ATNESA
Conservation Tillage Workshop
Animal Traction Network for
Eastern and Southern Africa |
Workshop
background
Many smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are
faced with problems of recurrent droughts, loss of rain water to runoff, erosion
and degradation of soils. Conservation farming is now seen by many as one of the
solutions to these devastating problems. For optimum tillage, planting and crop
management systems to be developed, promoted and subsequently adopted, it is
essential for researchers, extensionists and development agents to understand
the constraints within which individual farmers operate.
Studies on relationship
between animal traction, environmental impact and the sustainability of
production systems, are relatively recent. As a result, there is very little
concrete information about environmental impact of using draft animal power.
Animal traction as a power source, cannot be considered in isolation. It must be
examined in the context of total farming systems, in order to assess its
positive and negative environmental implications.
At an ATNESA workshop “Meeting
the challenges of animal traction”, held in December 1995 in Kenya,
the importance of using draft animal power for conservation tillage in semi-arid
areas was stressed. It was therefore within ATNESA planned to organize a
regional workshop on conservation tillage and environmental issues. Such a
Workshop would look into various options available as well as dissemination
strategies. It would launch a decade of promoting sustainable conservation
techniques based on draft animal power and utilization.
Animal traction is being
strongly addressed as an important technology for Eastern and Southern Africa.
In Namibia, the Government has acknowledged the importance of this technology by
setting up a National Draft Animal Power (DAP) Programme, to assist the
smallholder farmers especially in the Northern Communal Areas. This region, by
Namibian standards, receives the highest rainfall (500 mm to 700 mm) per annum.
The
Northern region is further characterized by sandy soils with low organic matter
and water retention capacity. For the past few years, tillage specialists in
Eastern and Southern Africa and elsewhere have been addressing issues related to
the above factors, to acquire technologies based on animal traction for
smallholder farmers. One issue identified for this purpose has been
“Conservation Tillage” (CONTIL)
and how it affects the environment.
Workshop
objectives
The objective of the workshop was to bring
together farmers, national and regional specialists involved in research,
development, training and extension in order to:
-
Share
experiences regarding conservation tillage, rain water harvesting
and environmental issues.
-
Review
the research, training and extension messages regarding the use and
management of draft animal power (DAP) technology in conservation tillage.
-
Develop
a short and medium term conservation tillage programme for Namibia
-
Propose
future regional activities on conservation tillage
Workshop
sub-themes
-
Conservation
tillage systems and soil-water management issues
-
Implements
for conservation tillage in semi-arid areas
-
Rain
water harvesting for field crop production
-
Animal
traction and environmental sustainability
-
Technology
transfer, adoption and extension strategies
-
Socio-economic
and gender issues
Participants
Participation comprised persons involved in
research, training, extension and rural development programmes related to
smallholder agriculture. A total of 84 participants attended the workshop. These
were from Namibia, regional ATNESA member and non-member countries, West Africa
and Europe. In attendance were
multi-disciplinary individuals and organizational representatives with diverse
experiences, from various countries and regions. Some participants brought in
equipment used in conservation tillage for demonstration on the farmers fields.
The names and addresses of participants are listed in Annex Two of this Report.
Host,
dates and location
The workshop was hosted by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Water and Rural Development of Namibia. The planning and
facilitation of the workshop was carried out in close cooperation with the
ATNESA steering committee.
The workshop was held at
Ngandu lodge in Rundu, Namibia from 5th
- 10th October
1998.
Workshop
programme
Day
1
This was the day when
participants arrived. After registration, participants put up posters and
exhibits. In the evening of this day there was the official opening of the
workshop by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development,
Honourable S. Webster. The Governor of Rundu town also formally welcomed the
participants.
Day
2
The first half of the second
day was occupied by presentations of keynote papers first by Mr. P.W. Misika who
presented a country synthesis of Namibia; followed by Dr. P. Kaumbutho who
presented an overview of conservation tillage practices in East and Southern
Africa. Case studies and country reports were presented in the afternoon.
Day
3.
All participants went to attend field demonstrations on tillage systems and
technologies on a farmers field at Muroro, fourty five kilometres East of Rundu.
Later, three case study papers were presented on indigenous conservation tillage
technologies and technology transfer techniques. In the afternoon there were
plenary sessions, group discussions and presentations of group discussions.
Day
4.
The fourth day was
spent on field visits to farmers. Participants were divided into eight groups
and each group visited three farm villages to discuss with farmers their
problems and possible solutions. Later the groups worked on and presented
summaries of field findings and recommendations.
Day
5.
Participants were divided into small output oriented groups.
These groups were involved in intensive discussions to make strategies and
action plans for both National and Regional level activities. This was a most
useful day of the workshop.
Day
6.
On the last day of the workshop there was a
plenary session to make recommendations and follow-up actions.
