Maize

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 In Field Water Harvesting techniques, the following steps should be carried out:

• Step 1: Land is cleared, berms are developed, and crops are planted in order to direct water to the infiltration point.
• Step 2: The catchment areas should be sloped no more than 5 % and the area should be cleared to promote catchment as much as possible.
• Step 3: The infiltration pit (where water is stored) should be dug at the lowest point of the catchment areas and line infiltration pits with plastic or concrete roofing to limit water loss, and can be used as a source of irrigation for fruit trees and other high value crops.
• Step 4: Paths can be built of soil to guide water to the infiltration pit.
• Step 5: Alley cropping, or strop cropping can be used, with areas between trees and crops dug deeper like a trough to direct water to the infiltration pit.
• Step 6: To access water from infiltration pits, farmers can introduce a pumping system and water can be distributed around the farm as necessary

To effectively undertake seed saving:

• Step 1: Communicate with national agricultural extension and local farmers regarding seed harvesting timing and practices for local crop species.
• Step 2: Clear field and sow desired crop using climate smart agriculture practices.
• Step 3: Monitor plant life cycle and ensure that seeds are extracted correctly and are not spoiled in the process. Employ local expertise to ensure seed harvesting is carried out correctly.
• Step 4: Post-harvest, seeds should be adequately dried and then transferred to proper storage facilities.
• Step 5: store seeds in dry, cool, and dark locations. This will prevent them from spoil. Different strategies for seed storage are implemented around the region so local expertise should be sought.
• Step 6: Ensure that pests are excluded from storage areas to prevent loss or spoil (Technical Brief 61-65).
• Step 7: Community seed banks or seed trading should be established to allow farmers to integrate different varieties into their farming system that are resilient to local climatic conditions

To effectively undertake leverage traditional seed characteristics, or improved crop varieties  the following should be carried out:

• Step 1: Prior to selecting seed varieties, perform a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) to identify how crops will perform and their benefits compared to the costs of the seed, considering the following:
  • Local  farming system(s): land availability per household, crops traditionally grown, access to inputs such as fertilisers,
  • Local environmental conditions: soil conditions, disease, pests, climatic conditions, occurrence of flooding/droughts and other natural disasters.
  • How climate change has impacted or will impact the farming system and how crop variety selection can be a climate- smart practice.
  • Local access to seeds – is seed collected at the householder level, do neighbours exchange seeds, do farmers have access to commercially produced seeds?  Are the costs for accessing commercial, improved seeds manageable or prohibitive? The CBA should weigh the benefits of a new seed against perceived actual or transactional costs for selecting a new seed.
• Step 2: Obtain information and guidance from local experts, lead farmers, and government regarding best varieties to grow.
• Step 3: Evaluate results of the CBA and select appropriate seeds that match the farm system/requirements, and available financial resources/access to credit.
• Step 4: Plant test plots of selected seeds to understand if benefits are realised and demonstrate outcomes with farmers, showing possible alternatives and discuss implementation.
• Step 5: Following full demonstration and discussion with farmers, implement at farm level – planting the first crop in accordance with guidance provided by seed provider, or traditional knowledge.

Consider in-country seed sources to access different varieties through local extension or research services. When buying seeds ensure that the seeds are adequately dry and look for seed that is certified by a national seed laboratory to ensure that the variety is the highest quality possible. Seeds should be properly stored to avoid high temperatures and humid air to reduce chances of early germination.

To effectively undertake weed control measures:

• Step 1: Review weed control measures - crop rotation, intercropping, cover crops, mulching, seed-bed preparation, livestock grazing, seed/variety selection, mowing, hand-weeding and adjustments to tillage practices - and determine which methods are available and appropriate for the farming system and farmer. Two or more of these techniques can be applied to assist in ensuring farmers have more chance of success. Understand possible negative impacts of each weed control method.
• Step 2: Improve weed identification knowledge in specific areas.
• Step 3: Prevent weeds from spreading – clean clothes, animals, machinery, vehicles to limit weed transport; use only well stored/rotted manure (4-5 months) (Knowledge Product 16), include fencing, irrigation and other farm ‘breaks’ where possible
• Step 4: Apply a combination of weed control methods including – cover crops (Technical Brief 15), mulching, intercropping (Technical Brief 07), crop rotation (Technical Brief 09), livestock grazing, seed selection (Technical Brief 20), mowing, hand-weeding. Try to avoid the application of herbicides, tillage and burning.
• Step 5: monitor and document most effective weed management strategies for each farmer, and use lessons learned from the area with other farmers where applicable.

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.

To effectively implement cover crops:

• Step 1:  Research whether locally available crops (especially legumes) provide potential options for cover crops.
• Step 2: Establish a demonstration plot could provide farmers with an example of how cover crops function.
• Step 3: Plant cover crops between primary crop growing systems to improve soil fertility, quality and nutrients.
• Step 4: Monitor soil structure, nutrient levels, and field integrity to ensure efficacy.
• Step 5: Incorporate cover crops with other climate smart practices enhance soil, including: Intercropping (Technical Brief 07), Crop Rotations (Technical Brief 09) Reduced/No-tillage Options (Technical Brief 12) etc