Integrated rain-fed farming of cereals for adaptation to climate change
Full Solution
Conventionally ploughed field with high risk of water and wind erosion
GIZ
Rain-fed farming under the semi-arid climate is risky as rainfall during critical periods of the growth season is not always sufficient to secure the expected yield. Climate change results in increasing aridity in form of higher temperatures and resulting evapo-transpiration and reduced precipitation. Droughts are becoming more frequent and rainfall is less regular, sometimes in form of heavy rainshowers with limited amounts of water being infitrated into the soil and surface runoff causing erosion.
The application of zero tillage technology (also called direct seeding, direct sowing or direct drilling) where the seed of cultivated crops is placed without mechanical treatment of the topsoil is used for adaptation to these risks. Within one operation the residues from previous crops and weeds are superficially removed, seeds are planted, fertilizer applied and covered by soil. Herbizides are used for weed control. A special drilling machine applies the suitable seed and fertilzer amount.
Last update: 09 Jul 2019
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Context
Challenges addressed
Available crop varieties are not adapted to rain-fed cultivation under semi-arid conditions. This is addressed by providing crop varieties, adapted to the local site conditions and produce reliable high yields of best quality.
Farmers are not applying the suitable fertilizer and agrochemicals for optimum yield. The challenge was addressed by providing tailored packages of seeds and agrochemicals with instructions on their use.
The investment costs of machinery for direct sowing has been a challenge for the application of the solution. The GIZ financially supported the cooperative "Agra va iqlim" (verbally "Agriculture and climate") in purchasing the machinery, which is lent to the farmers.
Farmers are not able to afford the necessary inputs at the time of cultivation. This is addressed by providing agricultural inputs to farmers on a part loan basis: farmers pay 50% of the costs of the package when purchasing, the remaining 50% are paid after harvest, with a subsidized low interest rate.
Location
Sughd Province, Tajikistan
North and Central Asia
Process
Summary of the process
The building blocks are integrated at each farm in a specific way. The agricultural extenstion service of the cooperative "Agra va Iqlim" is instrumental for bringing the building blocks together and providing each farmer with the solution, which is suitable for his side conditions and the impact of ongoing and predicted climate change.
Building Blocks
Consultation on agricultural practices and inputs
The agricultural extension service of the cooperative "Agra va Iqlim" provides farm-specific advice on choice of crop and the best combination of seeds (varieties), fertilizer, pesticides, cultivation and cultivation technology. The purpose of this building block is to provide the farmers with the best available knowledge to guide their decisions and practice.
Enabling factors
The local agricultural extension service combines long-year experience in the specific region with knowledge on internationally available best practices. Further, the extension service collaborates closely with the agricultural departments in the respective districts and it is trusted by the farmers. The collaboration with the GIZ project allowed for the integration of additional state-of-the art technologies.
Lesson learned
Agricultural extension needs to be tailored to the specific conditions of the local farmers and all advise has to take into consideration their needs and opportunities, while providing new knowledge and directly applicable suggestions.
Packages of seeds and agrochemicals
The farmers together with the technical advice by the agricultural extension service by the cooperative "Agra va Iqlim" get the opportunity to purchase directly the appropriate packages of seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and other agrochemicals. As these purchases are needed at the begin of the growth season, when financial means are scarce, they are partly provided on loan basis under affordable conditions (interest rate below normal market rates).
Enabling factors
Enabling factors are:
- Packages of seeds and agrochemicals are adapted to local growth conditions and all components are complementary;
- Inputs are made affordable during the time when they are needed, but typically farmers cannot afford them;
- Loans can be returned when farmers have income from the harvest.
Lesson learned
The combination of agricultural extension providing side-specific advice with tailored packages of agricultural inputs and the financial mechanism (part loan at affordable conditions) are key for the adoption of new and adapted agricultural technologies and practices. If one or two of these elements would be missing the rate of adoption and succesful application would massively drop. Without specific technical advice farmers do not have the awareness and capacity to purchase suitable combinations of complementary inputs. Advice without the opportunity of direct purchase leaves too much a barrier in terms of the farmers having to find suppliers on their own and having high opportunity costs, and possibly sometimes purchasing suboptimum combinations or insufficient quality and quantity of inputs. And only the availability of a timely and affordable loan enables the farmers to purchase the full quantity of inputs and to apply the adapted technologies.
Use of direct seeding technology with special machinery
The direct seeding technology is an important means of reducing input costs and achieving the positive impacts of integrated farming on rain-fed lands. Special machinery combines the application of seeds and fertilizers with closing of the soil cover and removal of surplus old biomass. The machinery is adapted to the local soil and micro-relief conditions.
Enabling factors
Individual farmers would not be able to purchase the special machinery on their own. So it had been purchased by the cooperative “Agra va Iqlim” with financial support provided by GIZ. The drilling machine is lent to the farmers, which pay for its use. The payments collected will be used for the maintenance and for the purchase of additional drilling machines to expand the capacity of "Agra va iqlim" to serve more farmers willing to apply the solution.
Lesson learned
New machinery, which is not affordable for individual farmers, can be introduced if provided at affordable costs through a cooperative and its effectiveness is shown at demonstration plots.
Impacts
Environmental impacts:
- reduced soil compaction, lump formation, destruction of soil particles and
dust formation;
- reduced water and wind erosion;
- preservation of organic matter and of the habitat of soil organisms;
- avoiding of breaking up and turning the upper soil horizon hampers the evaporation from the soil surface and increases the soil moisture.
Social impacts:
- reduced risk of gully erosion and formation of mudflows as well as cleaner surface water;
- reduction of wind erosion and resulting dust storms provides better air quality;
Economic impacts:
- saving od expenses for ploughing, leveling, chiseling significantly
reduces the expenses of farmers for cultivation;
- improved soil moisture reduces drought-related risks of rain-fed winter wheat farming;
- Provision of packages of seeds of varieties suitable for rain-fed farming under semi-arid conditions combined with the appropriate fertilizers and pesticides provides optimum yields of grain and straw, which is in high demand by livestock producers.
Beneficiaries
The direct beneficiaries are the farmers cultivating rain-fed cereal crops. Indirect beneficiaries are the local people in general, which benefit from more stable and increased farm incomes, lower prices of grain and better food security.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 1 – No poverty
SDG 2 – Zero hunger
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation
SDG 13 – Climate action
Story
Quziboev Fazlidin, the director of "Agrar va Iqlim" demonstrates the drilling machine for direct sowing
GIZ
The Non-commercial cooperative "Agra va Iqlim" supports farmers in the rain-fed wheat areas of Sughd region. Lower and less predictable rainfall and increasing frequency of droughts make their operations more and more risky and in some years they can barely recover their costs of cultivation. But the head of cooperative "Agra va Iqlim", Fazlidin Quziboev, also noticed that many farmers do not apply the right fertilizer amounts and cultivated crop varieties are not suitable for the conditions of rain-fed farming in such a semi-arid climate.
The right combination of agricultural extension, cultivation technology, crop varieties, packages of seeds and agrochemicals and an enabling financing mechanism was needed. With the technical and financial support of GIZ this solution was developed and Fazlidin Quziboev of "Agra va Iqlim" convinced two farmers to establish demonstration plots of 2.5 ha each in 2017.
Seeing the results of the demonstration plots during the season 2017/2018 already 50 farmers applied the solution on 50 ha of rain-fed land for winter wheat. The drought in this year caused total losses to all farms where wheat was cultivated in the traditional way, while the participating farmers at least recovered their costs. In 2018/2019 already 150 ha are cultivated in the new way.
The director of the cooperative "Agra va Iqlim" now wants to expand the organization's capacity and the opportunities for the farmers by purchasing an additional drilling machine.
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Negmatjon Negmatov
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
