This paper constituted the Namibian background to the ongoing workshop and the statement of status. It highlighted the areas where the Namibians sought assistance from the experience of the delegates and the countries they represented.

This paper was basically compiled from the deliberations of a Namibian National Workshop on conservation tillage held between 16^th and 18^th June, 1998. The paper reviewed indigenous knowledge on the subject of Conservation Tillage in the commercial and small-scale farming sectors, implements available, rainwater harvesting techniques and the use of draft animal power technology in Namibia.

The following are highlights of the paper on Namibia:

1. Land resources comprise 22% desert, 33% arid and 37% semi-arid

2. Rainfall has bi-seasonal mode and ranges between zero and 700 mm with least amounts experienced in the west where the Namib Desert is located.

3. Soils, particularly where crop production is practiced, are generally sandy with low water retention capacity.

4. Reliable crop production under rainfed conditions is only possible in 34% of the country, receiving an average of over 400-mm rainfall annually. 97% of the soils in these areas have clay content of less than five per cent (MAWRD, 1995).

5. In the commercial farming sector conservation tillage has been practiced for over 15 years during which several tine implements have been introduced and conventional tillage implements such as mouldboard and disc ploughs replaced.

6. Current estimates indicate that 60-80% of farmers in the northern communal areas use draft animals. Although crop production in communal areas such as Erongo, Kunene and Omaheke is very limited, draft animals still play a very important role in transport. Here, probably 80-90% of the rural households use donkey carts for water collection, personal transport and trade. There are more sledges than animal drawn carts being used in Northern Communal Areas especially Kavango Region.

7. The trend with small-scale farmers is more towards conventional tillage where nearly all farmers using draft animals use the conventional plough. The hand hoe was reported as the most common implement and it is used in a few cases for dry planting.

8. Planting on ridges and broad beds had been observed and the practice is traditional and eases planting and weeding labor requirements. This is a strategy out of indigenous ingenuity to facilitate drainage and increase the crop-rooting zone in shallow profiles. Ridges however are rarely made across the slope.

9. Only recently have animal drawn tine implements such as rippers been introduced. There are approximately 100 rippers under trial in Namibia. Results from two-year trials appear promising. However, there are some negative aspects of the new approaches. These include non-incorporation of manure into the soil and weeds tend to grow faster than in conventional tillage systems.

10. Weeding is a constraint particularly because cultivators are scarce and weeding with draft animals is increasing. The light Senegalese, BS41 and Maun cultivators have been accepted by several farmers and need effective strategy for wide adoption.

11. Management of draft animals is a major concern by farmers, financing institutions and promoters of draft animal power technologies. The productivity of draft animals is normally questioned in areas where grazing land is scarce. This situation threatens the success of the DAP technology. Strategies to improve care and nutrition should be formulated as a way of guaranteeing productivity of draft animals. Conservation of feed resources that are abundant during rainy season and after crop harvest could improve the situation.

Conclusions were made as follows:

i) On land preparation:

• Minimum tillage speeds up soil preparation
• Dry sowing spreads the work load over a longer period
• Dry sowing increases yields in case of terminal droughts
• Dry sowing with DAP results in a better germination than dry sowing with a hand hoe; more water is easily captured in the furrow

Water harvesting techniques for crop and livestock production are limited. In most cases the rain water harvested has only been used for livestock. Techniques for use in crop production are lacking.

• There is a strong case for dry land agroforestry systems in Namibia, especially the introduction of high value trees on farm land. Examples include trees, to conserve soil fertility and also improve crop production by acting as windbreaks, shade crops and through Nitrogen fixation.
• A unique concept is that of Riverline agro-forestry particularly important for the Kavango and Zambezi river beds. In any year there is little crop production next to the water and no attempts have been made to trap and store flood waters.

Traditional mouldboard plough which is the most common animal drawn implement but not necessarily good for soil and water conservation. Here it is shown with the furrow wheel replaced with a wooden sledge.

Overview of Conservation Tillage Practices in East and Southern Africa

Presented by: Dr. P.G. Kaumbutho of Kenya Network for Draught Animal

This paper noted that conservation tillage was but one aspect of global, regional and national interest in environmental conservation. The subject however carried special meaning considering that it was about agricultural production in Africa. It was noted that concern for the environment, particularly so in East and Southern Africa was everybody's concern as well as frustration. Many factors contributed to environmental sustainability, which placed the region under great threat of total destruction.

The presenter noted that although farmers and others in Africa recognized close link between soil and environment, little had been done in the region by way of environmental sustenance. Global efforts such as the World Environmental Congress of Rio-de-Jeneiro and interest by World Conservation Union, UNEP, WWF, WCED and others had made real change at rural level. These organizations had general mandate to undertake global inquiry on the prospect of combining social and economic development with environmental protection, a situation that was yet to make real impact in Africa.

