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INTRODUCTION The Farm-level Applied Research Methods Programme for East and Southern Africa (GCP/RAF/334/SWE; FARMESA) is a regional collaborative initiative of five core countries, viz, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, executed by FAO with the financial support from Sida. Four more countries have been identified as Associate Countries viz, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. Support to the accelerated adoption of improved small holder technologies is one of the driving forces for sustainable agricultural development. Structural adjustment has had a major influence on national agricultural development policies and has led to reduced public sector expenditure on agricultural research, extension and other support services. Meanwhile, there has been a proliferation of NGOs and growing involvement of the private sector in technology development and dissemination. Thus, there is a need to identify cost-effective approaches to strengthening support services in this changing policy and institutional environment. FARMESA supports the operationalization of a new systems and participatory perspective in research, support services and policy making for poverty alleviation and sustainable food security. Such operationalization requires the identification, documentation, capacity-building and institutionalization of new and adapted field methods. The Programme Document identifies the Farming Systems Approach (FSA) as the core approach of FARMESA. FSA has been adopted by many countries in the region, and is still being enriched with new methods. The Programme emphasizes participatory, holistic, inter-disciplinary, gender sensitive, environmentally friendly, and farmer-focused methods. The specific objectives of FARMESA (see FARMESA 1996) are:
The core elements of the FARMESA implementation strategy are: search for effective new field methods and technologies, testing these in field sites, compilation and dissemination of related information, training, and replication (see FARMESA 1998). In each of the five core countries two field sites have been selected; one representing the high potential area and the other representing the marginal fragile (low potential) ecosystem. The purpose is to test innovative new field methods under a variety of circumstances and to develop models of community participation where lessons can be learned for wider application. Much of the discussion in the subsequent descriptions is based on experience related to these field sites. Farmers in these field sites identified priority problem areas, and one of the high-priority problems which was shared by farmers in these sites was soil and water management. It is hoped that the input will widen and thus improve the base we present below. This document contributes to Objective 2. The information strategy involves the development of multi-media InfoBase for the synthesis and dissemination of technical information on methods and technologies, information sources and other experiences of FARMESA and other development stakeholders. The strategy has two aspects: the compilation and synthesis of relevant experiences, and its dissemination to relevant users. The means of compilation embraces the organization of a multi-media Information Base, assembly of a critical mass of information in one or two sectors for testing and demonstrating the Information Base, adaptation and then expansion of the Information Base according to the demand for information from users. The cutting edge will be to reach farmers, initially those in the FARMESA Field Sites. Local professionals (through the Field Site Working Groups) with adequate training could translate relevant information to the farmers, in the form of technology posters, bulletins and community newsletters. Such wide and efficient information exchange should lead to improved agricultural decision making on technology identification, testing, adaptation and adoption. The main function of the Information Base is to facilitate the compilation and dissemination of relevant technical and managerial information. Dissemination occurs, and will occur through a variety of products and channels. Technical reports will be produced from project activities, and short insight papers will highlight innovations. The FARMESA Newsletter will be published about every three-months. The web site addresses a wider and diverse audience. In this way, farmers, professionals, networks and other stakeholders will receive relevant information. The cutting edge of technical information dissemination will be to reach farmers, initially those in the field sites. The FSWG, with adequate training ad supported by collaborating institutions should translate relevant information to the farmers in the form of posters, bulletins and community newsletters. The wide and efficient information exchange should lead to improved agricultural decision making on technology identification, testing, adaptation and adoption. The FARMESA Information Base is a "multi-media" base, with different components and which can be disseminated through different means for its use at different levels and localities. This paragraph will focus on the so-called "electronic" components of the Infobase which have been developed in the past four months. This however does not mean that for access to that information one needs a computer. It means that the information is stored in a computer, on cd-rom or on diskette, but could be disseminated as well on paper. The items to be incorporated in the Infobase are the following: - Bibliographic References - Technical Programme Publications - FARMESA Field site profiles (with maps) - Profiles of Collaborating Institutions - Technology profiles - Methodology profiles - Project Profiles and Reports The activities so far have been:
The next steps will concentrate on:
The Information is send through email to the the FARMESA institutions: Regional and National Committee members (NCC and RCC), National Facilitators (NF’s), CU on National and Regional level. The NF’s coordinate information flows at national and local level, while at local level the FSWG will increase its importance. One could roughly estimate the direct users of the infobase as follows:
In addition, national and local agricultural training centers could be included as direct users. It is foreseen that (most of) these groups will get direct access to the system in 1998, and that they in turn will pass on the information. Information on technologies and methodologies is being generated and gathered at the moment by FARMESA. In the following pages 41 technologies are described. Each technology refers to a specific application in a specific farming system, in order to avoid generalizations. Many of these technologies are practiced in a wide range of systems through the region, but the details and performance of course varies. The technologies have been crudely classified into categories on the basis of their level of mechanisation and as well as whether they are physical or biological control techniques. Although some of these technologies do not fit the true definition of conservation tillage they nevertheless can be practically implemented by farmers lacking adequate mulch cover. Conservation tillage is defined as any tillage sequence the object of which is to minimise or reduce the loss of soil and water; operationally a tillage or tillage and planting combination which leaves at least 30 % or more mulch or crop residue cover on the surface. In this region the term has been used in a more flexible way to refer to any tillage system which conserves or reduces soil, water and nutrient loss or which reduces draught power requirements for crop production. It is in this context that the term is used in this compilation. The descriptions of each technology are in no way exhaustive and the reader is recommended to consult on specific technologies from the respective sources for further information on each technology. The choice of technology selected is done in the following way:
It is also noteworthy that the use of these technologies should be undertaken in a step by step sequence. Farmers should start with a small plot in the first year and then expand progressively on the areas under each technology as they get more experienced with them and as they get satisfied with the practical technicalities associated with each technology within their local farming systems perspective. In the FARMESA Working Paper 98/5, "Conservation
Farming Practices and Policies" more extensive information can be found on
Conservation Farming in the five FARMESA countries. References
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