Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania

Erratic rainfall, high evapotranspiration rates and droughts are major factors limiting crop production in semi-arid areas. Tied ridges that have crossed ties within the furrow are among the physical soil and water conservation measures. During the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, we examined the effica...

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Autores principales: Swai, E., Mwinuka, L., Shitindi, M.J., Manda, J., Whitbread, Anthony M., Bekunda, Mateete A.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Informa UK Limited 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129142
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author Swai, E.
Mwinuka, L.
Shitindi, M.J.
Manda, J.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Bekunda, Mateete A.
author_browse Bekunda, Mateete A.
Manda, J.
Mwinuka, L.
Shitindi, M.J.
Swai, E.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
author_facet Swai, E.
Mwinuka, L.
Shitindi, M.J.
Manda, J.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Bekunda, Mateete A.
author_sort Swai, E.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Erratic rainfall, high evapotranspiration rates and droughts are major factors limiting crop production in semi-arid areas. Tied ridges that have crossed ties within the furrow are among the physical soil and water conservation measures. During the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, we examined the efficacy of repaired tied ridges for maize crop (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in Kongwa district of Tanzania as an alternate labour saving strategy for managing climate risks associated with variable rainfall. Treatments consisted of three tillage methods: conventional tillage (CT) which involved the preparation of a flat seedbed using handhoe, annually constructed tied ridges (ATR) and tied ridges that had been constructed during the previous season and had been repaired (residual tied ridges–RTR). Data were collected on labour requirements and crop performance. RTR increased economic returns by 29% and 80% over ATR and CT, respectively. Maize grain yield shows a trend of RTR >ATR>CT with values ranging from 2465 kg ha−1 to 4185 kg ha−1 (P < 0.01). While tillage and/or variety did not influence sorghum grain yield significantly (P > 0.05). The use of RTR is recommended because of low labour requirements and greater economic benefits than CT and ATR under maize cropping systems.
format Journal Article
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publishDate 2023
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spelling CGSpace1291422025-10-26T12:53:06Z Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania Swai, E. Mwinuka, L. Shitindi, M.J. Manda, J. Whitbread, Anthony M. Bekunda, Mateete A. ridge till labour economic benefits rain semiarid zones tanzania Erratic rainfall, high evapotranspiration rates and droughts are major factors limiting crop production in semi-arid areas. Tied ridges that have crossed ties within the furrow are among the physical soil and water conservation measures. During the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, we examined the efficacy of repaired tied ridges for maize crop (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in Kongwa district of Tanzania as an alternate labour saving strategy for managing climate risks associated with variable rainfall. Treatments consisted of three tillage methods: conventional tillage (CT) which involved the preparation of a flat seedbed using handhoe, annually constructed tied ridges (ATR) and tied ridges that had been constructed during the previous season and had been repaired (residual tied ridges–RTR). Data were collected on labour requirements and crop performance. RTR increased economic returns by 29% and 80% over ATR and CT, respectively. Maize grain yield shows a trend of RTR >ATR>CT with values ranging from 2465 kg ha−1 to 4185 kg ha−1 (P < 0.01). While tillage and/or variety did not influence sorghum grain yield significantly (P > 0.05). The use of RTR is recommended because of low labour requirements and greater economic benefits than CT and ATR under maize cropping systems. 2023-11-10 2023-03-01T10:46:38Z 2023-03-01T10:46:38Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129142 en Limited Access Informa UK Limited Swai, E., Mwinuka, L., Shitindi, M.J., Manda, J., Whitbread, A. & Bekunda, M. (2023). Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 1-14.
spellingShingle ridge till
labour
economic benefits
rain
semiarid zones
tanzania
Swai, E.
Mwinuka, L.
Shitindi, M.J.
Manda, J.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Bekunda, Mateete A.
Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania
title Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania
title_full Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania
title_fullStr Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania
title_short Factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi-arid areas of central Tanzania
title_sort factoring labour when comparing in situ rainwater harvesting technologies for semi arid areas of central tanzania
topic ridge till
labour
economic benefits
rain
semiarid zones
tanzania
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129142
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