Midlands Interim Progress Report | Mahlathini Development Foundation

APPENDIX((((:(KWAZULU-NATAL(MIDLANDS(

PROGRESS(REPORT(

CA#Farmer#Innovation#Programme#(CA-FIP)#for#

smallholders#in#KZN#Midlands.#

Period:#October#2019#-#February#2020#

Farmer&Centred&Innovation&in&Conservation&Agriculture&in&

Midlands&of&KwaZulu-Natal&

Compiled)by:)

Erna%Kruger,%Temakholo%Mathebula%and%Hendrik%Smith%

March%2020! !

Project(implemented(by:(

Mahlathini(Development(Foundation!

!"#$#%&'()*#++,-#",%&./0)1"#21##"),("&*3+%3",+)&''#.,%&#'4)

Contact:!!Erna!Kruger!(Founder!and!Coordinator)!

Address:!2!Forresters!Lane,!Pietermaritzburg,!3201,!KZN!

Email:!info@mahlathini.org!

Cell:!0828732289!

Time!of!operation:!2003-2019!

Legal!status:!NPC!

BEE!status:!!4.!–!Certificate!available.!

In!collaboration!with:!

Funded!by:!

Contents&

Contents..................................................................................................................................3

Executive summary.................................................................................................................4

Background and Organisational Information...........................................................................5

Key activities: October 2019 to February 2020........................................................................7

Budget.....................................................................................................................................8

Results achieved to date.........................................................................................................8

Overall process......................................................................................................................11

Year 1:............................................................................................................................11

Year 2:............................................................................................................................12

Year 3:............................................................................................................................12

Soil fertility.............................................................................................................................13

Recommendations from the soil fertility sample analysis...................................................16

Progress per area of implementation.....................................................................................16

Progress per area of implementation.....................................................................................17

Demonstration CA trials: Gobizembe.................................................................................17

Cover Crop Demonstration.............................................................................................18

Demonstration CA trial: Ntabamhlophe..............................................................................19

Demonstration CA trials: Mayizekanye..............................................................................20

CA demonstration trials: Ozwathini....................................................................................22

Ozwathini Strip Cropping Demonstration...........................................................................23

Demonstraiton CA trials: Impendle....................................................................................25

Introduction.....................................................................................................................25

Crop Growth Monitoring.........................................................................................................26

eMapanekeni......................................................................................................................26

Ntwasahlobo...................................................................................................................27

Cornfields...........................................................................................................................29

Farmer Innovation Platforms................................................................................................. 30

Ozwathini Open Day; Cover crops.....................................................................................30

Executive&summary&

The!KZN!Midlands!programme!is!in!its!fourth!year!of!operation,!expanding!on!the!model!and!

process!piloted!in!the!Bergville!area.!Communities!targeted!in!this!season!are:!

•Swayimane!(3rd!year)!–!4!learning!groups!

•Cornfields!(4th!year)!–!1!learning!group!

•Appelbosch!(2nd!year)!–!3!learning!groups!

•Tabamhlophe!(2nd!year)!–!1!learning!group!

•Impendle!(1st!year)!–!1!learning!group!

The!total!number!of!participants!in!learning!and!awareness!raising!events!were!142!(Ozwathini!

and!Ntabamhlope)!and!the!total!number!of!farmer!level!trials!implemented!increased!from!85!in!

2018-2019!to!192!in!2019-2020.!

Season!preparation!began!in!September!with!CA!introductory!meetings!in!new!areas!as!well!as!

the!collection!of!repeat!soil!fertility!(6!participants)!and!soil!health!samples!(4!participants).!A!

rain!gauge!and!run-off!pans!have!been!installed!for!1!household!in!Gobizembe!(Swayimane).!

This! was! then! followed!by! spraying! workshops! which! were! conducted! in! Impendle! and!

Ntabamhlophe! as! herbicide! spraying! is! required! prior! to! planting.! Planting! commenced! from!

mid-November!to!the!16th!of!January!and!has!been!completed!across!all!areas.!The!rains!have!

been! fairly! abundant! this! season! as! it! has! been! raining! consistently! since! November,! making!

planting!a!fairly!easy!process!with!many!farmers!being!optimistic!about!how!the!season!will!turn!

out.!

And!Open!day!was!held!in!Ozwathini,!focused!on!cover!crops,!with!inclusion!of!local!and!regional!

stakeholders,!towards!the!end!of!September!2019.!The!strip!cropping!demonstration!trail!with!

perennial!fodder!species!was!held!in!Ozwathini,!in!association!with!KZNDARD!in!January!2020.!!

Figure 1: Collections of soil fertility and soil health samples in Mayizekanye and

Gobizembe in September

Background+and+Organisational+Information+

Mahlathini! Development! Foundation! (2003-20120)! is! one! of! the! only! NGOs! in! South! Africa!

focussing! on! promoting! collaborative! pro-poor! agricultural! innovation.! As! such! MDF! is! a!

specialist! NGO! working! in! the! fields! of! participatory! research,! training! and! implementation,!

focussing!on!agroecological!approaches.!!

Introduction!of!CA!into!any!farming!system!requires!the!creation!of!a!process!and!environment!

of!continuous!innovation,!learning!and!change!in!a!number!of!different!areas,!including!social,!

economic,!environmental!and!agronomic!considerations.!In!the!smallholder!context!it!requires!

the!design,!introduction!and!facilitation!of!a!reasonably!complex!IS!(innovation!system)!approach!

by! the! implementers,! and! of! practice,! labour! and! resources! (including! natural! and! financial!

resources)!by!the!farmer!that!has!system!wide!implications.!There!is!an!interplay!of!a!number!of!

different!factors,!all!of!which!need!to!be!integrated,!thus!requiring!a!well-designed!and!facilitated!

IS!approach.!

The!IS!model!applies!a!family!of!approaches!and!methodologies,!such!as!the!Farmer!Field!School!

(FFS)! approach! and! participatory! monitoring! &! evaluation! (PM&E),! to! facilitate! awareness,!

learning,!implementation!and!research!all!together.!The!key!voluntary!participants!of!this!process!

are! farmers! from! a! locality! or! village! who! should! be! organised! into! learning! groups! (farmers!

generally!are!already!organised!into!structures!such!as!savings!and!credit!groups,!associations!or!

cooperatives).! A! number! of! farmers! in! that! group! volunteer! to! undertake! on-farm!

experimentation,!which!creates!an!environment!where!the!whole!group!learns!throughout!the!

season!by!observations!and!reflections!of!the!trials’!implementation!and!results.!They!compare!

various! CA! treatments! with! their! standard! practices,! which! are! planted! as! control! plots.! This!

provides!an!opportunity!to!explore!all!aspects!of!the!cropping!system,!its!socio-economic!context!

and!feasibility,!as!well!as!the!grain!and!legume!value!chain!in!the!area.!!The!whole!value!chain!is!

considered:!input!supply,!production!aspects,!harvesting!and!storage,!processing!and!marketing!

