Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia
Context: Realizing the double-edged goals of food security and crop diversification require knowledge of crop yield response to different agricultural practices and the extent to which such response is context dependent. This is particularly important in Southern Africa where cropping systems are do...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145054 |
| _version_ | 1855527439595208704 |
|---|---|
| author | Mulundu Mwila Silva, João Vasco Kalala, Kelvin Simutowe, Esau Ngoma, Hambulo Nyagumbo, Isaiah Mebelo Mataa Thierfelder, Christian |
| author_browse | Kalala, Kelvin Mebelo Mataa Mulundu Mwila Ngoma, Hambulo Nyagumbo, Isaiah Silva, João Vasco Simutowe, Esau Thierfelder, Christian |
| author_facet | Mulundu Mwila Silva, João Vasco Kalala, Kelvin Simutowe, Esau Ngoma, Hambulo Nyagumbo, Isaiah Mebelo Mataa Thierfelder, Christian |
| author_sort | Mulundu Mwila |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Context: Realizing the double-edged goals of food security and crop diversification require knowledge of crop yield response to different agricultural practices and the extent to which such response is context dependent. This is particularly important in Southern Africa where cropping systems are dominated by maize and smallholders use few external inputs. Objective: The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the performance of cropping systems with different levels of legume diversification and intensification on maize productivity across the main agroecological zones and farming systems of Zambia, and (2) to establish the minimum land required to reach maize self-sufficiency at household level with the different cropping systems tested. Methods: Six maize-based cropping systems, comprising maize monocropping, maize-legume rotations and intercrops under ‘conventional’ tillage and conservation agriculture, were evaluated across 40 farms in contrasting agro-ecological zones and farming systems of Zambia. A household survey was conducted in the same communities hosting the on-farm trials to quantify the share of households with enough maize cultivated area to benefit from the tested cropping systems. Results: Maize yield measured in the on-farm trials ranged, on average, between 3.6 and 5.4 t ha− 1 , which was greater than mean maize yields reported by farmers not hosting on-farm trials during the same growing seasons and in the same sites. Our results showed a clear positive effect of legume rotation on maize yield in Eastern province only, where cropping systems including groundnut as rotation crop yielded between 1.0 and 2.0 t ha− 1 more maize than other cropping systems. Pigeon pea intercrops and Gliricidia hedgerows, crop residue management, and tillage practice had no significant effect on maize yield in any of the provinces. Finally, nearly 35, 50, and 70% of surveyed farms in Northern, Eastern, and Southern province would have enough land to achieve the same level of maize production obtained on their farm with the yields, and associated area requirements, of the maize-legume rotations tested in the on-farm trials. Conclusion: Legume rotations can increase maize productivity on land abundant farms in high potential maize production areas of Southern Africa, whereas legume intercrops have benefits at cropping systems level and should be targeted to land constrained farms. Significance: The study contributes to better understand the niche for diversified maize-based cropping systems with legume rotations and intercrops in Southern Africa, along with their impacts on maize productivity at the field level and their land requirements at the farm level. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace145054 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1450542025-12-08T10:11:39Z Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia Mulundu Mwila Silva, João Vasco Kalala, Kelvin Simutowe, Esau Ngoma, Hambulo Nyagumbo, Isaiah Mebelo Mataa Thierfelder, Christian yield gap legumes on-farm trials farm size cropping systems maize Context: Realizing the double-edged goals of food security and crop diversification require knowledge of crop yield response to different agricultural practices and the extent to which such response is context dependent. This is particularly important in Southern Africa where cropping systems are dominated by maize and smallholders use few external inputs. Objective: The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the performance of cropping systems with different levels of legume diversification and intensification on maize productivity across the main agroecological zones and farming systems of Zambia, and (2) to establish the minimum land required to reach maize self-sufficiency at household level with the different cropping systems tested. Methods: Six maize-based cropping systems, comprising maize monocropping, maize-legume rotations and intercrops under ‘conventional’ tillage and conservation agriculture, were evaluated across 40 farms in contrasting agro-ecological zones and farming systems of Zambia. A household survey was conducted in the same communities hosting the on-farm trials to quantify the share of households with enough maize cultivated area to benefit from the tested cropping systems. Results: Maize yield measured in the on-farm trials ranged, on average, between 3.6 and 5.4 t ha− 1 , which was greater than mean maize yields reported by farmers not hosting on-farm trials during the same growing seasons and in the same sites. Our results showed a clear positive effect of legume rotation on maize yield in Eastern province only, where cropping systems including groundnut as rotation crop yielded between 1.0 and 2.0 t ha− 1 more maize than other cropping systems. Pigeon pea intercrops and Gliricidia hedgerows, crop residue management, and tillage practice had no significant effect on maize yield in any of the provinces. Finally, nearly 35, 50, and 70% of surveyed farms in Northern, Eastern, and Southern province would have enough land to achieve the same level of maize production obtained on their farm with the yields, and associated area requirements, of the maize-legume rotations tested in the on-farm trials. Conclusion: Legume rotations can increase maize productivity on land abundant farms in high potential maize production areas of Southern Africa, whereas legume intercrops have benefits at cropping systems level and should be targeted to land constrained farms. Significance: The study contributes to better understand the niche for diversified maize-based cropping systems with legume rotations and intercrops in Southern Africa, along with their impacts on maize productivity at the field level and their land requirements at the farm level. 2024-06 2024-06-06T22:15:27Z 2024-06-06T22:15:27Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145054 en Limited Access Elsevier Mwila, M., Silva, J. V., Kalala, K., Simutowe, E., Ngoma, H., Nyagumbo, I., Mataa, M., & Thierfelder, C. (2024). Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia. Field Crops Research, 314, 109436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109436 |
| spellingShingle | yield gap legumes on-farm trials farm size cropping systems maize Mulundu Mwila Silva, João Vasco Kalala, Kelvin Simutowe, Esau Ngoma, Hambulo Nyagumbo, Isaiah Mebelo Mataa Thierfelder, Christian Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia |
| title | Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia |
| title_full | Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia |
| title_fullStr | Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia |
| title_short | Do rotations and intercrops matter? Opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize-based cropping systems in Zambia |
| title_sort | do rotations and intercrops matter opportunities for intensification and diversification of maize based cropping systems in zambia |
| topic | yield gap legumes on-farm trials farm size cropping systems maize |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145054 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mulundumwila dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT silvajoaovasco dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT kalalakelvin dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT simutoweesau dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT ngomahambulo dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT nyagumboisaiah dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT mebelomataa dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia AT thierfelderchristian dorotationsandintercropsmatteropportunitiesforintensificationanddiversificationofmaizebasedcroppingsystemsinzambia |