High Outside

To effectively implement SRI practices:

• Step 1: Consider separation of high-quality seeds from low-quality seeds through soaking them in plain or salt water and the unviable seeds will float on the surface of the water.
• Step 2: Plant the seeds on an unflooded, raised bed with adequate drainage and fertile soil.
• Step 3: After 8-12 days, transplant single young seedlings into a grind pattern with wide spacing between hills (25 cm x 25 cm).
• Step 4: During crop growth period, control the flooding and research and follow alternate wetting and drying irrigation practices.
• Step 5: Consider application of compost and mineral fertiliser for nutrient enhancement.
• Step 6: Use a mechanical weeder for the control of weeds and maximisation of soil aeration.

To effectively implement Alternate Wetting and Drying practices:

• Step 1: Alternate wetting and drying should be considered by the farmer after two weeks of rice transplant.
• Step 2: The farmer should consider digging half of 30 cm tube into soil to monitor water level.
• Step 3: When the water level is 15 cm below the soil surface the field should be irrigated again with a depth of 3 to 5 cm before water drains.
• Step 4: This cycle should be repeated until flowering stage to avoid disturbing reproduction because at this stage the crops are sensitive to water stress.

To effectively implement Permeable Rock Dam practices, the following steps should be carried out:

• Step 1: Consider constructing a permeable rock dam across relatively wide and shallow valleys.
• Step 2: Permeable rock dams should consist of long, low rock walls with level crest along full length although farmers should consider central spillways where water course has cracks.
• Step 3: The dam should be between 50-300m in length and 1m in height within a gully.
• Step 4: Consider making the dam wall flatter on the downslope side than on the upslope side.
• Step 5: A foundation of small stones should be set in the trench.
• Step 6: An apron of large rocks is essential to split the erosive force of the overflow.
• Step 7: Downstream banks of the water stream should be shielded by stone pitching to prohibit the increase of the gully.

To effectively implement Half-moon techniques, the following steps should be carried out:

• Step 1: Farmers should consider the diameter of the half-moon  between 2 m – 3 m, with a total surface area of approximately 1.5 sqm and 3.5 sqm.
• Step 2: Pits should be dug to a depth of between 15 cm to 30 cm.
• Step 3: Excavated material can be piled around the curved section of the half-moon.
• Step 4: The curved section of the half-moon can be reinforced by stones to prevent washouts of the half-moon.
• Step 5: 35 kg of organic fertilisers/compost should be evenly distributed in the half-moon.

To effectively implement Zai Pits the following should be carried out:

• Step 1: Zai pits should be dug with a diameter of 30 cm to 40 cm and 10 cm to 15 cm deep. 
• Step 2: Pits should be spaced 70 cm to 80 cm apart resulting in approximately 10,000 pits per hectare.
• Step 3: The farmer should place 2 – 3 handfuls (200 g to 600 g) of organic fertilisers or compost in each pit.
• Step 4: Holes that are dug between planting seasons will trap wind eroded soils, which are fertile and form good soils for plating crops.
• Step 5: It is recommended that 3 tonnes of fertiliser/compost per hectare be available.
• Step 6: Farmers should consider planting crops in these pits prior to periods of rain.
• Step 7: Repeated application of Zai pit technology on an annual basis will increase productivity of degraded land in the long term.

To effectively approach to terracing construction:

• Step 1: Measure slope angle – should not exceed 25 degrees and soils should be at least 0.5 metres deep.
• Step 2: Plot the contours – see Technical Brief 16 Contour Planting for instructions for staking-out contours, and the diagram below for use of a t-stick to measure the distance between contours.
• Step 3: Start at the lowest terrace. Dig a trench vertically below the next contour, and then dig outwards to the lowest contour. Remove soil and place downhill below the lowest contour.
• Step 4: Compact soil on constructed terrace.
• Step 5: Work should then progress upslope, emptying top-soil on to the terrace below to provide soil for planting.
• Step 6: Strengthen riser buttress walls (back-walls) with stones, compacted soil, or by planting grass or trees.
• Step 7: Terrace-end drainage should also be considered, so water does not pool too heavily. The down-field gutters can be lined with stones to reduce erosion

Detailed diagrams and tables for calculating terrace dimensions are provided in Peace Corps 1986, Soil conservation techniques for hillside farming.

