crop residue use in crop-livestock farms

challenges & options of mulching in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

WCCA 2011 Brisbane, Australia

Diego ValbuenaOlaf Erenstein Sabine HomannTahirou AbdoulayeAlan DuncanBruno GérardNils Teufel

mixed systems & SLPwww.vslp.org Mixed systems = 2/3 population + food +

value chains(Herrero et al. 2010)

Biomass trade-offs: immediate demands & soil sustainability

SLP: Bring livestock research on the agenda + links CGIAR

Current project: crop residues use in mixed systems

objectives

Describe crop residue use in diverse mixed systems

Identify main challenges of mulching

Look for options related to mulching

crop residue use CA ideal situation

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crop residue use mixed crop-livestock farms

$$

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working ideasCR: much more than mulch

Offer (pressure) & demand (intensification) matters

Options need to include local specificities

site & village selection

site: agri. intensification &

marketvillage: market &

road access

selected sitesPot. pressure

on biomassHIGH MEDIUM LOW

Country India Bangla. Kenya Ethiopia India Ethiopia Zimb. Mozam. Niger Nigeria Malawi Niger

Site ID H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

Location Karnal Dinajpur Kakamega Nekemte Rajasthan Kobo Nykayi Changara Fakara Kano Mzimba Maradi

Symbol

Market access +++ ++ ++ + ++ + ++ + + +++ + ++

Intensification +++ ++ ++ + + + + + + ++ ++ +

Agro-ecology semi-arid (irrigated)

humid (irrigated) highlands highlands semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid semi-arid

Rainfall 750 2000 1650 1050 650 700 600 650 500 800 700 600

Main crops wheat-rice ricemaize, beans

maize, teff maizesorghum,

teffmaize

maize, millet,

sorghum

millet, cowpea

sorgh. maize.gnt

cpeamaize

millet, sorghum, cowpea

Livestock buffalo cattle

cattle goat cattle-dairy cattle

cattle/buf goat cattle cattle

cattle goats

cattle shoats

cattle shoats

cattle goats

cattle shoats

after Valbuena et al. submitted

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 110

1

2

3

persons ha-1

tlu

ha-1

potential biomass pressure

after Valbuena et al. submitted

M-E1

H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NG

L-N2

L-Z

L-MW

M-E2

M-I2

L-MZ

H-K

Grouping sites: pop. &

livestock densities

40 60 80 10040

60

80

100

% hh with land

% h

h w

ith

lives

tock

land & animals

M-E1H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NG

L-N2

L-Z

L-MW

M-E2M-I2

L-MZ

H-K

land & livestock; livelihood for > ½ farms

income & production

20 40 60 80 1000

15

30

45

60

75

90

% income non agriculture

% c

rop

sold

M-E1

H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NGL-N2

L-Z

L-MW

M-E2

M-I2L-MZ

H-K

Range of agriculture & self-consumptionExtremes in S. Asia

CR more than mulch: cereals

after Valbuena et al. submitted

sites

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

other

traded

left/mulch

feed

% c

erea

l res

idue

↓ feed ↑

mulch

↑ feed, ↓ mulch

NG: feed-fuelMW: feed-mulch

CR more than mulch: legume

H-K

L-N1

% sold% fed% others

L-NG L-N2

Legume residue high value or good for cooking (H-K).No mulching.In Southern Africa not mentioned.

trends last 10yrs

% villages H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

increase

fuel - 71 100 100 - 63 - - 100 88 - 57

stall feed 63 100 88 100 38 88 60 88 86 100 - 71

left/mulch 63 88 38 0 0 0 - 40 57 - 75 -

decrease

left/mulch 0 13 63 88 25 100 - 20 43 - 13 -

Overall increase of CR use as fuel & stall feed

Increase left/mulch key sites: irrigation & fertilizers

Increase of collection/privatisation of CR in ET

CR as feed

after Valbuena et al. submitted

% fe

ed fr

om re

sidu

es

sites

H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N20%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100% ↑ feed: M & H- sites

↑ feed sources

feed shortages

0

2

4

6

8

10

crop residuesgreen foddergrazing

No.

mon

ths

with

sho

rtag

e

sites

H-I1 H-B H-K M-E2 M-I2 M-E1 L-Z L-MZ L-N1 L-NG L-MW L-N2

M-sites & West Africa:

↑ pressure on feed

0 50 100 150 200 2500

1

2

3

% cropped area yr-1

tlu

ha-1

intensification matters

after Valbuena et al. submitted

M-ET1

H-BD

L-NE1

H-IN1

L-NG

L-NE2

L-ZW

L-MW

M-ET2M-IN2

L-MZ

H-KN

↑ pop: ↑ intensity (area) H↑ pop: ↓ communal land↑ pop ↓ int./prod (area) & ↓ com. land: ↑ pressure on CR

other CA-related practices

20 40 60 80 100

20

40

60

80

100

% tilled area by animal

%ar

ea le

gum

es

M-E1H-B

L-N1

H-I1

L-NGL-N2 L-ZL-MW

M-E2M-I2

L-MZ

H-K

> ½ area is tilled by animal; but also hand or tractor (not shown)Scarce legumes; market distortion & farming systems

results show that:

CR are short-term resources: feed & Co.

CR to mulch with lower pressure (very ↑ production; or ↑ production + ↓ demand), but practices need to change. With higher pressure: increase of production is needed.

Each region has its own potential, challenges & options for more sustainable agriculture = no silver-bullet exists

work in progress

household diversity linking better socio-economic, biophysical & institutional stakeholder involvement: R4D & demand-led R&D proposals