Horizontal!expansion!(scaling!out)!from!village!nodes!to!surrounding!farmers!and!villages!in!the!

area,!working!with!organised!farmer!groups!(or!IPs)!in!collaboration!with!stakeholders!in!the!

region!has!shown!great!promise!for!expansion!of!interest!in!and!longer!term!sustainability!of!the!

implementation!of!CA!practices!among!smallholders.!!It!means!that!a!number!of!villages!in!close!

proximity! become! involved! and! this! provides! an! opportunity! for! organising! farmers! around!

issues! in!the! value! chain! such! as! bulk! buying,! transport,! storage! and! marketing.! It! creates! an!

option!to!set!up!farmer!service!centres!at!central!nodes!that!can!provide!easy!access!to!inputs!and!

services.!The!model!also!provides!for!learning!over!a!period!of!time,!which!has!proven!essential!

to!allow!each!participant!farmer!to!experiment!with!and!master/adapt!the!CA!principles!for!at!

least! 4! years.! The! more! experienced! farmers! become! mentors! to! the! new! entrants! and! some!

undertake!the!role!of!local!facilitation!and!support!to!their!villages!and!groups.!It!also!provides!a!

platform!where!other!farmers!and!interested!parties!in!the!area!can!engage!and!become!involved!

The!adaptive!trials!are!also!used!as!a!focus!point!for!the!broader!community!to!engage!through!

local!learning!events!and!farmers’!days.!Stakeholders!and!the!broader!economic,!agricultural!and!

environmental!communities!are!drawn!into!these!processes!and!events.!Through!these!events!

5''#.,%&#') !+,%6#"$7) 85!79!are! developed! for! cooperation,! synergy! between! programmes! and!

development! of! appropriate! and! farmer! led! processes! for! economic! inclusion.! These! IPs! also!

provide!a!good!opportunity!to!focus!scientific!and!academic!research!on!the!‘needs’!of!the!process.!

SELECTION)AND)COMMUNITY)LEVEL)PROCESS)

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In!this!season!(2019-2020)!we!have!focused!on!the!following!elements!of!the!model,!namely:!!

a)Support!farmers!in!their!1st!to!4th!seasons!of!implementation!

b)Intercropping!and!crop!rotation!

c)Late!season!planting!of!beans!

d)Summer!cover!crops;!sunflower,!Sunnhemp,!Babala,!Dolichos!beans!

e)Continuation!with!experimentation!with!winter!cover!crops,!including!new!species!

requested!by!farmers!(Lucerne,!clover,!turnips)!

f)Introduction!of!strip!cropping!with!perennial!fodder!species!as!an!implementation!

option!

g)Expansion!of!use!of!two-row!CA!planters!for!larger!fields!

h)Continued! support! for! VLSAs! (Village! savings! and! Loan! associations)! and! small!

business!development!training!for!these!participants!and!

i)Initiation!of!nodes!for!farmer!centres!that!can!offer!tools,!input!packs!and!advice!!

Key&activities:&October&2019&to&February&2020&

This!season,!along!with!the!preferred!maize!varieties,!SC701!and!PAN6479,!three!short!season!

varieties!are!being!tried!out,!in!villages!where!late!planting!has!been!necessary!due!to!late!onset!

of! rain! and! variable! rainfall.! These! varieties! are! PAN3A-173!(ultra-early! white),! PAN! 5A-291!

(medium!early-!white)!and!PAN!5A-190!(medium!early-!yellow).!

Two! row! planters! are! now! available! in! both! Swayimane! (shared! by! 4! learning! groups)! and!

Ozwathini!(shared!by!one!large!learning!group).!Sessions!have!been!held!to!ensure!the!correct!

operation!and!maintenance!of!these!planers!and!the!extension!staff!from!KZNDARD!have!been!

brought!in!to!assist!in!this!regard.!

A!seasonal!thematic!focus!on!cover!crops!was!kick!started!in!Ozwathini!with!an!open!day!that!

involved!members!of!all!the!Midlands!learning!groups,!KZNDARD,!LandCare!and!AGT!Foods.!This!

aspect!is!crucial!for!soil!fertility!and!soil!health!improvement,!soil!erosion!control!on!the!steeper!

slopes!and!livestock!integration.!Interest!in!the!use!of!cover!crops!has!increased!dramatically!

within!the!learning!groups!in!the!Midlands,!due!to!early!positive!results!obtained!by!the!handful!

of! participants! who! have! tried! this! to! date.! The! strip! cropping! farmer! level! experimentation!

process!with!perennial!fodder!species!(such!as!Lespediza,!Bahia!grass!(Paspalum)and!Catstail!

grass!(Digiteria)),!is!part!of!this!focus.!

Participants!numbers!in!existing!learning!groups!in!Swayimane!and!Ozwathini!have!increased!

dramatically!in!this!season.!The!partnership!with!Lima!RDF!in!Ntabamhlophe!(Estcourt)!has!been!

continued! and! strengthened! through! direct! involvement! of! LandCare! in! this! area! and! a! new!

partnership!has!been!initiated!with!the!INR!(Institute!of!Natural!Resources)!in!Impendle!as!part!

of!an!initiative!to!pilot!soil!and!water!conservation!practices!in!the!catchment!

The! Cornfields! (Estcourt! area)! focus! has! continued,! despite! the! understanding! both!in! the!

community!and!by!the!facilitators!that!this!is!likely!a!very!marginal!area!for!maize!production-!

due!to!climatic!conditions!and!extremely!poor!soils!in!the!area.!The!learning!group!members!have!

continued!to!do!the!best!they!can!manage,!under!the!circumstances.!

Budget&

The!budget!set!aside!for!the!1st!six-!month!period,!according!to!the!overall!work!plan!is!R322!415.!

Actual!expenditure!for!the!last!five!months!has!been!R344!325.!!!Despite!limited!over-expenditure!

in! this! period,! the! overall! programme! is! on! track! and! the! budget! is! deemed! sufficient! for!

completion!on!target!in!September!2019.!A!once-off!lump!sum!of!R98!000!was!paid!to!Soil!Health!

Solutions!for!soil!sample!analysis.!

The!figure!below!outlines!the!budget!and!expenditure!to!date.!

Figure 2: Budget and expenditure for Oct2019-March 2020 on the Midlands project

Results&achieved&to&date&

Ten!learning!groups!have!been!supported!under!this!process.!Training/learning!workshops!have!

been!conducted!for!the!following!topics:!

•How!to!implement!CA:!introduction!to!the!principles,!soil!health,!crop!diversification!

and!different!planting!options!for!CA!

•Working!with!herbicides!and!knapsack!sprayers:!information!on!different!herbicides,!

their! uses! and! safety! measures,! as! well! as! operation! of! knapsack! sprayers,! protective!

clothing,!etc.!

