Short description of practice
(if possible with figures/drawings/photo)
In
southern Tanzania, farmers have evolved a system of managing
their very steep lands. This system, called the Ngoro system,
consists in the cultivation of a hillside in a series of small
pits. Earth from the pits is piled in heaps at the side, and
in these heaps the crops (mostly maize) are grown. Weeds and
crop residues are thrown into the pits. For the next season’s
crops the heaps are broken down into the pits and fresh pits
dug along side. Hillside cultivated in this way present an
unusual honey-comb like appearance. The system is most
effective in preventing erosion and maintaining the fertility
of the soil. If legumes are included in the rotation, the
system can restore fertility.
Additional labour may be required to prepare the pits;
Rutatora 1997: labour intensive for women
Socio-cultural,
religious
None
Skill/knowledge
requirements
None
Ecological
(on-site, off site)
None
Others
(please specify)
Rutatora 1997: System under
threat because of more coffee, denser population, less
effective when done not properly, reciprocal labour (ngokela)
phased out, lack of government support
“verified adoption”
(farmers repeat practice still in third year)
Any data/reference on adoption and
dissemination (where, how many farmers/
rangers/
herdsmen):
This technology has been
adopted see “crop yield enhancement, found on steep slopes of
Mbinga District of Southwest Tanzania, has been in use for at
least 200 years and currently extend over some 18,000 ha
(Allan, 1965; Kayombo and Dihenga, 1993).
”
The technique has been tried
in Uluguru mountains in Morogoro but I have not managed to get
the reference
If disseminated, then how
Farmer-Farmers
Media
was it done?
Extension service
Research project
Others (specify)
This involved a Participatory
Rural Appraisal (PRA) in late 1994 followed by monitoring of
nine farmers from two villages over a 12 month period selected
as being representative of farmers with different
socio-economic backgrounds and access to resources. Interviews
were also held with each farmer on two separate occasions. A
workshop was conducted in each village
with the farmers and other community leaders in January 1996.
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
High level of
land security
Growing cash crops for available markets
Farmers,
technicians and decision makers who believe in the technology
The age and
gender of the farmer
Perception of
change on profit margin
Availability of
labour
Who adopted it (describe typical
adopters)?
Not studied
In which region(-s)?
- -
Name at least 2-3
important dissemination/adoption constraints/blocker.
High labour
requirement
Unprofitable
maize production
Lack of access
to markets or credit
Who did not adopted
it (describe typical non-adopters)?
Soil and water
conservation as a result of water being trapped in the pits,
reduces erosivity. The increased soil organic content
encourages granulation hence aggregate stability. The Ngoro
are also likely to create a sheltered microclimate. A
combination of these factors allows beans, planted towards the
end of the rains, in March/April, to be cropped on residual
soil moisture.
How could remote sensing/
GIS
contribute to monitor restoration success?
GIS mapping of
hilly areas that are more relevant for the introduced the
technology
How could adoption
and dissemination be improved?
By having in place an
effective Communication Plan that captures all stakeholders in
the research process.
Rank three crucial
research needs.
1.
Evaluating different sizes of the pits
2.
To evaluate a rotation system that includes a
legume crop
3.
Testing of the technology over a wide range of
biophysical and climatic setting
Key literature on the practise
(biophysical as well as socio-economic)
Ellis-Jones, J., Martin, L.
Kayombo, B., Dihenga, H. and Thadei, S. (1994). A
participatory rural appraisal of Mbinga District, Tanzania
with emphasis on existing soil and water conservation systems.
SUA/SRI Working Document No. 1
{Malley, 2004 #18}, {Rutatora, 1997 #20}
Temu,
A.E.M. and Bisanda, S. 1996. Pit Cultivation in the Matengo
Highlands of Tanzania. In Reij, C.; Scoones, I., and Toulimn,
C., 1996. Sustaining the Soil – Indigenous Soil and Water
Conservation in Africa. International Institute for
Environment and Development
Allan, W., 1965. The African
Husbandman. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh.
Kayombo, B., 1993. Soil
compaction related constraints in crop production in semi-arid
regions of East and Southern Africa and some means of
alleviating them. Proc. 3rd Ann. Sci. Conf. SADCC,
Harare, Zimbabwe, pp.218- 234.
Submitted initially by
GEORGE JUMAA LEY
IWMI's
mission is to improve water and land resources management