Analysing Nutrient Flows in Mixed Crop-Livestock
Systems to Identify Efficient Practices
a case study on farming systems in the upper Mara River basin,
Western Kenya
Sjoukje Visser
The Mara River Basin
“This year was extremely dry; we
haven’t had a drop of rain for the
last three months!”
• Feeds the Masai Mara
and Serengeti natural
reserves
• River under pressure
• Increased fluctuations
in seasonal flow
• Sedimentation
MaMaSe project
Aimed at improving water safety
and security in the Mara River
Basin.
• structural poverty reduction
• sustainable economic
growth
• conservation of the basin’s
ecosystems
Farmers play an important role
regarding the use of natural
resources and management of
the available water
Content
• Introduction
• Research objective
• Methodology
• Results
• Conclusions
(Source: Bancy M. et al, 2005)
Mara River Basin
Mixed crop-livestock systems
• Densely populated rural area
• Farms are shrinking
• Soils are degraded after decades of intensive use
• Competing uses for organic resources
• Water availability and soil erosion big problem
Research objective
Analyse farm and nutrient management within
mixed crop livestock systems to identify
options for improvement
Main research question How can on farm use of nutrients be improved
in farming systems within the upper Mara
River basin to enhance farmers’ livelihoods?
Case study of the farming systems in the area
– Interviews with stakeholders and local experts
– Visiting farm cooperatives
– Farmer training sessions
– Questionnaires
– Interviews and farm visits
– Build a typology of different farm systems
present in the area
– Analyze the different farming practices
Methodology
“The biggest constraint on my farm are
the eucalyptus trees of my neighbour,
planted along the border of my farm, they
take all the water and nothing grows next
to these trees”
Typology
• External conditions
– Rainfall
– Soil properties
– temperature
• On farm practices
– Livestock management
– Livestock feeding
– Fertilizer use
– Manure management
– Soil- and water conservation
practices
4 Types identified
Range of intensification
In higher area much higher production
Conceptual model
Management decisions
• Soil and water conservation techniques
– Soil erosion control measures
– Water harvesting
• Farm inputs
– Use of manure as fertilizer
– Use of fertilizer
– Use of other chemicals
– Using crop residues for mulch
• Feeding of Livestock
– Only grazing
– Feeding of maize, napier, sorghum
– Use of residues for feed
Livestock systems
• Free grazing
• Compound at night
+ grazing
• Zero grazing
Manure management
Feeding
Free grazing
Feeding:
Grass
1. Mulot Low
Manure
Fertilizer
Chemicals
2. Mulot Upp
Manure
Fertilizer
Chemicals
3. ISEI
Manure
Fertilizer
Chemicals
4. Merigi
Manure
Fertilizer
Chemicals
Free grazing /
Compound at
night
Feeding:
Grass, napier
Compound at night
/ regulated grazing
/ zero grazing
Feeding:
Grass, napier, soja,
maize,
concentrates
Compound at night /
regulated grazing /
zero grazing
Feeding:
Grass, napier, maize
Management practices in the 4 types
Conclusions • Very high variability in farming systems
• Inefficiencies mainly found in manure management systems
• Lack of water is a main constraint, restricting farmers from efficient
production
Recommendations • Strong focus needed on soil and water conservation, tailored for location
• Development of opportunities for alternative sources of income related with
protection of resources, honey production, tree intercropping
• Stimulation of knowledge transfer between farmers
• Cooperation between farmers
References:
Alvarez, S. et al., 2014. Typology construction , a way of dealing with farm diversity General guidelines for Humidtropics. Report for the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics., Plant Scie.
Notenbaert, a. et al., 2013. Identifying recommendation domains for targeting dual-purpose maize-based interventions in crop-livestock systems in East Africa. Land Use Policy, 30(1), pp.834–846.
Rufino, M.C. et al., 2009. Network analysis of N flows and food self-sufficiency-a comparative study of crop-livestock systems of the highlands of East and southern Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 85(2), pp.169–186. Tittonell, P. et al., 2009. Beyond resource constraints - Exploring the biophysical feasibility of options for the intensification of smallholder crop-livestock systems in Vihiga district, Kenya. Agricultural Systems, 101(1-2), pp.1–19. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2009.02.003.
Acknowledgements:
The European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development
Thank you
for your
attention!