•Trial!plot!layout!and!planting!using!different!CA!planting!equipment!such!as!hoes,!MBLI!

planters,!and!animal!drawn!not!till!planters.!

•Top!dressing!and!pest!control!measures!for!mid-season!growth!of!crops!and!planting!

of!cover!crop!mixtures!where!people!have!been!interested!in!this!option!

The! learning! groups! provide! the! innovation! platforms! also! for! discussion! of! the! value! chain!

issues,!such!as!bulk!buying,!harvesting,!storage!and!milling!options!and!marketing.!!

The! table! below! outlines! activities! related! to! objectives! and! key! indicators! for! the! period! of!

October!2019-February!2020.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Table 1

:'SUMMARY&OF&PROGRESS&(OCTOBER&2019-&FEBRUARY&2020)&RELATED&TO&OBJECTIVES&AND&KEY&ACTIVITIES!

BUDGET EXPENDITURE

Milestones/

Outputs

Key activities

OUTCOMES/

DELIVERABLES

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March

Actual expenditure per

budget item

Pd grainSA

Administraiton

and sundries

travel accommodation,

admin, publications,

monitoring and evaluation

R74 400,00R11 183,86R54 193,37R20 000,00

Farmer centred

innovation

systems

farmer experimentation,

researcher managed

experimentation, savings

gorups, farmer centres…

R308 558,00R20 698,00R30 352,00R50 366,00

Research

trials, soil health and soil

fertility, monitoring and

evaluations

R112 800,00R31 740,40R20 269,57

Innovation

platforms

Stakeholder meetings,

platform building and events

R41 600,00R6 861,31

R63 622,26R84 545,37R0,00R97 496,88R98 660,00

R537 358,00R84 572,00R89 091,00R37 188,00R37 188,00R37 188,00R37 188,00

Workplan budget Oct-SeptR322 415,00

R173 663,00

R210 851,00R248 039,00R285 227,00R322 415,00Actual R344 324,51

Sub - TOTAL: Oct 2019-Sept2020

INVOICES

Farmer

experimenta

tion

KZN Midlands Milestones: Farmer Centred Innovation in CA. October 2019- September 2020

Objectives)

Key)activities)

Summary)of)progress)

%) completion) and)

comment)

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@:;;1/, 3/:92, F.77<.?, .7;, 91/1775.?H, 574:,

4>1,%L,1Q91/50174.45:7,9/:3122M,

$)741/3/:9957A, =54>, ?1A<012, .7;,

3:61/,3/:92,57,`,65??.A12,

$K4/59, 3/:9957A, =54>, 91/1775.?,

@:;;1/,:945:72,57,J,65??.A12,

"121./3>1/, 0.7.A1;, G<.7454.4561,

:<43:012,@:/,.,7<0E1/,:@,2:5?,>1.?4>,.7;,

=.41/,3:721/6.45:7,57;53.4:/2,

$K:5?,@1/45?54D,2.09?12+,/191.4,FBaH,

2.09?12,.3/:22,J,65??.A12,

$K:5?, >1.?4>, 2.09?12+, S,

9./45359.742b,S,65??.A12,

$"<7$:@@,9?:42,.7;,/.57,A.<A12M,B,

65??.A1,

$c.41/, 9/:;<345654DM, S,

9./45359.742,.3/:22,S,65??.A12,

L/453?12, .7;, 9/:0:45:7.?, 0.41/5.?, 4:,

17A.A1, 24.T1>:?;1/2, 57, 4>1, E/:.;1/,

1765/:70174, .7;, 2>./57A, :@, 57@:/0.45:7,

4>/:<A>,6./5:<2,577:6.45:7,9?.4@:/02,.7;,

9/:312212+, 573?<;57A, 4>1, 5741/714I, 2:35.?,

.7;, 714=:/T57A, 9?.4@:/02, .7;,

3:7@1/17312,

$@./01/2, :917, ;.D, 57, &8=.4>575,

FK19410E1/,ONthI,JNBRH,

$(161?:90174, :@, ., %:61/, 3/:92, >.7;:<4,

.7;,9:241/,@:/,<21,57,24.T1>:?;1/,161742,

$c/5457A,:@,.,E::T,3>.941/,@:/,%L])M%L,57,

L@/53.,

%:61/, 3/:92, 9?.741;,

ED, dNe, :@,

9./45359.742,

FdNe,3:09?145:7H,

K:5?, @1/45?54D, 2.09?12,

/12<?42, >.61, E117,

.7.?D21;, .7;, ./1,

573?<;1;, 57, 4>52,

/19:/4,

K:5?, >1.?4>, 2.09?1,

/12<?42, >.61, E117,

:E4.571;, .7;,

.7.?D252,52,57,9/:3122C,

FdNe,3:09?145:7H,

&]^#%*)W#, JM,

*:,573/1.21,4>1,

2<24.57.E5?54D,

.7;, 1@@535173D,

:@, %L, 2D24102,

57, 4>1, 24<;D,

./1.2, A5657A,

29135@53,

.441745:7,4:,4>1,

6.?<1, 3>.57,

.7;,

573:/9:/.45:7,

574:, 4>1,

E/:.;1/,

.A/5E<257122,

1765/:70174C,

_1D, .345654D, BM,

-./01/$3174/1;,

)77:6.45:7,

KD24102,"121./3>M,,,

_1D, .345654D, JC,

W.?<1, 3>.57, .7;,

.A/5E<257122,

2<99:/4M,,,

_1D, .345654D, OM,

K<99:/4, Z:3.?,

@.35?54.4:/2M,,,

^:574?D, ;125A7, .7;, 509?10174, @./01/$?1;,

.;.94.45:7, 4/5.?2, .7;, ., E.2T14, :@, @./01/,

?161?, 1Q91/50174.45:7, 9/:4:3:?2, @/:0, %L,

E124,9/.34531,:945:72C,

$JNS,@./01/, ?161?, 4/5.?2, 214, <9, .3/:22, BN,

65??.A12+, 573?<;57A, 5741/3/:9957A, =54>,

?1A<012,.7;,3:61/,3/:92,:945:72C,

!/:0:45:7, .7;, :@, WKZL2, @./01/, 3174/12,

.7;, 20.??, E<257122, ;161?:90174, .0:7A,

57;565;<.?,20.??>:?;1/,@./01/2,

$,K4./4,$<9,:@,B,71=,WKZL2,F&8=.4>575H,

*/.5757A, .7;, 0174:/57A, 2<99:/4, @:/, .4,

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3.9.354D, :/A.7521, ?:3.?, @./01/2I, ?:A524532,

