Crop residue use in crop-livestock farms
challenges & options of mulching in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture Brisbane, Australia, 26-29 September 2011
Diego ValbuenaOlaf Erenstein Sabine HomannTahirou AbdoulayeAlan DuncanBruno GérardNils Teufel
mixed systems & SLPwww.vslp.org Mixed systems = 2/3 population + food +
value chains(Herrero et al. 2010)
Biomass trade-offs: immediate demands & soil sustainability
SLP: Bring livestock research on the agenda + links CGIAR
Current project: crop residues use in mixed systems
objectives
Describe crop residue use in diverse mixed systems
Identify main challenges of mulching
Look for options related to mulching
crop residue use CA ideal situation
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crop residue use mixed crop-livestock farms
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working ideasCR: much more than mulch
Offer (intensification) & demand (pressure) matter
Options need to include local specificities
site & village selection
site: agri. intensification &
marketvillage: market &
road access
selected sitesPot. pressure
on biomassHIGH MEDIUM LOW
Country India Bangla. Kenya Ethiopia India Ethiopia Zimb. Mozam. Niger Nigeria Malawi Niger
Site ID H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2
Location Karnal Dinajpur Kakamega Nekemte Rajasthan Kobo Nykayi Changara Fakara Kano Mzimba Maradi
Symbol
Market access +++ ++ ++ + ++ + ++ + + +++ + ++
Intensification +++ ++ ++ + + + + + + ++ ++ +
Agro-ecology semi-arid (irrigated)
humid (irrigated) highlands highlands semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid
Rainfall 750 2000 1650 1050 650 700 600 650 500 800 700 600
Main crops wheat-rice ricemaize, beans
maize, teff maizesorghum,
teffmaize
maize, millet,
sorghum
millet, cowpea
sorgh. maize.gnt
cpeamaize
millet, sorghum, cowpea
Livestock buffalo cattle
cattle goat cattle-dairy cattle
cattle/buf goat cattle cattle
cattle goats
cattle shoats
cattle shoats
cattle goats
cattle shoats
after Valbuena et al. submitted
potential biomass pressure
after Valbuena et al. submitted
M-E1
H-B
L-N1
H-I1
L-NG
L-N2
L-Z
L-MW
M-E2
M-I2
L-MZ
H-K
Grouping sites: pop. &
livestock densities
land & animals
M-E1H-B
L-N1
H-I1
L-NG
L-N2
L-Z
L-MW
M-E2M-I2
L-MZ
H-K
land & livestock; livelihood for > ½ farms
income & production
M-E1
H-B
L-N1
H-I1
L-NGL-N2
L-Z
L-MW
M-E2
M-I2L-MZ
H-K
Range of agriculture & self-consumptionExtremes in S. Asia
CR more than mulch: cereals
after Valbuena et al. submitted
sites
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2
other
traded
left/mulch
feed
↓ feed ↑
mulch
↑ feed, ↓ mulch
NG: feed-fuelMW: feed-mulch
CR more than mulch: legume
H-K
L-N1
% sold% fed% others
L-NG L-N2
Legume residue high value or good for cooking (H-K).No mulching.In Southern Africa not mentioned.
trends last 10yrs
% villages H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2
increase
fuel - 71 100 100 - 63 - - 100 88 - 57stall feed 63 100 88 100 38 88 60 88 86 100 - 71
left/mulch 63 88 38 0 0 0 - 40 57 - 75 -decrease
left/mulch 0 13 63 88 25 100 - 20 43 - 13 -Overall increase of CR use as fuel &
stall feedIncrease left/mulch key sites: irrigation
& fertilizersIncrease of collection/privatisation of
CR in ET
CR as feed
after Valbuena et al. submitted
sites
H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N20%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% ↑ feed: M & H- sites
↑ feed sources
feed shortages
0
2
4
6
8
10
crop residuesgreen foddergrazing
sites
H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2
M-sites & West Africa:
↑ pressure on feed
intensification matters
after Valbuena et al. submitted
M-ET1
H-BD
L-NE1
H-IN1
L-NG
L-NE2
L-ZW
L-MW
M-ET2M-IN2
L-MZ
H-KN
↑ pop: ↑ intensity (area) H↑ pop: ↓ communal land↑ pop ↓ int./prod (area) & ↓ com. land: ↑ pressure on CR
other CA-related practices
M-E1H-B
L-N1
H-I1
L-NGL-N2 L-ZL-MW
M-E2M-I2
L-MZ
H-K
> ½ area is tilled by animal; but also hand or tractor (not shown)Scarce legumes; market distortion & farming systems
results show that:
CR are short-term resources: feed & Co.
CR to mulch with lower pressure (very ↑ production; or ↑ production + ↓ demand), but practices need to change. With higher pressure: increase of production is needed.
Each region has its own potential, challenges & options for more sustainable agriculture = no silver-bullet exists
work in progress
household diversity linking better socio-economic, biophysical & institutional stakeholder involvement: R4D & demand-led R&D proposals
