Deutsche Welle, 19 December 2013
Residents
of Morogoro,Tanzania,have adapted a new system of growing rice that is weather
friendly and cost effective.
Until
recently, farmers in this village located 218km (135 miles) from the capital
Dar es Salaam, believed it was impossible to grow rice without flooding the
field, but due to water shortages, the new technique known as 'System of Rice
Intensification' (SRI), reduces the need to supply water to the fields.
With this
system seedlings are grown in a non-flooded nursery and replanted, at a shallow
depth of only 1-2 cm deep in a paddy field.
The plot is
then left to dry until cracks become visible when another thin layer of water
is introduced, unlike in the past when large amounts of water were supplied in
the field.
As the rice
seedlings grow some farmers irrigate every evening, others leave the fields to
dry over a 3-8 day period, depending on soil and climate conditions.
With this
system farmers have been able to reduce on the use of chemical fertilizers and
production costs and as a result, their incomes have greatly improved.
Happy
farmers
Mwajuma
Ramadhani, a farmer from Kiroka village can now plan for her children's
education better than before as she doesn't have to worry about food for her
family anymore.
The
47-year-old widow is among farmers who can testify on the benefits of the new
system. “I am very happy with this technique because since I started using it,
my crop yields have gone up, she told DW,” I can now get enough food for my
family and sell the surplus.”
From her
humble beginnings, Ramadhani hardly got 5 bags of rice per acre when she was
still using the old method, but with SRI her yields have remarkably improved.
“I
harvested 30 bags of rice last season and that was the highest since I started
using this method” she said.
Morogoro
Rural Agriculture Field Officer who oversees farming activities in the village,
Edith Kija told DW that with SRI paddy seedling can thrive well with minimum
soil moisture.
“We tell
them to keep a distance of 25cms between paddy seedlings to provide room for
the robust growth and redistribution of the stems,” she said.
Every
farmer in Morogoro has a positive story to tell about SRI because the new
technique has not only enabled them to conserve land but also be mindful about
the effects of climate change.
International
support
Under the
project,' Strengthening the capacity for climate Change Adaptation through
Sustainable Land and Water Management', the United Nation's Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) has trained 268 farmers with multiple skills to
prevent soil erosion, reduce deforestation and manage water and soil fertility.
FAO
representative to Tanzania Diana Tempelman, told DW that the agency promotes
conservation agriculture in Tanzania with the view to reduce carbon emissions
and also to increase carbon sequestration in the soil.
“We are
aiming to work together with local populations in Tanzania who can identify
crop varieties suitable for drier circumstances,” she said.
Fighting
soil erosion
To address
soil erosion, farmers in Tanzania have been taught to dig contours bunds locally
known in the Swahili language as ‘Fanya Chini' in order to maintain soil
fertility.
“We trained
them how to align the contours using local tools, we also encouraged them to
grow barrier crops including pineapples and bananas to strengthen the bunds,”
said Henry Mahoo, a professor of agricultural engineering who supervised the
project.
Rajabu Juma
is one of the veteran farmers at Kiroka who finds water and soil management
skills useful as he applies them on his farm.
“My friends
see digging of trenches as an inconvenience, but I have seen the benefit since
I am able to retain water and soil fertility,” he said.
The
60-year-old is among Kiroka farmers who have accepted multiple interventions to
protect their livelihoods.
Climate
change impacts
According
to Economics of Climate Change study published in 2011, the country's average
temperature has increased over the last 30 years with rainfall becoming
erratic.
The
government estimates that, without proper adaptation, yields from crops like
maize could fall by up to 16% by 2030 which translates into a million tonne per
year.
According
to Prof. Mahoo, climate change has triggered the dwindling of water resources
which have affected irrigation schemes thus causing water conflicts.
“We may not
be the major cause of climate change but since it is a global issue we are
entangled,” he said.
Prof. Mahoo
said rice intensification system has been effective to most farmers in the
lowlands who are affected by water shortages.“
Most
farmers are better off with this method because rice production can increase up
to four folds, last year we had a farmer who produced11.6 tonnes of rice per
hectare,” he said.
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