.7;, 9?.7757A, @:/, 3/:9957A, :945:72, .7;,

0:754:/57A, :@, 4>1, @./01/, ?161?,

1Q91/50174.45:7C,

$a,Z:3.?,@.35?54.4:/2,>.61,E117,3.9.354.41;,

4:,2<99:/4,4>15/,A/:<92,V,29/.D57AI, 579<4,

2<99?D,.7;,;1?561/DI,9?:4,?.D:<4I,.7;,3/:9,

A/:=4>,0:754:/57A,

K9/.D57AI, 9?.7457AI,

4:9, ;/12257AI, 9124,

3:74/:?, .7;, A/:=4>,

0:754:/57A,>.2,E117,

3:7;<341;C,

FdNe,3:09?145:7H,

)7, ., 7<0E1/, :@, 4>1,

65??.A12I, 57;565;<.?2,

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9?.4@:/02, @:/,

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_1D, .345654D, OC,

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?1./757A, A/:<92, .3/:22, d$a, 65??.A12, V,

4>1012, >.61, 573?<;1;, %L, 9/57359?12I,

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3/:92I, 1Q9.725:7, 574:, ?./A1/, ./1.2I,

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3/:92I, )73?<25:7, :@, Z.7;%./1I, _h'(L"(I,

L\*, -::;2, .7;, 9./45359.742, @/:0,

K=.D50.71,

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F':4,;:71,.2,D14H,

*=:, 71=, 5741/72,

=54>, PK3U2, 57,

LA/53<?4</1, .7;, K:5?,

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E/:<A>4, :7, E:./;, 4:,

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%/:9, A/:=4>,

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4>52,21.2:7,

FdNe,3:09?145:7H,

A!performance!dashboard!is!indicated!below.!This!provides!a!snapshot!of!performance!according!

to!suggested!numbers!and!outputs!in!the!proposal.!

Table 2

:&PERFORMANCE&DASHBOARD;&FEBRUARY&2020!

Outputs

Proposed (March

2019)

Actual (Feb

2020)

Number of areas of operation

Number of villages active

No of local facilitators

No of direct beneficiaries; farmer level

experimentation

120

204

Fodder trials with KZNDARD

Stakeholder Events

Value chain support

Not defined

1x new VSLA

Articles, conferences

1-3 of ea

1 book chapter

Soil fertility samples

Soil health samples

The!table!below!summarises!farmer!level!CA!trial!implementation!for!the!2019-2020!planting!

season.! A! total! of! 204!trial! participants! have! planted! trials! this! season,! ! showinga! significant!

upswing!in!interest!!!

Table 3

:&SUMMARY&OF&FARMER&INNOVATION&NUMBER&AND&AREAS&PLANTED&PER&VILLAGE&IN&THIS&CA&PROCESS;&KZN&MIDLANDS,&

2019-2020"

Area)

Village)

2016)

2017)

2018))

2019)

Experi-

mentation)

Comments;)

incl)planters)

used.)

#243:</4,

%:/7@51?;2,

BN,

BO,

)741/3/:9957A+,

!L',aSiNI,!.7,

BS`,E1.72I,

3:=91.2,

(10:724/.45:

7,9?:4,.4,P/,

P5D.U2,

>:01241.;C,,

'1=,

j.7:61/+,

K=.D50.71,

P.D581T.7D1,

B,*>10E5,

PT>581,

Bd,

)741/3/:9957AM,

K%iNBI,!L',RJRJ,

E1.72I,3:=91.2!

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),9?.741/2,

<21;C,,

P.D581T.7D1,

J,P/2,'Q<2.,

BJ,

)741/3/:9957AM,

K%iNBI,!L',RJRJ,

E1.72I,3:=9112

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),,.7;,4=:,

/:=,9?.741/2,

<21;

P.D581T.7D1,

O,':0<2.,

K>.7;<,

BR,

)741/3/:9957AM,

K%iNBI,!.7RJRJ,

E1.72I,3:=91.2

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),,.7;,4=:,

/:=,9?.741/2,

<21;

\:E5810E1,

BJ,

BR,

)741/3/:9957AM,

K%iNBI,!L',BS`,

E1.72I,3:=91.2

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),9?.741/2,

<21;C,

L991?E:23>,

&8=.4>575,

Bd,

SS,

)741/3/:9957AM,

K%iNBI,!L',RJRJ,

E1.72I,3:=91.2

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),,.7;,4=:,

/:=,9?.741/2,

<21;,

*.E.0>?:9>1,

(1,_?1/TI,

#0;=.E<,

Z:2T:9,

JN,

Sd,

)741/3/:9957AM,

!L'aSiR,!L'BS`,

E1.72I,3:=91.2

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),9?.741/2,

<21;C,,

)0917;?1,

#0.9.71T175

'4=.2.>?:E:,

SN,

)741/3/:9957AM,

!L'aSiR,!L'BS`,

E1.72I,05Q1;,

E/:=7,3:=91.2,

j.7;,>:12,.7;,

P]Z),9?.741/2,

<21;C,

TOTAL!

26!

41!

82!

204!

Overall&process&

As!this!is!an!existing!‘technology’!the!farmer!level!experimentation!is!in!essence!an!adaptation!

trial!process.!!

Year%1:%

Experimental!design!is!pre-defined!by!the!research!team!(based!on!previous!implementation!in!

the! area! in! an! action! research! process! with! smallholders).! It! includes! a! number! of! different!

aspects:!

•Intercropping!of!maize,!beans!and!cowpeas!

•Introduction!of!OPV!and!hybrid!varieties!for!comparison!(1!variety!of!maize!and!beans!

respectively)!

•Close!spacing!(based!on!Argentinean!system)!

•Mixture!of!basin!and!row!planting!models!!

•Use!of!no-till!planters!(hand!held,!animal!drawn!and!tractor!drawn)!

•Use! of! micro-dosing! of! fertilizers! based! on! a! generic! recommendation! from! local! soil!

samples!!

•Herbicides!sprayed!before!or!at!planting!only!

•Decis!Forte!used!at!planting!and!top-!dressing!stage!for!cutworm!and!stalk!borer!

•Planting!of!cover!crops;!summer!and!winter!mixes!

Experimental!design!includes!2!treatments;!planter!type!(2)!and!intercrop!(2).!See!the!diagram!

below.!

Figure 3: Example of plot layouts for the 1st level farmer trials

The! basic! process! for! planting! thus! includes:! Close! spacing! of! tramlines! (2! rows)! of! maize!

(50cmx50cm)!and!legumes!(20cmx10cm)!intercropped,!use!of!a!variety!of!OPV!and!hybrid!seed,!

weed! control! through! a! combination! of! pre-! planting! spraying! with! herbicide! and! manual!

weeding!during!the!planting!season!and!pest!control!using!Decis!Forte,!sprayed!once!at!planting!

and!once!at!top!dressing!stage.!

For!the!tractor!drawn!two!row!planter!the!layout!has!been!adapted!to!incorporate!both!close!

spacing!and!inter!cropping.!Rows!are!planted!with!the!following!order!and!spacing;!Maize-50cm!

