Field Visit Observation Prepared and presented by
Meaza Melkamu (grouped with Birehanu and Sileshi)
ACT, Policy and Strategy Adviser
February 28, 2020
Hawassa, Ethiopia
Apidays New York 2024 - Scaling API-first by Ian Reasor and Radu Cotescu, Adobe
Conservation Agriculture in Ethiopia: Field visit soddo humbo-29-02-2020-slm workshop
1. Field Visit Observation
Prepared and presented by
Meaza Melkamu (grouped with Birehanu and Sileshi)
ACT, Policy and Strategy Adviser
February 28, 2020
Hawassa, Ethiopia
2. Agro ecology & farming system-Soddo
• 1500 to 3200 m.a.s.l
• 1200 mm per annum RF & Daily
temperature range: 15 to 30 ℃
• Soil type: mostly clay to clay loam
• Population (163,771-80,525 M &
83246 F)
• 31 KA
• Population density: 490 person
/square kilometre
• Total Livestock population: 295,687
(cows, oxen, sheep & goat; donkey
& poultry, mule & horse)
• Religion: 87.15% protestant,
7.87% orthodox, 4.07% catholic
• Mixed subsistence farming system
• Two agricultural production season:
• Meher (long rainy season-receiving
rain June to mid September) &
• Belg (short rainy season-March to
May)
• Variety of crops grown but Maize is
the main food crop grown
• Irish and sweet potato, enset/false
banana/cassava, taro and other
root crops –during the lean season
• Land degradation
• Low productivity & food insecurity
Source: CSA, 2008
3. Findings from Damot Woyide
• Profile
• Family profile: 12 with 6
daughters & 4 sons
• Land Holding: 1 ha-but not
all the farm is under CA
• Started CA in 2017 with
three seasons experiences
• Currently 0.25 ha is under
CA
• CA Principles applied
• Permanent soil cover: Pigeon
pea, mulch (imported grass &
later maize stover)
• Minimum soil disturbance:
Berken Maresha-deep
ploughing
• Rotation/Association: Maize-
Pigeon pea (planted 2 weeks
after maize)
• CA Enhancers
• Improved seed & fertilizer
from MoA
• Hand pulling of weeds
• Live fence/wind break-
banana
4.
5. Key Findings-Soddo
• Yield increment
• Maize Conventional: 2Qt..ha?
• Maize under CA
• 1st season: 15m by 150m
• 4Qt of maize
• 2nd season: CA increased to 1/4ha
• 6Qt of maize, Pigeon pea -30kg/ha, Cow pea-20kg, lablab 6 kilo
• Cover crops consumed at family level
• Biomass increased-maize stover left on the soil
• Time & labour saved invested in other farm land
• Ready to learn and adapt
6. Agro ecology & farming system-Humbo
• Great Rift valley
• 1700 m.a.s.l
• RF: 1200 mm per annum
• Daily temperature: 19-30℃
• Soil type: mostly sandy
• Population (125,441; 63,017 M &
62,424 F)
• 41 KA
• Population density is 478 person
/square kilometre
• Total livestock population:
295,687-cows, oxen, sheep and
goat; donkey and poultry, mule
and horse
• Religion 87.15% protestant,
7.87% orthodox, 4.07% catholic
• Mixed subsistence farming system
• Low productivity and food
insecurity
• Two agricultural production season:
• Meher (long rainy season-
receiving rain June to mid
September) &
• Belg (short rainy season-March
to May)
• Variety of crops grown but Maize is
the main food crop grown
• Irish and sweet potato, enset/false
banana/cassava, taro and other root
crops –during the lean season
• Land degradation
Source: CSA, 2007
7. Findings from Humbo
• Family profile
• Land holding: 1 ha-but not
all the farm is under CA
• Started CA in 2017 with
three seasons experiences
• Currently 0.25 ha is under
CA
• CA Principles applied
• Permanent soil cover:
Pigeon pea, mulch (imported
grass and later maize stover)
• Minimum soil disturbance:
hand tool
• Rotation./Association:
maize-Pigeon
pea/lablab/cow pea
• CA Enhancers
• Improved seed & fertilizer
from MoA
• Hand pulling of weeds
• Live fence/wind break-
banana
8.
