By Wezi Tjaronda
WINDHOEK
The Namibian Agronomic Board through its Development Projects Division has started implementing a conservation tillage project in four other northern regions.
One hundred new farmers will test the technique in Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Oshana and Kavango, which will run for two years.
The project has been ongoing in Omusati Region for the past two years with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and has shown promising yield results.
The board, one of the recipients of the European Union’s Rural Poverty Reduction Programme (RPRP) funding, has now expanded the project to conservation tillage, a technique that involves ripping the soil hard pan in rows and effectively forming a ridge and furrow soil surface conformation.
After years of the soil being pressed down by tractors in traditional ploughing year after year, this prevents water from soaking into the soil and roots from penetrating deeper.
“Planting is conducted in the same furrows every season to promote fertility build-up. Rainwater is directed into the furrows. Because the hard pan has been broken the rain penetrates deeply into the soil without water-logging and the roots follow, effectively reducing the impact of dry spells on the crop because the deep levels of moisture do not easily evaporate,” a statement from the agronomic board said yesterday.
Peter Lenhardt, Manager for Developments Projects at the Agronomic Board, said yesterday the idea of the system is to rip the soil open deep, to about 30 cm and put implements to break and open the pan. Seeds are planted in the furrow year after year because water runs from the ridge to the furrow.
Lenhardt said this allows the roots and fertilizer to go deep and the water does not evaporate quickly even if there is a dry spell.
The project received N$1.8 million for the next two years.
It is an expansion of a similar three-year research project in four countries, namely Namibia, Zambia, Lesotho and Botswana administered by the Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART – Zambia). The board administers the project in Namibia.
The conservation tillage project aims at reducing poverty among rural residents of the four regions and if demonstrated as expected, that increased yields of mahangu can be sustainably produced through use of Namibia-specific methods of conservation agriculture, many farmers will adopt the system.
The statement said the project allows participating farmers to implement methods of conservation agriculture that are expected to halt continuing soil degradation and, at the same time, improve soil fertility, moisture retention and yield.
Increased mahangu yields of smallholder farmers would also contribute to a reduction in the impact of HIV and AIDS.
These methods have already been tested by the Omusati-based project and the number of those participating will increase in this third year to 40.
A series of on-farm trials will be conducted with farmers on their own land to demonstrate the basic technology and hopefully the sustainable yield benefits. With positive results already attained and expected in the four new regions, this will encourage farmers to adopt the practice for themselves.