‘Conservation farming is the answer’
January 27, 2013 in Opinion
If most of those that have stuck to conventional farming methods are to be
honest, they will tell you that, for some time now, things have not been
going so well.
Column by Chipo Masara
Some farmers I talked to recently were on the brink of giving up farming
altogether, dismissing it as a trade that’s no longer viable.
It would seem only tobacco farmers can claim to have been fully rewarded for
their efforts, but that is mainly because tobacco is one crop which can
thrive even under the most unfavourable of conditions.
This is unlike crops such as maize, which will only thrive when all the
necessary components are favourable. But because the conditions necessary
for most crops to grow, such as sufficient rainfall and fertile soils, are
no longer in place, that makes production of some crops futile.
In spite of much effort by farmers, the government and other stakeholders to
revive the agricultural sector, there has been a continuous trend of reaping
very low yields.
The downward trend farming in Zimbabwe has taken has left many households
facing acute hunger. Many people now depend on the government and donors for
food aid and in the instances when the help does not come forth, many
starve.
But agriculture, which once thrived in Zimbabwe and ensured every household’s
food security status, remains the primary answer to the starvation.
That’s why it is about time farmers adapted new tried and tested farming
methods that are guaranteed to bring favourable results.
The answer is in conservation farming!
Conservation farming is any system of farming that helps in soil and water
conservation by reducing erosion, runoff and overall improving conditions
for plant growth.
New methods of farming will increase yields
Conservation farming includes a number of components and practices such as
zero tillage, contour and stubble farming, alley cropping, crop rotation and
trap cropping, among many others.
Zero tillage (no tillage) involves planting crops directly into land which
is protected by a mulch using minimum or no tillage techniques. The mulch,
which many ignorant farmers still go to pains to clear off, has been proven
to offer many an advantage, among them preventing the rate of soil erosion
and water runoff, and improving the soil’s fertility.
Contour farming and strip cropping involves planting across the slope,
following the contours of the land, breaking the field into alternating
bands of row crops or small grains.
Farming in the contours has been observed to create small ridges that help
slow runoff water.
Stubble mulching is the type of farming that involves placing the stubble or
crop residue on the land as surface cover during a fallow period. Stubble
mulching helps prevent erosion from wind and water and helps conserve the
soil’s moisture.
Alley cropping is one type of farming I would personally vouch for as I saw
first-hand during a media tour hosted by the Forestry Commission late last
year how it is doing wonders for one farmer in the Chivhu district, which is
often characterised by very little rainfall and very high temperatures.
The method involves planting rows of trees at wide spacing with a companion
crop grown in the alleyway, between the rows of trees. It is a good method
used to enhance and diversify farm products, reduce surface water runoff and
erosion, improve nutrient utilisation, reduce wind erosion as well as
improving wildlife habitat.
Crop rotation is a practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops
in the same area in sequential seasons. A good rotation plan has been seen
to largely reduce pests and diseases on crops.
Because planting the same type of crop at the same piece of land on a
continual basis has been proven to serve only to tire the soils and render
them less productive, crop rotation is ideal.
Integrated pest management (IPM) involves the gathering of comprehensive
information on pest traits, the information of which is used to manage pest
damage in a manner friendly to people and to the environment.
And lastly is trap cropping, which involves planting a trap crop which
attracts agricultural pests away from nearby crops. Trap crops can be
planted around the circumference of the field.
I believe in order for agriculture to once again play a pivotal role in the
country’s economy and to ensure food security for every household, every
farmer needs to let go of conventional farming methods and take on
conservation farming.
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