Quoting various authors, the presenter noted that Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), was undergoing agrarian stagnation, becoming world famous as a region where natural resources were stressed to the limit and the place where relief efforts had become routine. Concerns of accelerated erosion, desertification, deforestation and other human-driven destruction phenomena placed SSA under threat of further starvation and malnutrition as waterways and reservoirs silted and rivers and lakes got polluted. Inappropriate tillage methods were a major cause of this trend and many soil conservation efforts in the region had basically ignored tillage and its capacity to accelerate soil degradation.

Though loaded with high natural and economic diversity, it was highlighted that SSA had 2231 million hectares of land, of which only 6% was arable. Annual rainfall amounts ranged from zero in the deserts to 5000mm. Further, SSA has all major soils and is no longer limited in human capacity, it was noted.

While, effort had been put in place at national and regional levels it was more in terms of economic togetherness but less so, by way of arresting environmental degradation. Rural-urban migration was also rampant.

Quoting an FAO (1984) Report the presenter noted that SSA could support 1120 million people at low levels of input, 4608 million at intermediate levels and 12930 million at high levels of input. The report was written at a time when the SSA population was only 400 million.

Conservation Tillage Questions for East and Southern Africa:

Are there technologies available to manage soil and water resources for the much needed enhanced agricultural productivity?

Are the available conservation tillage technologies being adopted and what further action was needed to arrest the prevailing deteriorating situations and destruction of fauna and flora?

The presenter visualized the conservation tillage system as composed of natural factors, which influenced the various human and other capacities to manage soil. In this respect, soil was viewed as a small part of a larger system made up of natural and management factors. Soil had to accommodate all and various needs imposed on it.

Natural factors were visualized as:

• History and trends
• Cultural complexities such as values, societal and gender-based roles
• Weather and climate
• Topography and cover
• Soil type and distribution and
• Global warming

Capacities were visualized to be:

• Experience and information
• Training (formal and informal)
• Socio-economic well-being
• Technology quality and accessibility
• Research and extension
• Government and non-Governmental institutional support including policy

Management factors were such as:

• Role of people and their involvement
• Natural resources, their place and rights
• Land tenure, ownership and settlement
• Leadership and natural resource policy
• Legal base and establishment
• Dynamic capacity to flex and address
• Action and not reaction

Soil factors were:

• Basement material, structure and texture
• Microbial capacity, profile and cover
• Manipulation and compaction dynamics as well as sitting operational condition
• Erosion stability, penetration resistance and water retention capacity
• Tillage energy and other requirements

Defining soil conservation technology in a broad sense the presenter noted that technology referred to much more than equipment and included sustainable soil and crop management options available to farmers in the region. It was noted that various equipment had been tested and introduced in ESA. The range included technology for seedbed preparation, planting and erosion control. Emphasizing the need for systems approach to conservation tillage and management the presenter defined technology as including, no-till, minimum-till, vegetative hedges, sod-seeding, contour ridges, tied ridges, mulch farming, terracing, rough ploughing, deep sowing, pot-holes and several others. Time when these operations were carried out was noted as of prime importance.

cWork carried out in introducing conservation tillage research and management at both stations and farms included that by: IITA in Ibadan, Nigeria; ICRISAT Sahelian Centre, Niamey, Niger; Zimbabwe's AGRITEX in collaboration with Silsoe Research Institute; works of KARI and RELMA in Kenya, GTZ funded work in the region, the Palabana, Zambia work on CONTIL equipment, the Improved Maresha prototype produced by University of Nairobi and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences etc.

The slide show presented helped capture the technological as well as the socio-economic issues of importance and brought home the complexity of the problem at hand.

In conclusion it was noted that many efforts towards conservation tillage practice had been put in place but impact was yet to be felt. Many factors had worked against research and extension efforts, as traditional practice continued to persist and dominate. Farmers were yet to adopt conservation tillage practices en mass.

The appropriate approach for the region was defined and set as the way forward. The definition of the path to be followed was based on the many literature items cited and the experiences of the presenter and others.

The way forward was summarized as centering around the following:

1. Farmer-centered, aggressive, on-farm, demonstration and practice as well as publicity for sensitization, with all parties (researchers, extensionists, farmers, support service providers, government and non-government operators) applying their appropriate and adequate roles.

2. Marrying traditional knowledge, ideas and practice, while accommodating fears and experiences about technologies, with socio-economic and other concerns of end-users.

3. Identifying suitable equipment and promoting the same nationally and regionally.

4. Applied field testing with farmers as more research findings are made, especially to quantify the real gains of the use of various equipment while accommodating the natural and other development trends and narrowing the gap between research & end-users

5. A systems approach capturing environmental protection and soil management techniques, agro-forestry practices and economic well-being of all parties involved, especially farmers.