| INTRODUCTION
Soil degradation, a
decline in per capita food production and poverty are global dilemmas much pronounced in
developing countries. These dilemmas can be ascribed to fragile ecosystems but largely to
unsustainable farming systems and practices jeopardising long-term and sustained soil
fertility. Sustainable agro-ecosystems are dictated by interacting soil biological,
physiocochemical, managerial and sociocultural-economic elements. During the last couple
of decades, the agrobiological management of soils, conservation tillage and farming
systems gained in importance in South Africa. One of the major causes of the paradigm
shift is the loss of soil organic matter due to poor soil fertility management, long-term
and conventional cultivation, the accompanying decline in soil physical and chemical
properties, with the nett result of soil degradation and the loss of biodiversity.
South Africa’s
challenge is to produce sufficient quantities of food of desired quality and kind in
environmentally and economically sustainable ways, and to distribute food equitably.
Conservation tillage could be the major mechanism to addressing this challenge but
cognisance needs to be taken of sociocultural-economic factors, particularly within the
country’s diversity of traditional and communal systems, financial constraints and
insufficient on-farm research and demonstration trials to facilitate the adoption of
conservation tillage methods. Furthermore, proactive research on problems envisaged with
the long term application of conservation tillage needs to be undertaken.
Despite South
Africa’s history of producing food and fibre products which take full command of the
country’s nutritional needs as well as export, there is a decline in per capita food
production, food prices and production cost are escalating and land degradation is
serious. These imply the unsustainable use and management of the natural resource base.
The overriding goal of South Africa’s strategy towards a sustainable natural resource
base should be to prevent the degradation of the natural resource base, to improve
agricultural potential where possible and to introduce sustainable farming systems. The
Intervention Logic proposed to ensure the sustainable use and management of the
agricultural natural resource base entails an economic, an ecological, a social and a
cultural strategy. These strategies are aimed at improving soil fertility and water
balance, at restoring and at improving soil organic matter contents, C:N ratio, and soil
structure, at increasing soil biota and at decreasing soil acidification, the leaching of
nutrients, crusting, runoff, erosion and pollution of the water resource. The goals,
purpose, intermediate results and activities per strategy are presented. These strategies
will fully support South Africa’s LandCare Initiative under the auspices of the
National Department of Agriculture.
INTERVENTION
LOGIC TO SOLVE THE UNSUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL NATURAL RESOURCES UTILISATION PROBLEM IN
SOUTH AFRICA
OVERALL
GOAL : To prevent natural resources
degradation and where possible to improve the agricultural potential of the natural
resources by introducing sustainable farming systems
Intervention |
Goal |
Purpose |
Intermediate |
Results |
Activities |
| 1.Economic strategy |
1.To promote and
introduce econo
mically sustainable production systems
|
1.Reducing production input
costs |
1.Lower mechanization costs |
1.1 Improvement of soil
structure and soil fertility by increasing the organic matter content and minimi- zing
nitrification through the introduction of conservation tillage, earthworms, crop rotation
and legume systems.
Outcome: Improved soil structure will reduce tillage power requirements for deep
tillage, high soil resistance due to soil compaction, soil dryness, and excessive
expensive machinery.
Improved soil fertility will reduce fertilization,
amelioration and agrochemical application costs.
1.2 Introduction of support systems for more
effective
mechanization and labour planning.
Outcome: Reduced mechanization costs.
1.3 Introduction of IPM and effective chemical
application.
Outcome : Reduced pest/disease control and
mechanization costs.
|
| Intervention |
Goal |
Purpose |
Intermediate |
Activities
|
|
|
|
2.Increasing
production income
3.Reducing risk |
2.Exceptable
income
3.Good risk management |
2.1 Exceptable
production, access to markets and right choice of products, ameliorating degraded NR and
introducing appropriate integrated production systems. Outcomes : Established infrastructure, good market
information, good management planning, risk management and reclaimed NR.
3.1 Exceptable wind, hail, flood, pest/disease,
fire, market and drought risk management by introduction of appropriate production
systems, decision support systems, and preventive measures.
Outcome : Appropriate crop rotation
systems, effective IPM systems, effective phyto-sanatory measures, early warning systems,
expert systems and advisory services, physical conservation structures, water harvesting
technologies, adapted production practices, good infrastructure and diversification of
production adapted crops, improved soil structure and NR in good state.
|
Intervention
|
Goal
|
Purpose |
Intermediate |
Activities
|
| 2.
Ecological Strategy |
. To promote and
introduce ecological sustainable pro-duction systems |
-Appropriate
production systems/ land use |
1. Improved
support systems
2. Good production planning and
management
3. Sufficient know- ledge on NR management
4. Proven production alternatives
. Control over land |
1. Development
of support systems for appropriate production systems/land use
2. Problem solving, data collection and
demonstration trials
3. Technology transfer
Outcomes :
1. Conservation of climate
- less production of anthropogenic greenhouse
organisms
- less oxidation of fossil fuels
- improved cultivation technology of soils
- improved agricultural waste disposal
- less burning of savanna
- improved manure handling
2. Conservation of soil
- less soil chemical degradation due to soil
pollution/ sterilization as a result of optimum/efficient use of agrochemicals, soil
acidification, soil sodification, polarization due to over-irrigation, poor drainage and
poor water quality, and soil nutrient depletion due to mining of nutrients and
under-fertilization |
| Intervention |
Goal
|
Purpose
|
Intermediate
|
Activities
|
|
3. Social strategy
Cultural Strategy
|
1.To promote and introduce socially acceptable
production systems
1.To promote and introduce culturally acceptable
production systems |
1.Land user involvement with planning and research
2.Acceptable change
3.Control over land
1.Recognition of indigenous knowledge |
1.Empowerment
|
- Less soil physical degradation due to soil
erosion and reduced water storage capacity due to soil structure degradation/sedimentation
- Less soil biological degradation due to
soil sterilization, unsuitable soil milieu for biological activity and loss of soil
biodiversity
- Less physical, chemical and biological
degradation of water supplies due to agrochemical pollution (runoff, erosion and
leaching).
1.Education
2.Technology transfer
1.Data and information collection
Outcomes:
Information and data on different cultures and
indigenous knowledge with respect to sustainable utilization of NR. |
ARC-Institute for Soil, Climate and
Water,Private Bag X79, Pretoria 0001. South Africa
|