Low

Half-moon Pits are water harvesting techniques that assists crop growth in harsh climatic conditions, improving water and nutrient availability, promoting biodiversity and restoring the fertility of the degraded soil. The technique is similar to Zai pits in terms of its purpose. Half-moons are semi-circular wide-open basins used to collect runoff water. The mouth of the half-moons must face a slope where rainwater will flow during precipitation events. Water will be trapped in the pit to irrigate crops. Stones are used to support the half-moon curve to avoid being washed away during rain. The amount of fertilisers required in farming systems decreases when this technique is adopted by farmers. Areas with lots of rainfall are not suitable for this technique as it may lead to water logging effect.

Zai pits are based on a traditional technology approach originating from West Africa that assists farmers working on marginal and degraded land. This approach involves the concentration and conservation of nutrients and water at the crop root systems through the digging of small pits (Zai pits) and filling them with compost, with the aim of increasing soil fertility and water infiltration. Zai pits are dug between planting season and filled with organic fertilisers/composts, which attract worms, termites and other insects, creating mix of material that can be used to fertilise crops. Farmers plant crops directly in these pits, prior to rains and water will infiltrate the pits more easily than the surrounding soil. Applying this technology is laborious to implement, but it  has been found to assist farmers in times of drought or in arid conditions to produce successful crops by maximising the resources available. Zai pits allow for mitigation of desertification in degraded land and an economic use of resources in conditions of scarcity, especially in resource constrained environments

In-field water harvesting is the practice of increasing water infiltration and moisture retention in the soil. The agricultural technique involves the collection of rainwater runoff from fields that is collected and stored for future needs. This water can be stored in infiltration pits and later used to water the same crops, other crops through an irrigation system (usually high value crops, including fruit trees), or used for domestic purposes. Factors like soil, water, and plant type influence the effectiveness and productivity of rainwater harvesting. This type of water harvesting is generally implemented in areas of very low rain (semi-arid) conditions. In-field water harvesting entails establishing micro-catchments at the farm scale, where sloped areas have been cleared or cropped to direct rainwater to the water storage area (a pit that has been dug to store/hold water). Utilising strip cropping to growing crops while providing a method for directing rain is sometime practiced. The soil type has a limiting factor in collecting in-field water due the infiltration rates. In-field water harvesting saves rainfall water that can be used over a longer period than during and immediately after a rainfall event, reduces the risks of crop failure due to no or limited rainfall, and increases rain water productivity.

The process of saving one’s own seed involves the collection of seeds from the best performing (most yield, largest size, early maturing or other desired traits, etc.) plants from one season to plant them in the next cropping season. The aim of this practice is to select seed from parent plants in the hope that desired characteristics are replicated in the next generation of plants. Seeds that have been selected will likely be adapted to local farming conditions including soil types and rainfall amounts. The seed most likely to carry intergenerational traits (size, colour, water use efficiency, and other biophysical traits) are open-pollinated (those plants pollinated by birds, insects, wind, etc.) seed varieties as they are cross-pollinated by the same type of crop. Different crops have different reproduction cycles with some species flowering or producing seeds annually, biennially or on a perennial basis. Thus, understanding seeding time is important for farmers aiming to save their own seeds. Almost as important as selecting the correct seeds is seed storage, which must be done correctly to avoid spoiling and losses. Seed saving is a cost-effective measure for farmers to employ and helps them avoid having to buy seeds at market on an annual basis. Seed trading or community seed banks provide a climate resilience strategy as they secure farmers access and availability of diverse, locally adapted crops and varieties while enhancing indigenous knowledge. Often crops from hybrid seeds or improved varieties do not generate viable seeds ensuring that seeds cannot be saved and must be purchased on an annual basis.

Weeds are any unwanted plant species that compete with crops for sunlight, water, nutrients, air and space, hindering crop growth and in some cases are even toxic to crop plants. Weed control measures can be applied in an integrated manner to help prevent the growth and spread of weeds in agricultural systems. An integrated weed management approach aims to restrict weed growth until a crop is well established and can outcompete weeds. This integrated approach includes biological, chemical, cultural and/or physical tactics to combat weed spread and growth and these practices can be more cost effective than herbicide applications. Integrated weed management is climate smart as it combines multiple climate smart practices that increase farmers resilience, limits GHG releases and increases productivity. Options for weed control include crop rotation, intercropping, cover crops (which can be used as green manure or mulch), mulching, seed-bed preparation, livestock grazing, seed/variety selection, mowing, and hand-weeding.