-Beans-25cm-Beans-50cm!Maize!

Year%2:%

Based! on! evaluation! of! experiment! progress! for! year! 1,! includes! the! addition! of! options! that!

farmers!choose!from.!Farmers!also!take!on!spraying!and!plot!layout!themselves:!

•A!number!of!different!OPV!and!hybrid!varieties!for!maize,!inclusion!of!short!season!maize!

varieties!

•A!number!of!different!options!for!legumes!(including!summer!cover!crops)!

•Planting!method!of!choice!

•Comparison!of!single!crop!and!intercropping!planting!methods!

•Use!of!specific!soil!sample!results!for!fertilizer!recommendations!

•Early!planting!

•Own!choices!!

Year%3:%

Trials!are!based!on!evaluation!of!experimentation!process!to!date;!to!include!issues!of!cost!benefit!

analysis,!bulk!buying!for!input!supply,!joint!actions!around!storage,!processing!and!marketing.!

PLOT 1: Hand HoePLOT 2: Planter

Maize1, bean1Maize2, Bean 1Maize1, bean1Maize 2,Bean 1

Maize1, Bean 2Maize 2,Bean2Maize 1,Bean2Maize 2,Bean 2

PLOT 3: OR repeat plot 1 and 2PLOT4:

Hand hoePlanter Hand hoePlanter

Maize1,cowpeaMaize1,cowpea

Maize1, Dolichos

Maize1, dolichos

Maize 2, CowpeaMaize 2, Cowpea

Maize2, Dolichos

10m or 5m

Farmers!design!their!experiments!for!themselves!to!include!some!of!the!following!potential!focus!

areas:!

•Early!or!late!planting;!with!options!to!deal!with!more!weeds!and!increased!stalk!borer!

pressure.!

•Herbicide!mix!to!be!used!pre!and!at!planting!(Round!up,!Dual!Gold,!Gramoxone)!

•A!pest!control!programme!to!include!dealing!with!CMR!beetles!!

•Intercropping!vs!crop!rotation!options!

•Spacing!in!single!block!plantings!

•Use! of! composted! manure! for! mulching! and! soil! improvement! in! combination! with!

fertilizer!

•Soil!sample!results!and!specific!fertilizer!recommendations!

•Planting!of!Dolichos!and!other!climbing!beans!

•Summer! and! winter! cover! crops;! crop! mixes,! planting! dates,! management! systems,!

planting!methods!(furrows!vs!scatter)!

•Seed!varieties;!conscious!decisions!around!OPVs,!hybrids!and!GM!seeds;!inclusion!of!short!

season!maize!varieties!

Soil&fertility&&

Soil!fertility!samples!are!taken!for!a!selection!of!participants!on!a!yearly!basis!for!the!following!

reasons:!

1.Samples!are!taken!for!new!entrant!CA!participants!to!ascertain!their!soil!fertility!status!

and! fertility! amelioration! needs.! These! results! are! added! to! the! existing! database! of!

around!200!participants!for!SKZN!and!EC!to!determine!both!a!generic!recommendation!

for! the! area! and! to! ascertain! any! specific! requirements! for! individuals! for! whom! the!

generic!requirements!are!not!appropriate!

2.Repeat!samples!are!taken!for!participants!in!their!3rd!and!4th!year!of!implementation!of!

CA,!to!ascertain!any!potential!soil!fertility!differences!related!to!CA!when!compared!to!

conventional!cropping.!

This!season!repeat!samples!were!taken!for!4!participants!from!Swayimane!(Mayizekanye1,2,3!

and!Gobizembe.!The!results!are!summarised!in!the!figures!below!

(NOTE:!RT=repeat!CA!trial!plot!and!RC=!Repeat!Control!plot)!

Figure 4: Soil fertility results for 2017,2018 and 2019 for 3 participants form Mayizekanye

From!the!figure!above!for!Mayizekanye,!the!following!points!can!be!made:!

•The! pH! of! the! CA! trial! plots! and! the! conventional! control! plots! have! remained! similar!

across!the!three!seasons!

•The! acid! saturation! percentage! in! the! CA! plots! has! decreased! significantly! (23,6%!to!

8,8%),!while!that!in!the!control!plots!has!increased!slightly!from!18,2%!to!20!%.!This!is!

an!interesting!outcome,!related!potentially!not!only!to!the!application!of!lime,!but!also!to!

the!balancing!of!soil!minerals!in!solution!due!to!multi-cropping!options!used!in!the!CA!

trial!plots!

•The!percentage!of!N!in!the!CA!trial!plots!has!decreased!from!0,20%!to!0,11%!while!the!

conventional! control! plots! have! seen! a! reasonably! significant! increase! from! 0,09%!to!

0,17%.!!As!the!soil!samples!are!taken!after!harvest!and!prior!to!planting!and!fertilization,!

this!figure!is!indicative!of!the!nitrogen!available!in!the!soil!for!use!by!crops.!These!results!

can!not!easily!be!explained!when!considering!the!cropping!options!and!system!–!as!the!

CA! trial! plots! have! been! intercropped! with! legumes! and! cover! crops,! which! should!

increase!the!available!N!and!the!control!plots!have!not.!

•The!percentage!organic!carbon!is!similar!for!both!the!CA!trial!plots!and!the!conventional!

control!plots!at!2,28!%!and!2,24%!respectively.!!The!lower!%organic!C!for!both!the!CA!

and!conventional!plots!in!2018,!when!compared!to!2017!and!2019,!is!most!likely!a!result!

MAYI MAYI MAYI MAYI MAYI

2017 2018 2018 2019 2019

RT RC RT RT RC

pH 4,40 4,28 4,36 4,66 4,25

N (kg/ha)65,30 68,00 70,00 68,00 68,00

P (kg/ha)33,00 28,00 26,67 21,00 22,00

K (kg/ha)2,002,000,8312,00 12,00

Lime (t/ha)2,30 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,25

MAP (50kgbags/ha)2,70 2,54 2,54 1,90 1,98

LAN (50kg bags/ha)3,10 3,86 4,05 5,00 5,00

Org. C %2,10 1,50 1,73 2,28 2,24

N %0,20 0,09 0,11 0,13 0,17

Acid sat (%)23,60 18,17 16,678,8020,00

0,00

10,00

20,00

30,00

40,00

50,00

60,00

70,00

80,00

Axis Title

Mayizekanye 1,2,3 soil fertility repeat smaples or 2017-2019

of!the!environmental!conditions!(late!onset!rain!with!hot!dry!conditions!mid-!season)!and!

not!due!to!the!cropping!system!used.!

•Fertilizer!requirements!for!the!CA!trail!and!conventional!control!plots!are!equivalent!for!

