Conservation Agriculture Production Systems (CAPS) in Tribal Societies of India

Tribal farming in India is based on traditional shifting cultivation These systems are becoming increasingly UNSUSTAINABLE - Large-scale displacement for development - Loss of forest cover - Intense mining activities - Cultivation on marginal lands on steep hill slopes - Accelerated soil and water erosion - Erosion of traditional community support structures ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Tribal Farming 2

 The natural resources are under rapid degradation  Lowering of production efficiency  Increasing poverty, malnutrition, starvation  Threatened agricultural biodiversity and food security ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Outcomes: 3

ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR We stress upon: Minimal soil movement Retention of adequate levels of crop residues on the soil surface Crop rotation Integrating these components In to agricultural system is Conservation Agriculture 4

ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Join Hands for a Conservation Agriculture based Participatory Research on: “ SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF AGROECOLOGICAL RESOURCES FOR TRIBAL SOCIETIES (SMARTS) ” In Kendujhar District of Odisha Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar & University of Hawaii, USA With support from 5

Objectives The purpose was to evaluate the feasibility of introducing Conservation Agriculture Production Systems (CAPS) to tribal farmers in Kendujhar through: Socio-economic surveying of farm households to establish current farming practices, production rates, marketing patterns, & income Establishing maize-based experimental trials to assess yield and soil effects of reduced tillage, intercropping, & cover cropping Integrating above objectives to conduct economic analysis of potential farm benefits and costs of introducing CAPS into current farming systems ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

Introduction to Study Area Kendujhar  Kenduhar is one of the tribal dominated districts of Odisha  Situated in the North Central Plateau agro-climatic zone of the state  Characterized by multiple small villages of households  Engaged in low-input subsistence agriculture  Farm sizes generally less than 1 hectares  More than 40% of farmers earn less than Rs.2000 per annum  Forest area about 40%  Upland : 48%  Medium land : 30 %  Low land : 22% 7

ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Participatory Research 8

ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Analytical Hierarchy Process surveys Perception and preference for CAPS WORKSHOP MARCH

Twenty on-farm trials in Tentuli (2011) (2012: 27participating farms in Tentuli and 09 in Talachampei) Four treatments, randomized block design Improved varieties of maize and cowpea TreatmentsSeasonTillage 1 st season (June-October) 2 nd season, cover crop (November-January) T1 (control)MaizeMustardConventional T2Maize + cowpeaMustardConventional T3MaizeMustardMinimum T4Maize + cowpeaMustardMinimum ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

On-farm Research Location-GPS Layout AWS 11

ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR 12 On-farm (Rainy season)

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14 On-farm (Post-rainy season)

Significant interaction effect of tillage and intercropping. Higher profitability of minimum tillage with intercropping (9.69%) over conventional tillage with sole maize ($386 ha -1 ) yr-1). Interaction effect of tillage and intercroppingon maize yield ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Results

Cowpea yields were much lower than maize yield but has higher market price. Also cowpea harvest was prior to maize harvest, providing early income. Higher profitability of minimum tillage with intercropping (9.69%) over conventional tillage with sole maize ($386 ha-1 yr-1). Crop yields by tillage ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

17 ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR On-station (Rainy season)

18 ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR On-station (Post-rainy season)

19 ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR Tillage had no effect on maize and cowpea yield. Results

20 ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR  Intercropping had no effect on Maize yield. Cowpea was an additional gain from intercropping.

Soil No significant effect of treatments on soil Properties. Still there was positive trend of minimum tillage along with intercropping on soil properties. Effect of tillage and intercropping on soil organic carbon (0-5)cm ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

Threats 22

Challenges Cowpea damage due to closer spacing in case of on farm trials. Early season drought during maize sowing. Actions On station experiment to find out optimum spacing options Change of cowpea variety Re-sowing and gap filling to maintain the plant population. ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

Capacity Building ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

Networking Workshop Inauguration of CAPS leaflet ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

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27 ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR NEWS

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Thus Conservation Agriculture gets transformation to a Socio-technological Movement 29

Nepal October 22, 2012

Trials in progress Tillage X fertilizer trials in IAAS Intercropping (maize + cowpea) X variety trials cover crop trial with species in 5m x 5m plots

Benefits of Intercropping is undisputed - cowpea yield in intercrop and sole crop comparable - millet yield lower in intercrop than sole crop

Effect of strip-tillage is not fully visible in yields

Same yields can be achieved from 20% less-land through intercropping but, strip tillage reduce the advantage Land equivalency ratio (LER) is the ratio of the area under sole cropping to the area under intercropping needed to give equal amounts of yield

AHP Farmers for improved income goal preferred:  soil quality (49%)> yield (25%) > profit (14%) > labor savings (11%)  cowpea CT (35%)> cowpea + millet ST (34%) > cowpea + millet CT (22%). Farm enterprise budgeting  Legume integration in system can increase profitability by USD $ to $ ha - 1 year -1 Stakeholder preference mapping

Marketing few market transactions rice (45% farmers) and millet (42% farmers) were major food grain purchased cowpea (48% farmers) and black gram (14% farmers) were major grains sold >90% transactions in local towns

gender roles and functions on agriculture system understood: men and women tend to share the burden of agricultural labor, however, the control over agricultural decision-making and sales of crops tends to be somewhat imbalanced Gender study

Soil Baseline data of soil samples Soil samples classified by treatments - collected and being analyzed in Lab Training on WSA measurement

Capacity building 40 farmers (15 of which were female) trained 49 students and researchers, including 25 females trained on AHP, Gender study, technology network study and Cognitive mapping tools 2 students from Nepal in UH and 3 students in Nepal

Networking Progress shared in national sharing meeting organized USAID Nepal Disseminated through NGOCC (Network of NGOs for Climate Change) The relevancy of the CAPS for improvement Shifting Cultivation land discussed in National Policy Workshop on Shifting Cultivation 4 abstract in CTAHR symposium, 2 presentations in IFAMA symposium, 1 abstract accepted in 3 rd CA conference

Technologies being tested have potential for increasing profitability of the maize based hill farming system in Nepal CAPS research started by IAAS, which is sole government owned institute for formal agriculture training Tools to bridge the gap in understanding about CAPS among the stakeholders Gradual adoption of CAPS technologies Development impacts

Challenges and actions Drought during sowing maize -> gap filling/replanting How to integrate 3 rd principle (soil cover) Difficulty in collecting year round weather information Limited scientific knowledge about intercropping mix Securing survey participants and maintaining respondent focus Travelling in monsoon season

Thank you Thank you !!