Conservation!Agriculture! Based!On!Ten!Co6designed!Field!Experiments!In!The! Lake!Alaotra!Region,!Madagascar!
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! Smallholder!perceptions!of!conservation!agriculture! based!on!ten!co6designed!field!experiments!in!the! Lake!Alaotra!region,!Madagascar! ! ! Jennifer!Kendzior! ! WUR$Student$number:$821109427060$ Thesis$report$in$fulfillment$of$the$double$degree$MSc$Agroecology$ Under$the$major$responsibility$of$Wageningen$University$(Farming$Systems$Ecology$Chair$Group)$$ ISARANLyon$ September$2013$ ! Table!of!Contents! Executive!summary!.................................................................................................................................!5! 1.!Introduction!........................................................................................................................................!4! 1.1.!Conservation!agriculture!(CA):!definition!and!claims!...................................................................!4! 1.2.!CA!and!subASaharan!Africa!...........................................................................................................!6! 1.3.!Madagascar!and!the!Lake!Alaotra!region!.....................................................................................!8! 1.4.!Action,!participatory,!innovation!research!and!the!ABACO!pilot!project!..................................!13! 1.5.!Research!aim!and!questions,!hypotheses!..................................................................................!15! 2.!Methods!and!Materials!.....................................................................................................................!16! 2.1.!Overview!....................................................................................................................................!16! 2.2.!Study!sites!..................................................................................................................................!16! 2.3.!Project!background:!forming!two!farmer!groups!and!designing!field!experiments!..................!19! 2.4.!SocioAtechnical!methodology!.....................................................................................................!22! 2.5.!Report!structure!.........................................................................................................................!27! 3.!Results!and!Discussion:!Part!I!............................................................................................................!28! 3.1.!Field!experiments:!overview!of!objectives!.................................................................................!28! 3.2.!Conclusions!from!achieved!and!partially!achieved!objectives!...................................................!31! 3.3.!Farmer!suggestions!for!next!year’s!field!experiments!...............................................................!38! 3.4.!OnAfarm!use!of!zeroAtillage!!and!soil!cover!techniques!over!time!.............................................!40! 4.!Results!and!Discussion:!Part!II!...........................................................................................................!44! 4.1.!Perceptions!of!cover!crops!.........................................................................................................!44! 4.2.!Perception!of!constraints!and!advantages!of!CA!techniques!.....................................................!46! 4.3.!High!impact!experiments!...........................................................................................................!47! 4.4.!Use!of!zeroAtillage!!and!soil!cover!over!time!..............................................................................!48! 4.5.!Land!use!A!preferences!for!CA!practices!.....................................................................................!49! 4.6.!Land!use!A!tenure!........................................................................................................................!49! 4.7.!Motivation!for!participation!in!field!experiments!......................................................................!50! 4.8.!Social!networks!and!sharing!knowledge!amongst!farmers!........................................................!50! 4.9.!Gender!and!CA!...........................................................................................................................!53! 4.10.!Comprehension!of!experimental!procedures!..........................................................................!53! 4.11.!Limitations!of!this!research!......................................................................................................!54! 5.!Synthesis!............................................................................................................................................!58! 5.1.!Field!experiments:!biophysical!results,!farmers’!interpretations,!and!their!potential!impact!on! future!(ABACO)!experiments!and!onAfarm!decisions!........................................................................!58! 5.2.!Farmer!perceptions!of!CA,!participation!in!the!project,!and!knowledge!sharing!......................!61! 5.3.!Gender!........................................................................................................................................!62! 5.4.!Year!two!of!ABACO!experiments:!reflections!and!suggestions!..................................................!62! 5.5.!Research!findings!in!the!context!of!CA!innovation!development!in!the!Lake!Alaotra!region!....!65! 6.!Conclusions!.......................................................................................................................................!69! 6.1.!Future!recommendations!...........................................................................................................!69! Acknowledgements!...............................................................................................................................!71! References!.............................................................................................................................................!72! $ Appendices$are$available$in$a$separate$file$ List!of!Tables! ! Table!1.!Potential!benefits!attributed!to!conservation!agriculture!(CA).!................................................!5! Table!2.!Constraints!and!research!focus!areas!relevant!to!conservation!agriculture!(CA)!adoption!in! subASaharan!Africa!(SSA).!........................................................................................................................!6! Table!3.!Key!agronomic!!features!of!the!ten!field!experiments!in!two!study!sites!(north,!south)! conducted!in!2012A13!with!the!ABACO!project!in!the!Lake!Alaotra!region.!.........................................!28! Table!4.!Actual!bean!yield!(weighed!in!pods)!per!subAplot!(experiment!2!south!of!the!ABACO!project! 2012A13,!Lake!Alaotra).!!Each!subplot!was!70m2.!................................................................................!35! Table!5.!Selected!rice!yield!components!per!treatment!(experiment!2!south!of!the!ABACO!project! 2012A13,!Lake!Alaotra).!!Each!subplot!was!70m2.!................................................................................!35! Table!6.!Bambara!groundnut!yield!(!t/ha)!(experiment!5!south!of!the!ABACO!project!2012A13,!Lake! Alaotra).!................................................................................................................................................!36! Table!7.!Farm!and!household!characteristics!of!interviewed!farmers!who!participated!in!the!2012A13! ABACO!field!experiments!in!the!Lake!Alaotra!region..!..........................................................................!43! Table!8.!Overview!of!hypothesis!components!and!results.!..................................................................!67! List!of!Figures! Figure!1.!Map!of!Madagcascar!and!the!Lake!Alaotra!region.!..................................................................!9! Figure!2.!Average!precipitation!and!temperature!in!the!Lake!Alaotra!region!(2002A2012)...................!9! Figure!3.!General!representation!of!toposequences!in!the!Lake!Alaotra!region..!................................!10! Figure!4.!Rate!of!abandonment!of!conservation!agriculture!management!per!fields,!according!to!age! under!conservation!agriculture..!...........................................................................................................!12! Figure!5.!Research!workflow.!................................................................................................................!16! Figure!6.!Map!and!photos!of!the!study!sites..!.......................................................................................!17! Figure!7.!Typical!toposequences!and!landscape!use!for!the!northern!and!southern!study!sites.!........!18! Figure!8.!Maps!depicting!locations!in!the!Lake!Alaotra!region!of!the!ten!experimental!sites!of!the! ABACO!project!2012A13!and!principal!villages!where!participating!farmers!lived.!...............................!19! Figure!9.!Examples!of!crop!rotations!discussed!during!the!coAdesign!of!field!experiments!between! farmers!and!technicians..!......................................................................................................................!21! Figure!10.!Overview!of!objectives!and!toposequences!for!the!ten!field!experiments!in!two!study! regions!(north!and!south)!of!the!ABACO!project!2012A13,!Lake!Alaotra..!............................................!30! Figure!11.!Biomass!(t/ha)!of!cover!crops!associated!with!maize!in!three!different!field!experiments!(2! north,!1!south,!3!south)!of!the!ABACO!project!2012A13,!Lake!Alaotra..!...............................................!32!