The application of integrated weed control is climate smart as it reduces herbicide application and reduction in machinery usage (i.e. through no-tillage practices).

Contour Planting is a planting strategy for sloping fields, where crop rows follow slope contours rather than planting in rows up- and down-slope. The primary aim of this strategy is to slow the downhill flow of water and encourage the infiltration of water into the soil. Slowing the flow of runoff water reduces soil erosion and therefore also nutrient loss.

Contour Ridges are created by tilling, ploughing or hoeing soil to establish ridges along contour lines, acting as a barrier to downhill water runoff and other erosive processes - the higher the ridge height, the more effective the barrier is to preventing soil erosion.

Contour Strips involves use of vegetative barriers e.g. planting of strips of grass or hedges and other species to secure soil and further prevent erosion. These practices are labour intense and require extension support, especially as contour lines are not straight but follow slope characteristics, correctly identifying contour lines is important and can be done using the ‘low-technology’ options that are identified in the Technical Application section of this Technical Brief.

Cover Crops are incorporated into farming systems and planted in between growing seasons with the primary purpose of preventing soil erosion and improving nutrient content, and promoting soil quality in general, rather than being planted as a regular food or cash crop. Cover crops can also be utilised for food stuff, fodder or cash crops; but these outcomes are usually secondary to the main aim of improving/retaining soil quality. An additional benefit from growing cover crops is reduction in weed growth, and pests and diseases; increases in water availability in the soil; and increased soil biodiversity. Additional benefits are recognised from cover crops in areas with steep slopes, as the retained plant cover contributes to reducing erosion. Cover crops can be combined with other practices including intercropping practices and erosion control measures to further enhance soil quality and structure. Incorporating cover crops into farming systems increases farmers resilience to climate impacts through improving soils, reducing fossil fuel consumption, and increasing soil carbon sequestering. Extension guidance can be beneficial when selecting relevant cover crops to achieve the above outcomes.

Trash lines are the incorporation of lines of organic materials spread across contours of hilly agricultural fields - strips of heaped straw or weed materials that have been collected during primary cultivation of the land. Trash lines have been found to direct runoff in field and act as an erosion control method. Through decomposition, the trash line material acts as a type of compost adding nutrients to the soil, adding more organic material year on year, should the farmer continue to build this line. This is a climate smart approach as it contributes to soil health, capturing more nutrients and carbon in the soil, and in turn promoting sustainable agricultural productivity. In changing climates, implementation of this practice can contribute to adaptation strategies.

Mulching is the process of introducing vegetative material to the surface of soil in fields to provide soil cover, reduce evaporation, maintaining an even soil temperature and ultimately improve organic content in soil. These materials can include grasses, crop residues, tree bark and other plant materials, even including seaweed if it is available. These materials should be well decomposed, and mixed well into the top soil when the growing season is over. Mulching improves soil fertility by creating a positive soil environment favouring microbial activity and other promoting beneficial organisms such as earthworms, increases moisture retention, stabilises soil temperatures (protecting soils from both heat and cold), reduces soil erosion and restricts weeds. The temperature control keeps roots and plant bulbs cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It can be utilised on all scales of farm, depending upon the availability of input mulch materials. It is considered a climate smart approach as it sequesters carbon in the soil and promotes soil health which in turn maintains agricultural productivity and the ability of a farmer to adapt to climate changes. In some cases, shredded plastic is sometimes used as a synthetic soil cover, but this is not considered climate smart, as it does not integrate organic matter to the soil, instead introducing plastics.

Many farmers grow one crop repeatedly on the same field over-and-over again. Crop diversification is the cultivation of several crops of a different species or variety (of one crop) in one plot at any given point in time. The main advantage of implementing crop diversification is that it enhances household climate resilience through reducing risk of monocrop failure due to pests, disease, low rainfall and other climate risks.

Employing crop diversification may also provide opportunity of more diversified income sources and dietary diversity. Farmers can simultaneously grow both food crops, fodder and cash crops in an attempt to increase household food security and improve household incomes. There are also indications that crop diversification can increase crop productivity, which for poorer households can have significant positive impacts. For better capitalised farms, return on specialisation may be higher, and will likely not realise the desired returns.