CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE: TRIANGULAR COOPERATION IN EAST AFRICA Mr. Saidi Mkomwa, Executive Secretary of African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT)

OUTLINE

Background and Objectives

Why Conservation Agriculture in Africa

Introduction of CA technologies to EA

Linkage to Brazilian private sector suppliers

Main outputs

Main outcomes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

3 year project, German funded-project (USD 2.5 million)

10 project sites in Kenya and Tanzania Objectives:

Expanded adoption of profitable conservation agriculture (CA) practices

Enhanced supply/availability of CA tools and equipment to farmers

Stregthen knowledge sharing and foster government support for up-scaling CA in East Africa

WHY CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA?

The number of undernourished people in SSA Africa swelled from 170 million in 1991 to 236 million in 2007 (FAO STAT).

To improve crop yields – if we are to cope with the rising population growth

Adaptation (& mitigation) to climate change To reduce production costs albeit the rising inputs

(seeds, fertilisers, water, etc) prices To overcome shortages of labour & farm power Smallholder farmers and Africa are net importers

of food The need to stop environmental degradation

arising from poor farming and tillage practices

INTRODUCTION OF CA TECHNOLOGIES

Farmer Field Schools (FFS) Innovator farmers Other interventions

Participatory M&E Farmer exchange visits/field

days Support to local manufacturers

for the testing and development of CA equipment

LINKAGE TO BRAZILIAN PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPLIERS

BRAZIL Innovators of small equipment

and machinery developed for CA

Conservation Agriculture:

Reduces soil erosion and runoff

Improves productivity, labour and energy efficiency

Increases incomes

EAST AFRICA In need of CA equipment

Need to transform farming to feed burgeoning populations, and resilience to climate change

No expertise and capacity to design and manufacture CA equipment

MAIN OUTPUTS

227 Farmer Field Schools established and practicing CA

7,000 farmers directly involved with 35,000 beneficiaries

80 private animal-drawn and tractor hire service providers trained on CA

16 East African equipment manufacturers, dealers, researchers and officials went on study and business tour to Brazil in 2008

Six technicians went for a longer term, one month, on-the-job training to Brazil in 2010

MAIN OUTCOMES

• Demand for ox-drawn rippers, sub-soilers and shallow weeders, in East Africa satisfied by local artisan production

• Eight local manufactures/artisans empowered by the project produced 8000 units of a range of CA implements by 2011

• Equipment supply chains continue to be strengthened through ACT establishment as a Pan-African Network

• Farmers in Tanzania and Kenya continue to practice CA, mobilizing greater productivity benefits, and support from the Government

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• ACT acknowledges the financial support of the German Trust Fund - Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for introducing Conservation Agriculture to East Africa

• National Governments of Kenya and Tanzania for hosting and in-kind support to the CA SARD project.