9. Key Findings from Humbo site
• Yield increment
• 1st season: from 15m by 150m
• Maize under CA 4Q
• Cow pea: 2Qt
• Lablab: 1 Qt
• 2nd season: Land under CA increased to 1/4ha
• Cover crops consumed at family level
• Biomass increment-maize stover left on the soil
• Time and labour saved
• Ready to learn and adapt
10. Observation from the two sites
• Diversified mixed farming system
• Vegetables, root crops, Fruits, Cash
crops, herbs and trees (kale,
pumpkin, banana, cassava, sweet
potato, false banana, coffee, sugar
cane, pod carpus, Ruta graveolens
etc)
• Livestock: 3 Cows, 2 Sheep &
Some chickens
• Availability of mulch
11. Observation: First farm at Soddo
• Strength
• Impressive Quality work with
in three seasons: Positive
progress
• Very good emphasis on cover
crop-which has set the
foundation for the CA to
take-off
• Forward thinking Mind-set
change
• Fattening the soil & the oxen
• Farmers are innovating-
changing the paradigm shift
in mind-set change
• Farmers have not seen his
livestock as a threat rather
the synergy
• All legume cover crops are
edible
• Desmodium planted
beside the cassava as a
feed for the livestock-
indicating that he has
seen the need to grow
cover crop as fodder
• Livestock kept in a
separate house-Controlled
livestock management
• With CA I am fattening the
soil & the oxen
12. Observations: First farm-Soddo
• Challenges/opportunities
• No available planting
equipment
• The need to support
local fabrication/Artisans
to fabricate the planting
equipment
• The need to bring
mechanization on board
so that farmers can plant
on the mulch
• Sub-soiling or ripping is a
conventional tillage
practices-not CA-it is
only needed as a
corrective
measure/precondition to
break hard pan
• No need of deep
ploughing once hard
pan is corrected
• Sub soiling or ripping is
not need every season
and is impractical in a
mulched field
• Hard pan due to heavy
Machine or tillage pan
are controlled through
GPS traffic
13. Observation: First farm at Soddo
• Challenges/opportunities
• Cover crop: involving research
on CC rotations with the main
crop & other CCs with respect
to disease control
• How is the pigeon pea rotated-is
it going to remain there-or is it
going to go where the lablab is-
needs the support of
researchers to advise
14. Observations: Second Farm-Humbo
Strength
• Impressive Quality work with in
three seasons: Positive progress
• Young CA farmer
• Able to clearly articulate what
she does-she has been
empowered-the learning
process empowered her
• Very good emphasis on CC-
which has set the foundation for
the CA to take-off
• Cow pea is additional cover crop
• Forward thinking Mind-set
change
• False banana emerging due to
CA-not growing in Humbo
• Farmer did not see her livestock
as a threat rather as a synergy
• Controlled livestock management
/Livestock kept in a separate
house
15. Concern-Important Questions on the continuity
• Involvement of neighbouring farmers
• What proportion of the neighbourhood farmers are
practicing CA?
• The district CA adopters size might not tell the
picture; getting the impression of % farmers in the
neighbourhood
• Are we near to the critical mass of adopters or very
far away?
• Cluster of farmers attracting the cover crops seed
buyers, private sectors etc….
• The farmer can serve as a seed source for cover
crops
16. Lessons learned
• The CA practised is a low input agriculture
• CA is not a threat to livestock. There is a synergy;
fattening the soil and the livestock
• CA is possible without herbicide and pesticide-used
family labour for weeding
• An integrated farming system/Agroforestry
• How do we do CA for cash crops or other crops in the
farm-the next frontiers
• More Innovation and Research is required on
Mechanization, CC rotation, CA for other crops like coffee
(what cover crops do we need to grow under coffee)
• It is possible to move from imported mulch to using crop
residue and cover crops as a soil cover-makes it easier &
less laborious & more effective
17. Thoughts/unanswered Questions
• Production, Conservation
& Processing of fodder for
poultry, dairy, beef
fattening
• The role of chicken in the
pigeon pee mulch-are they
destroying the mulch or
scavenging worms?
• Can the pigeon pea
grounded and mixed with
residue or cassava to make
poultry feed?
• Can we blend some of the
crops to produce some
livestock feed
• Do we need to exclude the
poultry or practices semi-
free range system?
• How can the manure from
the livestock be utilized in
the farming system-source
of fuel-bio-gas-
composting-bio-slurry?
• Can the private sector play
their role in bringing
innovation in
mechanization?
• Can the government create
the demand by brining the
prototypes which can be
demonstrated to farmers?
• PPP
18. Thoughts/unanswered question
• How can the CA farmers
including the youth
graduate to services
provision?
• Could the Agricultural
Universities conduct
courses on mechanised CA
hire service provision?
• Can the Development
Actors build on what
TDA/CFGB has
established/planned to
continue?
• What is the Government
Strategy on Sustainable
Agriculture Mechanization
to support such farmers?
• What is the government
planning-how can RLLP
support these farmers
not to drop from CA?
• What is the vision of the
CA farmers?
• Where do they wan to go
individually or as a
group?
• How are they planning to
reach there in terms of
forming organization to
acquire inputs &
implements-accessing
market
Well designed integrated CA system for each agro-ecology and farming system
Mechanized CA system across the agriculture value chain
Well designed integrated CA system for each agro-ecology and farming system
Mechanized CA system across the agriculture value chain
If we went to his neighbour and ask them if they have practiced CA-what percent are practicing CA- 2 out of 10 or 10
The natural diffusion could happen?
It did not come clear if we select 10 farmers from that village, how many of them practiced CA