Additional guidance can be sought from videos provided by Access Agriculture: SLM02 Fanya Juu terraces. The Kenyan example provided is also up-slope terrace construction but using a different method where a trench is dug, and the loose topsoil is thrown up-hill (fanya juu in Kiswahili) which forms a ridge that flattens over time.

While agroforestry practices are deemed highly beneficial and climate smart, it is important to ensure that proposed practices are appropriate for the specific context – the benefits of the agroforestry practice match the needs of the farmer - and are fit for purpose. Obtain advice from an agroforestry expert before embarking on secondary crop/hedge species selection.

To effectively implement alley-cropping the following should be carried out:

• Step 1: Clearly understand the objectives of the intervention and identify an appropriate species for intercropping. For maize and sorghum in a smaller subsistence farm setting, selection and growth of hedge rows of a legumes such as cowpea or Gliricidia can provide sustainable benefits in terms of soil quality and secondary fodder/food products. In larger fields, timber trees can be planted every five to ten crop rows, depending on the height of the mature tree, and the shade-tolerance of the crop.
• Step 2: Identify and understand key conditions, such as prevailing wind direction, and sunlight to ensure that the field is planted in an appropriate configuration, with primary crop and secondary (hedge/shrub/tree) crops planted in such a way as to benefit the primary crop and not compete with it. East to west row orientation should maxmise sunlight, topography permitting.
• Step 3: For beneficial hedgerow growth with legume species such as Leucaena, cliricidia, and Sesbania sesban, the trees should be planted in rows between two and four metres apart, with individual trees planted as close as possible - between 10 to 15 cm apart. If planted closely, the trees will favour leaves over step growth, creating more mulch to prune for cover. Note that if rows are planted too closely, the secondary crop can dominate the available crop land reducing productivity. Furthermore, the closer the hedges, the more shade will present, which can depress crop growth, and also start to compete for soil water and nutrients, which is not beneficial.
• Step 4: Once reaching sufficient maturity, after approximately six months (one-metre tall for legumes)– hedges should be pruned to generate mulch for working into the soil. Then the primary crop (maize) can be planted. Pruning once per month thereafter provides cover and ensures that light penetration is maintained. Planting legumes approximately six months before planting the primary crop can ensure that sufficient pruned material is available to incorporate into the soil to enhance growth.
• Step 5: After harvesting the primary crop, hedgerows can be left to grow taller so that shade reduces weed grown, and to develop material to prune and incorporate into the soil again during the following crop cycle. However, hedges should not be allow to grow too high or dense as their roots will dominate the soil and out-compete primary crops for water and nutrients.

Before implementing any of these technologies, further research may be required beyond the guidance provided here. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has many resources, toolkits and success stories that can support such research.

To effectively undertake contour planting:

• Step 1: Construct an A-frame that has a plumb-line with a rock hanging down the centre. The base of the A-frame should be 90 cm.
• Step 2: Calibrate the A-frame on flat ground. Ensure that both legs are on the ground. Mark where the plumb line meets the cross bar.
• Step 3: On a slope, working perpendicular to the slope, plant one leg of the A-frame and swing the other leg around until the plumb line meets the mark on the cross bar. Drive a stake into the ground where the first ‘planted’ leg is and continue the process across the slope.
• Step 4: Once the extent of the contour has been staked, tie a string from post-to-post across the slope; this identifies the contour to be planted.
• Step 5: Plant selected crops, develop contour ridges or plant contour strips along the contour line.
• Step 6: Subsequent contours should be spaced 3-5 m up or downhill of the preceding contour line. To determine the length between contour lines, measure off the top of each stake to a stake up or downhill with a tape measure or accurately measured third stick.
• Step 7: Contour ridges can be implemented like Water Spreading Bunds (Technical Brief 28) to form ridges of soil that are formed by tilling or ploughing and can be left after land preparation to further prevent erosive forces. Crops can be planted between these ridges.
• Step 8: The planting of contour strips can be implemented by planting grasses or hedges 20 m (shallow slopes) to 10 m (steeper slopes) apart up or downhill, similar to Trash Lines (Technical Brief 14). This intercropping allows for erosion control and can be used as fodder for livestock.

