Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields
Land degradation is a major obstacle to agricultural development in Africa, where it's accentuated by poor agricultural practices and climate change effects. Restoration of degraded lands is crucial to prevent incursions into virgin and marginal lands. A field experiment was carried out over a four-...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Frontiers Media
2023
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129636 |
| _version_ | 1855543479371825152 |
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| author | Ntamwira, Jules Bagula Ocimati, Walter Blomme, Guy Lubobo, Antoine Kanyenga Mwarabu Lolonga Pyame, Dieudonne Dhed’a Djailo, Benoit |
| author_browse | Blomme, Guy Dhed’a Djailo, Benoit Lubobo, Antoine Kanyenga Mwarabu Lolonga Pyame, Dieudonne Ntamwira, Jules Bagula Ocimati, Walter |
| author_facet | Ntamwira, Jules Bagula Ocimati, Walter Blomme, Guy Lubobo, Antoine Kanyenga Mwarabu Lolonga Pyame, Dieudonne Dhed’a Djailo, Benoit |
| author_sort | Ntamwira, Jules Bagula |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Land degradation is a major obstacle to agricultural development in Africa, where it's accentuated by poor agricultural practices and climate change effects. Restoration of degraded lands is crucial to prevent incursions into virgin and marginal lands. A field experiment was carried out over a four-year period on two degraded sites, to assess and compare the effect of the common practices of: (i) burning crop residues and weeds by resource-poor farmers (T1) and (ii) burning crop residues and weeds followed with application of manure and/or NPK as external inputs (T2) by resource-endowed farmers with (iii) an innovative agroecological package (T3) on soil physical, chemical and biological attributes, and crop yields. T3 consisted of crop rotation and/ intercropping with Mucuna pruriens cover crop, grasses (Pennisetum purpureum and Setaria sphacelate) and shrubs (Calliandra calothyrsus, and Leucaena diversifolia), and the application of manure and NPK. A randomized complete block design with 8 and 10 blocks, with each package appearing once in each block, was used respectively, at Mulungu and Mushinga. The agroecological package significantly improved soil and plant parameters compared to the common practices at both sites. The average plot-level aboveground biomass was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in T1 (11.3–17.4 t/ha) and T2 (10.1–21.9) than in T3 (39.9–60.4 t/ha). Similar trends were observed for bean and maize grain and banana bunch yields. When T1 is compared to T3, mean yields increased 2.6 times (848 kg/ha against 327 kg/ha), 2.8 times (2,201 kg/ha against 792 kg/ha) and 1.5 times (7.4 t/ha against 5.0 t/ha) for bean grains, maize grain, and banana bunches, respectively. Improvements were also observed for soil physical, biological, and chemical properties. A decrease in soil temperature; and increases in soil porosity, earthworm density/m2 (1,932 against 0), nodules/bean plant (28 against 21) and root length density (65 against 15.5 cm) were observed in T3. T3 (compared to T1), had a decrease in acidity and Al3+; an increase in soil organic matter, K+, Ca+, and aboveground carbon stock (26.5 t/ha against 5.6 t/ha). The innovative agroecological package is thus an approach that can be used to effectively restore degraded and abandoned farmlands. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace129636 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media |
| publisherStr | Frontiers Media |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1296362025-12-08T10:29:22Z Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields Ntamwira, Jules Bagula Ocimati, Walter Blomme, Guy Lubobo, Antoine Kanyenga Mwarabu Lolonga Pyame, Dieudonne Dhed’a Djailo, Benoit climate change mitigation carbon sequestration land restoration yield gap agroecology grasses organic carbon soil degradation fallow shrubs Land degradation is a major obstacle to agricultural development in Africa, where it's accentuated by poor agricultural practices and climate change effects. Restoration of degraded lands is crucial to prevent incursions into virgin and marginal lands. A field experiment was carried out over a four-year period on two degraded sites, to assess and compare the effect of the common practices of: (i) burning crop residues and weeds by resource-poor farmers (T1) and (ii) burning crop residues and weeds followed with application of manure and/or NPK as external inputs (T2) by resource-endowed farmers with (iii) an innovative agroecological package (T3) on soil physical, chemical and biological attributes, and crop yields. T3 consisted of crop rotation and/ intercropping with Mucuna pruriens cover crop, grasses (Pennisetum purpureum and Setaria sphacelate) and shrubs (Calliandra calothyrsus, and Leucaena diversifolia), and the application of manure and NPK. A randomized complete block design with 8 and 10 blocks, with each package appearing once in each block, was used respectively, at Mulungu and Mushinga. The agroecological package significantly improved soil and plant parameters compared to the common practices at both sites. The average plot-level aboveground biomass was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in T1 (11.3–17.4 t/ha) and T2 (10.1–21.9) than in T3 (39.9–60.4 t/ha). Similar trends were observed for bean and maize grain and banana bunch yields. When T1 is compared to T3, mean yields increased 2.6 times (848 kg/ha against 327 kg/ha), 2.8 times (2,201 kg/ha against 792 kg/ha) and 1.5 times (7.4 t/ha against 5.0 t/ha) for bean grains, maize grain, and banana bunches, respectively. Improvements were also observed for soil physical, biological, and chemical properties. A decrease in soil temperature; and increases in soil porosity, earthworm density/m2 (1,932 against 0), nodules/bean plant (28 against 21) and root length density (65 against 15.5 cm) were observed in T3. T3 (compared to T1), had a decrease in acidity and Al3+; an increase in soil organic matter, K+, Ca+, and aboveground carbon stock (26.5 t/ha against 5.6 t/ha). The innovative agroecological package is thus an approach that can be used to effectively restore degraded and abandoned farmlands. 2023-03-10 2023-03-14T10:23:24Z 2023-03-14T10:23:24Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129636 en Open Access application/pdf Frontiers Media Ntamwira, J.; Ocimati, W.; Blomme, G.; Lubobo, A.K.; Mwarabu Lolonga Pyame, D.; Dhed'a Djailo, B. (2023) Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 7:1017341. ISSN: 2571-581X |
| spellingShingle | climate change mitigation carbon sequestration land restoration yield gap agroecology grasses organic carbon soil degradation fallow shrubs Ntamwira, Jules Bagula Ocimati, Walter Blomme, Guy Lubobo, Antoine Kanyenga Mwarabu Lolonga Pyame, Dieudonne Dhed’a Djailo, Benoit Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| title | Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| title_full | Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| title_fullStr | Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| title_short | Innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| title_sort | innovative agroecological practices can restore degraded farmlands and revive crop yields |
| topic | climate change mitigation carbon sequestration land restoration yield gap agroecology grasses organic carbon soil degradation fallow shrubs |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129636 |
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