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Improving Land and Water Management David Bahk TSM 352

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Challenges Food insecurity prevalent around the world Small famers deal with low and unpredictable crop yields and incomes Millions of farmers in the world are struggling to feed their families Land degradation Land use pressures Climate change

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Requirements Increase soil organic matter Improve soil structure Reduce soil erosion Increase water filtration Increase efficiency of water use Replenish soil nutrients Increase the efficiency of nutrient uptake

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Results Improved land and water management practices to farmers and rural economies Higher crop yield Increased supplies of valuable goods Increased income and employment opportunities Increased resilience to climate change

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Promising Land and Water Management Practices Agroforestry Conservation agriculture Rainwater harvesting Integrated soil fertility management

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Agroforestry Integration of woody perennial plants (trees and shrubs) with crops or livestock on the same land In Malawi, maize yields increased by 50% when nitrogen-fixing trees were planted in farms In Senegal, presence of certain shrubs in fields increased nutrient- use efficiency and helped create a soil high in organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus Practiced in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and parts of Europe and North America

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Conservation Agriculture Combination of reduced tillage, retention of crop residues or maintenance of cover crops and crop rotation or diversification In Zambia, maize yields in conservation system with crop rotation can increase yield by 50% than conventional tillage Most practiced in North and South America, Canada, and Australia, but not in Africa

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Main Constraints to Smallholders in Africa Competition for the use of crop residues Short-term risks of lower yields during the transition period from conventional plowing to no-till High costs and limited access to specialized equipment Weed control and access to herbicides, particularly during early transition Free-ranging livestock and customary grazing on crop residues

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Rainwater Harvesting Planting pits, stone bunds, and trenches along slopes that capture and collect rainfall before it runs off farm fields Low-cost practices In Burkina Faso, grain yield doubled by using multiple water harvesting techniques such as stone bunds and planting pits

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Integrated Soil Fertility Management Combined use of mineral fertilizers and soil amendments such as manure, crop residues, compost, leaf litter, lime, or phosphate rock In West Africa, integrated soil fertility management across 200,000 hectares resulted in yield increase of 33-58% over a 4 year period and revenue increase of 179%

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Integrated Landscape Approaches Provisioning Crops and livestock Biomass fuel Wild foods and freshwater Regulating Erosion control and climate regulation Water flows and quality Supporting Soil formation Nutrient and water cycling Habitat for biodiversity Cultural Local land races of agricultural crops Cultural landscapes

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Seven Ways to Accelerate the Use of These Practices Strengthen knowledge management systems and access to information Increase communication and outreach in ways that amplify voices of champions and leverage direct engagement with farmers Support institutional and policy reforms, particularly for strengthening property rights Support capacity building, especially in community-based management of natural resources Increase support for integrated landscape management Reinforce economic incentives and private sector engagement Mainstream Investments in improved land and water management to accelerate adoption of these practices as a strategic component of food security and climate change

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How Improvement in Management Practices Perform for Sustainable Future Poverty Alleviation: Reducing poverty while being cost effective Land and water management improvements increase soil quality (Organic matter, moisture content, fertilizer efficiency, etc) Improved practices can diversify and increase farmer income Gender: Generates benefits for women Land and water management improvements diversify and increase womens income

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Continued Ecosystems: Avoids agricultural expansion into remaining ecosystems and relieves pressure on overstrained fisheries Improving land and water management practices restores and boosts productivity of existing agricultural land, thereby reducing the need to expand cropland area Climate: Helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture to levels consistent with stabilizing the climate Improving land and water management practices sequester carbon on cropland by increasing organic matter in soil Reduce farmer vulnerability to increased climate variability by increasing soil moisture retention Water: Does not deplete or pollute aquifers or surface waters Rainwater harvesting reduce rainfall runoff, increase infiltration of water into soils, recharge aquifers, and contribute to local water supplies

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References Winterbottom, Robert, Chris Reij, Dennis Garrity, Jerry Glover, Debbie Hellums, Mike Mcgahuey, and Sara Scherr. Improving Land and Water Management. World Resource Institute. World Resource Institute, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. http://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/improving_land_an d_water_management_0.pdf. http://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/improving_land_an d_water_management_0.pdf