Without a topographic survey, this technology may require trial and error to begin with, to see how rainfall and run-off responds to the contouring. To effectively implement erosion control measures the following should be carried out:

• Step 1: Perform a thorough local study of the landscape, soils, land use and erosive processes that most impact the area: steep slopes, flood plains, high winds etc.
• Step 2: Source a large number of stones, preferably five to ten centimetres square blocks (from a quarry) or five to ten-centimetre diameter cobbles (from a river-bed). You will need 30 to 50 tonnes of stone per hectare for contour bunds approximately 300 metres long.
• Step 3: Mark out contours, as discussed in Technical Brief 16 Contour Planting.
• Step 4: In larger fields with shallower slopes, place stones in rows of two along contour line, interlocking alternately, burying the lower half. The bunds can be between 25 and 40 metres apart. On steeper slopes, stack and bury stones against or in vertical/near vertical walls of contours much closer together (five to ten metres apart) to reinforce them.
• Step 5: Make sure that stone bunds follow the contours from one side of the field to the other, ensuring that no ‘pour’ points (larger gaps) exist along the way, lining the drainage channel or weir from one contour to the next with stones to avoid or reduce scouring in these locations.
• Step 6: Following, and if possible, during rainfall events, check the stability of the slope, adjusting stone bunds where necessary.
• Step 7: At the end of the rainy season and again following harvest, review the performance of the technology, and prepare for the next growing season.

Switching to no-till or reduced tillage should be planned at least a year in advance so preparations can be made necessary implements can be obtained. Implements should match farm labour availability. You will also need to decide if no till or reduced tillage methods are appropriate based on farm area and desired crops, and start with a small area to determine feasibility. Cereal and legume crops are suitable for no tillage while vegetables and other crops often require some tillage – i.e. reduced tillage.

There are two forms of no-tillage, conventional and organic. Conventional no-tillage includes the application of herbicides to manage weeds, prior to and after planting. Organic no-tillage does not incorporate the use of herbicides, but includes other methods for controlling weeds, including cover crops, crop rotation and free-range livestock. Organic no-tillage is more suitable as it assists mitigate any climate change impacts on the farm.

No till

• Step 1: Prepare fields using conventional (herbicide application) or organic processes include cover crop (Technical Brief 15) and crop rotation (Technical Brief 09).
• Step 2: Test soils – aiming to balance nutrient and pH levels. In the case of acidic soils, add small amounts of lime each year.
• Step 3: Avoid soils with bad drainage, as they become water-logged.
• Step 4: Level the soil surface, removing uneven areas to assist even seed planting.
• Step 5: Eliminate soil compaction.

Reduced Till

• Step 1: This approach is similar to regular tillage, but with significantly less disturbance of the soil. Tilling is only done where needed, and the rest of the soil is undisturbed.
• Step 2: Strip-tillage or zone-tillage involves tilling and seeding in 15 cm strips leaving areas in-between undisturbed.
• Step 3: Ridge-tillage involves preparing ridges post-harvest and letting them settle over time to be planted the next seeding period; with ridges not more than 60 cm apart.

More information of each of these specific practices should be sought prior to implementation.

Crop rotation is a complimentary farming method when practicing no-tillage, as it promotes maximum biomass levels for permanent mulch cover, while controlling weeds (with pre- and post-emergent herbicides), pests, and diseases, as well as improving soil nutrition and fertility.