This was followed by a Workshop Synthesis presentation by Richard Fowler
of South Africa. Thereafter there was workshop evaluation session by all
participants. The workshop was officially closed by the Under Secretary in the
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development Mr.P.W.Misika.
Workshop
inputs
i.
Papers
Most participants prepared papers and Case
Studies on conservation tillage practices and environmental issues for
sustainable agricultural production using DAP. These included research reports,
indigenous practices such as rain water harvesting, experiences of extension
programmes, and proposals for future and collaborative activities.
Twenty five papers were prepared for the
workshop. Summaries
of keynote papers, case studies and regional experiences presented are included
in the workshop report. These
and the rest of the papers submitted will be edited and produced in full as
Workshop Proceedings.
ii.
Exhibits
Colourful and informative exhibits were put up by
participants in the roundavel close to the conference room. These exhibits
covered a wide range of topics from, various uses of animal power in
agricultural production design and evaluation of equipment, field trials,
manufacturing of farm equipment, indigenous soil conservation tillage techniques
and gender issues. Some typical
Programmes the posters presented were such as:
-
Smallholder
Agricultural Mechanization (SAMeP) in Zambia.
-
Indigenous
soil conservation tillage systems and risks of animal traction on land
degradation in Eastern and Southern Africa.
-
Palabana
Farm Power and Mechanisation Centre Zambia.
-
Northern
Namibia rural development project evaluation of farm implements.
-
Soil
and water conservation tillage trials conducted at the institute.
-
FAO
case study on gender issues in agricultural engineering.
Expectations
of Participants
At the beginning of the workshop, participants
were asked to write down on a card what they hoped would be an outcome of the
workshop. The cards were put together, discussed and summarized. The following
were the main expectations as expressed by the participants:
-
make practical
sustainable conservation tillage recommendations for Eastern and South
Africa.
-
share
experiences
-
explore
possibility of forming a regional network on conservation tillage
-
develop
a feasible project plan for Namibia
-
review
animal traction training methodologies
-
make
practical viable suggestions to improve animal traction methods.
-
formulate
a database and guidelines on conservation tillage with animal traction in
semi-arid areas.
-
review
sustainable water harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas.
Evening
Programmes
There were a number of optional evening programmes
that were arranged and executed during the conference week. These evening
programmes provided further opportunities for networking among individuals. The
most notable programmes were:
Conservation tillage technologies and practices used in
Zimbabwe.
Socio-economic
and gender issues in draft animal technology.
Animal
traction resources in Ghana.
Regional
conservation tillage network.
Use
of handtools by woman farmers in sub-Saharan Africa
Several videos on animal traction.
Informal
networking interactions
The workshop provided an excellent forum for
intensive interaction among the participants. Many formal and informal
arrangements were independently made between participants throughout the week.
These will result in further collaboration and exchange of information on
conservation tillage with animal traction for soil-water management and
environmental sustainability.
Evaluation
At the end of the workshop all participants were
invited to give their views on all aspects of the programme and logistical
arrangements by completing evaluation forms anonymously. The participants were
very positive and gave the workshop a very high rating.
Workshop
outputs
Many participants reported that after attending
the workshop they were now more informed on problems affecting animal traction,
soil fertility and management, environmental degradation and other
multi-disciplinary factors. This means that the workshop enhanced understanding
of issues on Conservation Tillage (CT) and increased motivation of participants.
This is bound to benefit national and regional programmes working on
conservation tillage with animal traction.
Many technical
recommendations arose from the workshop deliberations. Proposals for a range of
follow-up activities were made. The most notable proposals were:
i)
Proposals for Namibia
Based on the stakeholders input and experiences
from the region and elsewhere, received at the workshop, the reporting team
prepared a proposal for Conservation Tillage Work in Namibia. Stakeholders
presented a wide range of issues which were compiled into four broad activities
in the Proposal:
-
Promotion
of Conservation tillage with animal traction
-
Improving
soil fertility, crop and weed management
-
Crop
/ livestock integration for environmental sustainability
-
Promotion
of entrepreneurship in animal traction, facilitation of credit and
marketing.
At the end of the
reporting week a draft proposal was presented to the MAWRD. The Proposal was
complete with a Log Frame and Budget and was well received by the highly
cooperative senior members of Namibian Government.
ii)
Regional Collaborative Activities
Other activities which were regional in nature,
also emanating from the stakeholders input were mandated to ATNESA to take-up.
These were as follows:
-
development
of guidelines on conservation tillage with animal traction for the East and
Southern Africa region.
-
development
of a Database on conservation tillage systems.
-
enhancing
networking for information sharing and advancement of Conservation Tillage
practices in the region.
-
participate
in the establishment of a regional network on conservation tillage in
collaboration with other interested organizations while building on the
CONTIL national efforts of countries such as Tanzania, Kenya and South
Africa.