N!(68kg/ha),!P!(21!to!22kg/ha)!and!K!(12kg/ha).!

In! summary! there! is! very! little! discernible! difference! between! the! CA! trial! plots! and! the!

conventional!control!plots!in!terms!of!soil!fertility!parameters!in!Mayizekanye.!Participants!are!

not! paying! enough! attention! to! increasing! soil! cover! in! their! CA! experiments! and! are! also!

reluctant!to!undertake!the!close!spacing!suggested.!They!tend!to!remove!weeds!from!the!fields!

and!are!thus!losing!many!of!the!benefits!CA!can!provide!for!their!cropping!system.!

(NOTE:!RT=repeat!CA!trial!plot!and!RC=!Repeat!Control!plot)!

Figure 5: Soil fertility results for 2017,2018 and 2019 for 31participant from Gobizembe

For! this! participant,! the! results! for! the! different! soil! fertility! parameters! for! her! CA! trial! and!

conventional! control! plots! are! very! similar.! The! difference! seen! in! the! 2018! results,! when!

compared!to!2017!and!2019!are!is!most!likely!a!result!of!the!environmental!conditions!(late!onset!

rain! with! hot! dry! conditions! mid-! season)! and! not! due! to! the! cropping! system! used.! This!

participant!also!has!not!paid!enough!attention!to!the!factors!in!the!CA!cropping!system!which!

would!improve!these!parameters;!namely!soil!cover,!inter-cropping!and!close!spacing.!

GOB GOB GOB GOB GOB

2017 2018 2018 2019 2019

RT RC RT RT RC

pH 4,30 4,21 4,31 4,26 4,10

N (kg/ha)64,00 70,00 70,00 60,00 60,00

P (kg/ha)38,00 25,00 30,00 20,00 20,00

K (kg/ha)12,0027,500,0085,00 107,50

Lime (t/ha)3,40 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00

MAP (50kgbags/ha)2,90 2,25 2,70 1,80 1,80

LAN (50kg bags/ha)2,90 4,10 3,95 3,60 3,60

Org. C %2,50 2,15 1,45 4,10 3,80

N %0,20 0,11 0,09 0,30 0,26

Acid sat (%)30,00 11,67 18,00 27,50 26,50

0,00

20,00

40,00

60,00

80,00

100,00

120,00

Axis Title

Gobizembe repeat soil samples 2017-2019

In! general,! for! Swayimane! (Mayiekanye! and! Gobizembe)! attention! will! need! to! be! given! to!

provision! of! K! in! the! generic! fertilizer!regime,! as! thus! far! only! MAP! and! LAN! have! been!

recommended.!!

Recommendations,from,the,soil,fertility,sample,analysis,

1.Ways!in!which!to!preserve!and!build!soil!carbon!are!important!in!this!area!(which!has!a!

high!potential!for!loss!of!organic!carbon):!!

a.Mulching!with!weeds!is!very!important!in!this!system!

b.Mulching!with!cut!grass!or!other!organic!matter!if!possible!

c.Ensuring!canopy!cover!as!early!in!the!season!as!possible!–!thus!close!spacing!

d.Introducing!a!large!diversity!of!crops!as!early!as!possible,!especially!legumes.!

e.Inclusion!of!manure!in!the!system!

2.Reduce!synthetic!fertilizers!over!time!!

3.Ensure!legumes!are!a!central!component!of!cover!crop!and!rotation!options.!

4.Cowpeas! are! an! important! inclusion! in! the! intercropping! process-! showing! ability! to!

increase!organic!C!and!N!substantially,!in!the!short!term.!

Progress&per&area&of&implementation&

Most!of!the!planting!demonstrations!had!a!good!attendance!and!participants!showed!interest!in!

what!was!taking!place.!Across!the!different!areas,!Swayimane!planted!maize!SC701,!Impendle!

planted! Pannar! 6479! and! Cornfields! and! Ntabamhlophe! planted! PAN! 53.! ! In! terms! of! beans,!

Swayimane,! Impendle,! Cornfields! and!

Ntabamhlophe!participants!planted!PAN!9292!

and! Gobizembe! farmers! planted! PAN! 148.!

Summer! cover! crops! were! distributed! mainly!

in! Swayimane,! Ntabamhlophe! and! Cornfields!

and! the! team! is! planning! to! distribute! winter!

cover!crops!in!Impendle.!!

Since!most!of!the!groups!in!Midlands!plant!in!

January,! monitoring! is! still! to! be! carried! out,!

primarily! in! Swayimane! and! Ozwathini.!!

Monitoring!has! been! done! in! Impendle,!

Cornfields!and!Ntabamhlophe!and!a!total!of!34!

crop!growth!monitoring!forms!have!been!filled!

out.!In! the! areas! that! have! been! visited,! the!

overall! germination! of! maize! was! good,! but!

beans!were!not!performing!well,!possibly!due!

to! the! heat.! The! challenges! with! beans! were!

mainly! low! germination! and! poor! growth.! A!

few! participants! had! good! germination! of!

maize,!beans!and!cowpeas.!Different!soil!characteristics!could!also!be!a!possible!reason!for!the!

mixed!results!when!it!comes!to!legumes.!The!cover!crops!were!growing!fairly!well!in!most!areas!

visited!by!the!team.!!

Table!4!below!is!a!summary!of!inputs!distributed!in!the!different!areas.!!!

Figure6: Delivery andDecanting of Inputs inGobizembe and

Mayizekanye

Table 4:Summary of inputs distributed in the different areas

Progress&per&area&of&implementation&

Demonstration,CA,trials:,Gobizembe,

The!Gobizembe!learning!group!is!always!the!first!to!plant!in!Swayimane!area.!It!started!off!with!

10!members!and!has!increased!to!19,!with!the!additional!participants!joining!this!season.!The!

group!has!had!challenges!in!the!with!low!yields!in!the!past!two!years,!especially!for!maize!which!

is!their!staple!food.!As!a!result,!some!requested!to!thin!out!the!maize.!The!demonstration!was!

conducted!at!Mrs!Zondi’s!house,!where!each!participant!also!collected!their!inputs.!The!trial!was!

400!m2!in!size!and!included!maize,!beans!and!cover!crops!as!Mrs!Zondi!requested!not!to!plant!

cowpeas!this!year!as!she!does!not!use!them,!especially!since!she!does!not!own!any!livestock.!The!

plots!were!10!by!10!metres!in!size,!with!two!plots!of!maize!and!beans,!one!plot!of!maize!and!mung!

beans!and!one!plot!of!the!cover!crops!on!their!own.!The!cover!crop!mix!consisted!of!sunflower,!

sunhemp,!millet!and!mung!beans!which!were!added!to!the!mix.!The!first!two!plots!were!planted!

using!the!hand!hoe,!the!third!plot!was!planted!with!the!hand!hoe!(to!make!basins!for!maize)!and!

the!haraka!planter!was!used!for!the!cover!crops.!The!fourth!plot!was!planted!using!the!haraka!

planter.!Planting!went!fairly!quickly!and!all!four!

plots!were!completed!as!the!group!was!already!

familiar!with!planting!trials.!The!plot!layout!is!

indicated!in!the!diagram!alongside.!

