assessing farmers' awareness of soil acidity, and establishment of common acidity management practices following administration of structured questionnaires. From the information gathered through personal interviews via questionnaires, <37% of the farmers were attached to a farmers training group in all study sites; among them, <4% were aware of soil acidity problems and <8% had carried out chemical analysis of their soils. The farmers who had applied lime at least once on their farms were <3% in all sites. Most farmers (>80%) used both inorganic fertilizers and manure on their farms, with the majority using DAP, CAN and farmyard manure. On cultural soil fertility management, choice of subsequent crop was dictated by sustainability rather than cropping system like rotation. There was a significant (P<0.05) negative relationship between livestock keeping and soil fertility management, with <30% of the farmers returning crop residues back to the farm. Most of them fed crop residues to their livestock. Only 8% of the farmers incorporated crop residues into the soil. There was a significant (Ps 0.05) positive correlation between education level and inorganic fertilizer use in crop production. Farmer's age and maize yields correlated negatively with each other. Additionally, farmers' training programmes and frequencies positively influenced choice of inorganic fertilizers and levels of application. Training is therefore one of the most significant issues affecting soil fertility management in the Kenya highlands. To further enhance the understanding of soil acidity and fertility management in Kenya highlands, farmers training should be prioritized

Four seasons maize yield experiment on tillage and fertilizer options in Tanzania

This poster presents key results from the Bringing Climate-Smart Agriculture practices to scale: assessing their contributions to narrow nutrient and yield gaps project under the CCADS Low-Emissions Development Flagship

Soil acidity management by farmers in the Kenya highlands

Declining soil fertility attributed to soil acidity is a major soil productivity problem in sub-Saharan Africa. A study was carried out in nine counties across the Kenya highlands, namely Meru, Embu, Kerugoya, Nyeri, Kiambu, Kinangop, Siaya, Busia and Eldoret, where the problems associated with soil acidity are prominent. The study aimed at assessing farmers' awareness of soil acidity, and establishment of common acidity management practices following administration of structured questionnaires. From the information gathered through personal interviews via questionnaires, <37% of the farmers were attached to a farmers training group in all study sites; among them, <4% were aware of soil acidity problems and <8% had carried out chemical analysis of their soils. The farmers who had applied lime at least once on their farms were <3% in all sites. Most farmers (>80%) used both inorganic fertilizers and manure on their farms, with the majority using DAP, CAN and farmyard manure. On cultural soil fertility management, choice of subsequent crop was dictated by sustainability rather than cropping system like rotation. There was a significant (P<0.05) negative relationship between livestock keeping and soil fertility management, with <30% of the farmers returning crop residues back to the farm. Most of them fed crop residues to their livestock. Only 8% of the farmers incorporated crop residues into the soil. There was a significant (Ps 0.05) positive correlation between education level and inorganic fertilizer use in crop production. Farmer's age and maize yields correlated negatively with each other. Additionally, farmers' training programmes and frequencies positively influenced choice of inorganic fertilizers and levels of application. Training is therefore one of the most significant issues affecting soil fertility management in the Kenya highlands. To further enhance the understanding of soil acidity and fertility management in Kenya highlands, farmers training should be prioritized

Impact of indigenous-based interventions on land conservation: A case study of a soil conservation and agroforestry project, Arumeru district, Tanzania

Land degradation has been identified as a serious problem in Tanzania since the 1920s. Among the factors normally cited as contributing to land degradation are deforestation, overgrazing and inappropriate farming practices. Several attempts by the government to arrest the problem have been based on top-down approaches. Indigenous-based interventions are among the alternative practices adopted by the Soil Conservation and Agroforestry Project in Arumeru District, Tanzania. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of the indigenous-based interventions on land conservation. More specifically the study intended to assess farmers’ perception of land degradation, the adoption rate of indigenous-based interventions, the impact of those interventions, and lastly the sustainability of those interventions. Data for the study were collected through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques and a questionnaire survey. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 1 ) was used to analyse quantitative data and Content and Structural-Functional Analyses were used for qualitative data. The study found that the rate of land degradation was perceived by respondents to be rather severe. The study also revealed that indigenous-based interventions, which require minimal labour and capital, have been highly adopted by many farmers while labour/capital intensive ones have been taken up by fewer farmers. In general, indigenous-based interventions appear to have eased farm operations and contributed towards increased crop yield, improved soil fertility and increased income. Success in some of the indigenous interventions warrants their wider promotion beyond the project area. Copyright # 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd