Reducing Labour Demand through Conservation Agriculture Agriculture - Reducing... · 2017-04-20 · Symposium World Food Day, Bern 13.10.2005 1 Reducing Labour Demand through Conservation

Symposium World Food Day, Bern 13.10.2005 1

Reducing Labour Demand through Conservation Agriculture

Examples from Tanzania

Josef Kienzle, FAO and Kurt Steiner, GTZ


Structure

1. Low labour productivity2. Loss of labour force - Diseases3. Labour saving through Conservation

agriculture4. Conclusions


Low Land and Labour Productivity

ØMain causes of poverty and famine in smallholder agriculture, esp. in AfricaØYouths leave farms because of low

incomes and drudgeryØAggravated by diseases such as malaria

and HIV/AIDSØWomen most affected as it is them who

have to take care of sick persons


Labour and Diseases

ØRural communities are highly dependent on manual labour§ Water and firewood fetching for cooking§ Land preparation and tillage§ Weeding, harvesting and processing

ØLabour is becoming scarce and expensive due to outmigration and endemic diseases: Malaria and HIV/AIDS ØHouseholds must cope with loss of labour


Most time-consuming tasks

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

wa

ter/

fire

wo

od

foo

d p

rep

/co

ok

ing

con

stru

ctio

n

lan

d p

rep

we

ed

ing

live

sto

ck

IGA

s

womenmen

IGA= Income Generating Activities


Key Role of Labour/Farm Power

1998Proportion of Land Cultivated by Different Sources of Farm

Power

22 25 2942

642026

33

39

2558

4938

1911

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

Near East andNorth Africa

Latin America& Caribbean

S Asia E Asia Sub-SaharanAfrica

%

TractorDAP Hand

DAP = Draught Animal Power


Coping Strategies of Rural Households

ØOnly subsistence strategiesØScaling down areas under cultivationØGrowing less labour intensive cropsØDelayed and incomplete farm operations

(no ploughing, late planting, little weeding)

è Increased poverty and food insecurity


Need for Modernisation of Agriculture

ØDiscrepancy betweenancient agricultural practices and moderntechnologies must be overcome ØAny new technology propagated in rural

development must lead to increased labour productivity – higher labour incomes


The immediate challenge

ØTo identify and support opportunities and technologies that overcome labour shortages – break labour peaks§ Increase labour productivity§ Reduce drudgery§ Allow for timely farm operations§ Give time for taking care of sick persons§ Provide time for other income generating

activities


Labour Saving Technologies

ØFuel-Efficient Stoves§ Reduced time for fetching fire wood§ Reduced time for cooking

ØRainwater Harvesting, Wells, Publ. Supply§ Significantly reduces drudgery and time

ØPost Harvest Techniques § Saves labour e.g. for shelling maize

ØConservation Agriculture§ Saves labour for land preparation


Fuel-Efficient Stoves

ØTime savings for fire wood collection (less often to go – less to carry)ØFaster cooking – Two fire places at once

Photos: GTZ-ProBEC


Rainwater Harvesting from Roofs


Saving and Easing Labour withConservation Agriculture (CA)ØA summary term for a farming system that

emphasizes § No or minimum soil disturbance§ Permanent soil cover § Crop rotations

èPotential to reduce labour burden for land preparation and weeding

èCA can be applied in all farm types and in all farming environments


Direct Planting by Hand


Cover crops protect the soil and suppress weed growth


Maize Planted directlythrough a Soil Cover


Promotion of CA in East AfricaØ Entry points:§ Labour shortage due to

HIV/AIDS § Frequent crop failure due to

drought

Ø Affected households adopt the concept of cover crops and direct planting

Ø Permanent soil cover reduces the impact of drought

Ø More reliable yields


Hand - Jab planter

Ø Enables direct planting through a soil cover

Ø Less labour (no digging)Ø One person for planting

instead of three Ø Suitable for vulnerable

households Ø Can be produced locally

by trained artisans

Young Farmer with JabplanterEased labour of

women and children

New tools and implements couldmake agricultureattractive again foryoung people


Reduced Tillage – Magoye Ripper

ØDesigned in Zambia ØRequires less draught

power (-50%)ØEnables preparation

for planting prior to the rains (spread of labour demand)ØFor minimum tillage

with little soil cover


CA/No tillage planter for animal draught power

Ø Made in ‘Brazil’Ø Allows direct planting

though soil coverØ Available to CA-FFS

groups through pilot projectØ Training for local

production Ø Private/public sector

partnership and south to south cooperation


Labour Savings by Conservation AgricultureKaratu District, Tanzania

Labour requirements/acre (Man-days/season)

Cropping Systems

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1. No-till maize + lablab cover crop

72 60 46 35 33 32

2. No-till maize + mucuna cover crop

72 62 41 38 36 33

3. Conventional tillage maize

65 65 66 66 65 65


Adoption Constraint: Weed Control

ØIncreased weed growth during transition period§ Increased weed growth with poor soil cover§ Poor soil cover in dry regions § Live stock competes for crop residues

ØLimited use of herbicidesè Major labour peak


Labour Savings with Herbicides ?

ØDelayed and insuf-ficient weeding is amajor reason for lowyields in small farmsØCA with suitable herbicides affects soil

biota much less than ploughing


ConclusionsØNeed for increased labour and land productivityØBreaking vicious cycle of HIV/Aids impact is crucial ØCA has the potential to reduce labour demand

and ease labour ( about 30-50% time savings)ØCA improves food security, higher rainwater use

efficiency, higher and more stable yields è CA cannot fight HIV/AIDS and malaria

– but it can improve the livelihoods of affectedrural people


Widow - five children (1 – 12 years); Karatu, TanzaniaTHANK YOU

made in ‘Brazil’


Documents

Reducing Labour Demand through Conservation Agriculture Agriculture - Reducing... · 2017-04-20 · Symposium World Food Day, Bern 13.10.2005 1 Reducing Labour Demand through Conservation