Area!!

No!of!

Participant

s!!

2019!

No!of!

Participants!

!2020!

Lime!!

Maize!

Beans!!

Cowpeas!

Herbicid

Protective!

clothing!!

Mayizekanye"

24"

43"

Yes"

PAN"

SC701"

PAN929

Mixed"

Brown""

Round"

Up/Gram

oxone"

No"

Gobizembe""

10"

19"

Yes"

PAN]"

SC701"

PAN"148"

Mixed"

brown"

Round"Up"

No"

Cornfields"

10"

13"

No"

PAN"

6479"

PAN"

9292"

Mixed"

Brown"

Gramoxo

ne"

Yes"(mask,"

goggles,"gloves)"

Ozwathini"

15"

44"

Yes"

(supplied"

by"

DARD)"

PAN"

SC701"

PAN"

9292"

Black"

eyed"

Springbo

(supplied"

by"DARD)"

No"

Impendle"

40"

No"

PAN"

6479"

PAN"

9292"

Black"

eyed"

Round"Up"

Yes"(protective"

clothing,"

goggles,"masks,"

gloves)"

Ntabamhlophe"

29"

Yes""

PAN"148"

Black"

eyed"

Round"Up"

Loskop"

16"

TOTAL!

59!

204!

M+B(

M+((

Mung(beans(

M+B(

SCC(

Cover%Crop%Demonstration%

Mrs!Xasibe!is!a!third!year!CA!participant!who!also!keeps!livestock!in!the!form!of!cattle,!goats!as!

well!as!pigs.!She!expressed!interest!in!trying!out!some!fodder!crops!for!her!livestock!as!feed!is!

becoming!increasingly!expensive.!

Initially,!planting!was!to!take!place!in!November!2019!but!due!to!time!constraints!it!was!not!so,!

and!also!subsequent!to!spraying!Gramoxone!it!rained!heavily!thus!making!it!difficult!to!proceed!

with!planting.!This!year,!planting!took!place!on!the!9th!of!January.!

The!plot!was!demarcated!into!three!plots!of!10!by!10!meters.!Plot!one!was!divided!into!two!10!by!

5!m!plots!of!summer!cover!crops!with!lime!and!summer!cover!crops!with!animal!manure.!Lucerne!

and!turnips!with!lime!and!Lucerne!and!turnips!with!animal!manure!were!planted!in!plot!2.!Beans!

were!planted!in!the!remaining!bottom!part!of!the!plot.!In!plot!3,!four!rows!of!maize,!four!rows!of!

beans,!four!rows!of!summer!cover!crops!and!four!rows!of!cowpeas!were!planted!with!lime!and!

animal!manure.!!The!plot!layout!is!shown!below!

PLOT(1(

PLOT(2(

PLOT(3(

SCC((

(lime)%

Lucerne(+turnips((

(lime)%

4(rows(maize(

4(rows(beans(

4(rows(SCC(

4(rows(Cowpea(

(Lime%and%animal%

manure)%

SCC((

(manure)%

Lucerne+(turnips((

(animal%manure)%

Beans(

%(animal%manure)%

Figure7: Planting demo in Mrs Zondi's field, (left) scc, centre (opening of planting basins and rows for maize

and mungbeans), right (maize and bean plot)

Demonstration,CA,trial:,Ntabamhlophe,,

The!planting!demonstration!in!Ntabamhlophe!was!conducted!at!the!end!of!November!and!was!

attended!by!25!participants.!The!area!was!demarcated!into!three!plots!of!maize!and!beans,!maize!

and!cowpeas!as!well!as!summer!cover!crops.!The!session!was!conducted!by!Tema!together!with!

Lindelwa! and! Nkosinathi! from! Lima.! Plot! one! was! planted! using! the! hand! hoe,! plot! two! was!

planted!with!the!MBLI!planter!and!plot!three!was!planted!with!the!haraka!planter.!Each!plot!was!

100! m2!in! size.! It! was! explained! to! the! participants! that! spacing! for! maize! is! 50! cm! and! 25!

centimetres!for!beans!and!that!basins!are!opened!in!a!zig!zag!manner.!Both!lime!and!MAP!were!

added! to! each! plot! using! micro-dosing! before! the! seed! was! sown.The! total! area! planted! was!

300m2.!The!session!went!well,!especially!with!the!MBLI!planter!as!the!farmers!took!to!it!very!!

quickly!and!said!they!would!continue!to!use!it.!Surprisingly,!most!were!not!keen!on!using!the!

haraka! and! said! it! was! a! bit! heavy! to! push! around.! !The! plot! layout! is! shown! in! the! diagram!

alongside.!

M+B!

M+C!

SCC!

Figure8: left (Ntokozo planting scc with haraka), center (Lucerne and turnip plot), right (adding lime to scc plot

Demonstration,CA,trials:,Mayizekanye,,

Mayizekanye!farmers!commenced!planting!on!the!7th!of!January!2020.!The!initial!proposed!date!

was!23!December!but!they!postponed!as!the!tractor!driver!was!not!available.!Planting!took!place!

on! the! 7th!and! on! the! 14th!of! January.! The! first! planting! demonstration!was! conducted! on!

Dumazile,!Khonzephi!and!Thembeni!Nxusa’s!field!and!they!opted!to!only!plant!maize!and!beans!

this!year,!together!with!a!cover!crop!mix!to!be!added!in!the!first!week!of!February.!Their!reason!

for!not!planting!cowpeas!was!that!they!do!not!use!them,!and!thus!prefer!to!plant!something!they!

can!sell.!All!three!groups!were!requested!to!join!the!demonstration.!

Planting!took!place!on!both!the!!CA!trial!and!!the!CA!control!plot.!In!the!trial,!the!planter!was!set!

on!low!range!gear!setting,!on!6th!gear!which!was!0.43!m!intra-row!spacing!for!maize;!and!on!3rd'

gear!for!beans!which!was!0.30!m!inter-row!spacing.!The!inter-row!spacing!was!60!cm!for!maize.!

The!fertiliser!flute!was!set!at!the!low!release!setting!for!the!trial!where!maize!and!beans!were!

planted!and!high!release!setting!for!the!control,!where!only!maize!was!planted.!Both!lime!and!

fertiliser!were!mixed!together!during!planting.!The!demonstration!included!a!short!explanation!

of!how!the!planter!works!in!terms!of!adjusting!of!seed!plates,!planting!depth,!fertiliser!settings,!

maintenance!etc.!Prior!to!planting!Q20!oil!was!applied!to!the!chain!and!nuts!and!bolts!as!the!

planter!had!been!in!storage!for!a!long!time.!!

