General information
Name of best practice	Matuta; ridge system
Geographic distribution (countries)	Tanzania
Origin of practice		indigenous/traditional or 100+ yrs old
		traditional, but improved
		recently introduced
		new technology
For what type of land use		livestock/fish farming
		cropping
		ecosystem conservation
Main purpose		water availability
		nutrient availability
		soil conservation
		others (please specify):

 

Type / Description of practice
Short description of practice (if possible with figures/drawings/photo)	Matuta or ridge systems are of two distinct kinds, those that incorporate organic matter and are therefore similar to the bunds surrounding pits of ngoro and those which do not, where organic matter is burnt before construction. Ridges are constructed along the contour with reconstruction occurring every year by splitting the ridges after filling the furrow with crop residue or cut grass and weeds, where such organic matter has not been burnt. They are less labor intensive  than ngoro with men and women working together in their construction.  As a result women, especially non-Matengos and those in non-polygamous relationships, prefer ridge systems.  They can be as effective as ngoro on gentler slopes, especially where the organic matter is incorporated, and they can be more easily mechanized.  They do, however, need to be constructed annually and are less effective on steep slopes, especially when they are not aligned exactly on the contour.  Due to the increasing costs and availability of labor, burning of organic matter has become increasingly common affecting longer term productivity. Pits are traditional for that area (Mbinga)
aus Ellis-Jones, 2000

 

Natural resources prerequisites
Soil	Ferralsol	Relief	hilly
Climate	1000-1600 mm unimodal	Vegetation	subtropical hillsides
Other prerequisites		- -
Time requirements to restore land/water/nutrients		Water, one season but longer for nutrients
Reference level in this comparison		- -

 

Socio-economic factors / prerequisites
Land ownership/tenure		private
Farm sizes		to 1 ha
	Supports shifting cultivation			Supports rangeland management
	Supports sedentary farming			Supports uncontrolled grazing
	Supports livestock production			Supports others (please specify):
	Transhuman system
Usually requires credit:			no		yes
Machine requirements:			no		yes (name what), specify
Labour requirements:			hired		family labour
Investment phase: - redoing every year			high		moderate		low
Maintenance:			high		moderate		low
Do quantifications exist? (give data or reference):
Ellis-Jones 2000
Conservation Yield kg/ha Inputs Gross margin per ha Returns to Rank     Labour Days/ha Material Inc. labour Exc. labour Cash Labour per day   Ngoro 1559 60 20 61 144 721% 2.40 3 Matuta ridge 1270 53 18 36 116 650% 2.20 4 Ngoro with fertilizer 3745 62 164 151 229 139% 3.69 2 Matuta with fertilizer 5162 55 175 287 267 210% 6.73 1 From Sims et al 1999
Requires/supports division of labour (gender, age, ethnic group ...).			no		yes (name what), specify
					it is mainly performed by women as it is easier than Ngoro
Requires/supports participation of communities (e.g. joint field preparation):		Individual

 

Advantages of the practice
Yields, profit	higher yields than in unconserved land
Biophysical	can be as effective as ngoro in controlling soil erosion when organic matter is incorporated
Labour economic	less labour then ngoro, easier to plant
Socio-cultural, religious	- -
Skill/knowledge requirements	- -
Ecological (on-site, off site)	- -
Others (please specify)	- -

 

Disadvantages / Constraints of the practice
Yields, profit	decreasing fallow times lead to long-term productivity decline
Biophysical	can enhance gully erosion
Labour economic	- -
Socio-cultural, religious	- -
Skill/knowledge requirements	lack of knowledge in contouring
Ecological (on-site, off site)	- -
Others (please specify)	- -

 

Dissemination
Dissemination		was/is a success
		was/is slow
		still in test stage
If successful for new technologies: Was it so far		“early adoption” (curiosity, testing)
		“verified adoption” (farmers repeat practice still in third year)
Any data/reference on adoption and dissemination (where, how many farmers/ rangers/ herdsmen):	(Kayombo, 2001}
If disseminated, then how		Farmer-Farmers		Media
was it done?		Extension service		Research project
		Others (specify)
If via research, was it		Technology Transfer		Participatory On-farm Research
If via research/ extension or others, was it		free or with incentives		without incentives
Name at least 2-3 crucial conditions for successful adoption by farmers
Topography of the land Availability of labour Gender- it is regarded as an  option for women
Who adopted it (describe typical adopters)?	Non-Matengo people and non-polygamous  due to lack of family labour
In which region(-s)?	- -
Name at least 2-3 important dissemination/adoption constraints/blocker.
Not as efficient as Ngoro Not possible to mechanize
Who did not adopted it (describe typical non-adopters)?	- -
In which region(-s)?	- -

 

Evaluation
How was its restoration ability evaluated so far?		on station		on farm
References, if known:	- -
How could remote sensing/ GIS contribute to monitor restoration success?	- -
How could adoption and dissemination be improved?
- -
Rank three crucial research needs.
1.	To overcome long-term productivity decline by combination with other practices as green manure, compost etc.
2.	Introduction of cash crops ~ need markets
3.	- -
Key literature on the practise (biophysical as well as socio-economic)	{Kayombo, 2001 #32}, {Ellis-Jones, 2000 #31}, {Sims, 1999 #82}
Submitted initially by	Dr. Katrin Vohland