One!of!the!challenges!was!that!the!tractor!gear!box!oil!was!leaking,!resulting!in!the!lever!failing!to!

lift!the!planter!when!changing!rows;!but!after!the!oil!was!bought!and!added!this!was!no!longer!a!

problem.!The!field!had!a!slight!slope!and!was!uneven,!resulting!in!seed!not!penetrating!in!some!

parts.!Also,!the!soil!kept!getting!stuck!in!the!fertiliser!and!seed!tynes!blocking!the!fertiliser!and!

Figure9: top left (opening lines for beans), top right (demonstration of haraka planter)bottom

left (explanation of MBLI planter), bottom right (planted plot of maize and beans)

seed!from!coming!out.!The!team!had!to!constantly!remove!the!soil!and!check!whether!the!seed!

was!actually!getting!into!the!ground.!!

Although!monitoring!has!not!yet!been!conducted,!Mrs!Nxusa!informed!the!team!that!the!maize!

germinated! but! had! some! spaces,! and! the! beans! did! not! germinate! well,! and! those! that!

germinated!were!in!a!poor!condition.!The!two!options!in!this!case!are!to!replant!the!beans!and/or!

plant!cover!crops!should!they!die!out!completely.!On!the!control!plot,!the!maize!was!looking!good!

and!was!growing!more!vigorously,!which!is!believed!to!be!due!to!the!increase!in!the!amount!of!

fertiliser!added.!!

Figure 10: left (planted field), center(planter planting maize and beans), right (Ntokozo mixing fertiliser and lime)

The!second!planting!demonstration!was!done!with!Nomusa!Shandu’s!group!where!22!

participants!attended.!Out!of!the!22!that!were!present,!five!were!participants!who!had!been!in!

the!program!for!two!seasons!and!this!is!their!third.!The!session!began!with!a!recap!on!CA!and!its!

principles,!and!an!explanation!of!the!planting!process.!

It!was!explained!that!planting!is!done!in!400!m2!plots!that!have!not!been!ploughed!and!a!herbicide!

is!sprayed!prior!to!planting!to!remove!actively!growing!weeds.!Thereafter!planting!is!done!by!

hand,!although!there!are!other!options!available.!Two!rows!of!maize!alternating!with!two!rows!of!

legumes!are!planted!alternately!on!100!m2'plots.!The!spacing!for!maize!and!legumes!is!set!at!50!

and!25!respectively,!in!order!to!have!canopy!cover!in!a!shorter!space!of!time!so!as!to!reduce!the!

overgrowth!of!weeds.!Winter!and!summer!cover!crops!were!also!briefly!explained,!prior!to!the!

actual!planting!demonstration.!

!As!a!group,!two!plots!of!maize!and!beans,!and!maize!and!cowpeas!were!planted,!and!Mrs!Shandu!

would! later! continue! with! the! rest.! Upon! the! distribution! of! inputs,! there! was! a! shortage! as!

initially!only!seven!new!members!were!reported!but!as!it!turned!out,!there!were!19.!The!team!

emphasized!that!people!should!not!join!with!the!expectation!of!receiving!inputs!but!should!do!so,!

because!they!want!to!learn!something!different!from!what!they!are!currently!doing!and!wish!to!

improve!their!soil!fertility!and!health!over!time.!The!group!was!also!informed!about!subsidies!

which!are!payable!upon!receipt!of!inputs!for!returning!participants,!who!then!requested!to!pay!

in!their!subsidies!in!March!as!they!are!currently!financially!overcommitted!due!to!other!farming!

activities.!Below!are!pictures!of!what!took!place!on!the!day.!!!

Figure 11: Planting session with New participants in Mayizekanye

CA,demonstration,trials:,Ozwathini,

The!Ozwathini!planting!demonstration!was!conducted!in!three!sessions,!the!first!one!was!the!two-

row!planter,!which!was!used!to!plant!maize!and!beans.!In!attendance,!were!the!Extension!Officers!

in! the! area,! Wiseman! Ndlovu! and! Sbusiso! Mkhize.! The! fertiliser! flute! was! placed! on! medium!

release,!and!the!gears!were!set!on!low!range!at!3rd!and!6th!gear.!The!spacing!for!maize!was!set!at!

0.43!m!and!beans!at!0.30!m.!!Both!fertiliser!and!lime!were!mixed!into!the!fertiliser!bin!prior!to!

planting.!The!planter!specifications!were!explained!and!it!was!emphasized!that!the!participants!

need!to!grease!it!on!a!regular!basis.!Planting!was!done!in!an!area!of!400m2.!!

Subsequent!to!the!demo!on!the!two-row!planter,!another!demo!was!conducted!on!the!haraka!

planter!where!a!mix!of!summer!cover!crops!and!mung!beans!were!planted!on!an!adjacent!plot,!of!

200m2.!Planting!was!done!at!a!fixed!spacing!of!30!cm!intra!row!and!40!cm!inter!row,!where!the!

medium!seed!plate!was!used.!Farmers!took!turns!in!using!the!haraka!planter,!and!initially,!some!

found!it!heavy!but!got!used!to!it!as!they!continued.!Subsequent!to!the!session,!some!showed!an!

interest!in!using!it!for!their!beans!and!cover!crops.!!

The!third!practical!was!primarily!for!those!new!to!CA!where!a!demo!was!done!using!hand!hoes!to!

show!how!to!intercrop!the!maize!and!beans.!Two!rows!and!maize!and!two!rows!of!beans!were!

planted.!This!was!the!shortest!session!as!by!this!time,!many!farmers!were!exhausted!from!the!

heat.!!

Figure 12: top left and right(manual

planting demo), bottom left (Mrs Chamane

planting cover crops with the Haraka), right

(planting with the two-row planter)

Ozwathini,Strip,Cropping,Demonstration,

A! meeting! was! conducted! on! different! types! of! grasses! used! in! fodder! production.! The!

presentation!was!done!by!Charmaine!Mchunu!from!Cedara!where!the!concept!of!strip!cropping!

was! explained! as! a! way! to!

combine!fodder!with!food!that!

could!be!consumed!by!humans,!

thus! deriving! greater! benefit!

from! a! smaller! area.! Strip!

cropping! is! normally! done! on!

slopey!areas!to!reduce!erosion,!

where! maize! and! grasses! are!

planted!in!alternate!strips.!!

It! was! further! explained! that!

perennial! grasses! are! the! best!

to!grow!as!they!are!permanent!

and! examples! were! made! of!

Digiteria! and! Mooi! river! mix,!

which!can!be!cut!to!make!haybales!for!cattle!in!winter.!Lespedeza!was!described!as!a!type!of!

legume!that!has!a!lower!tannin!content!than!Lucerne,!thus!reducing!its!potential!to!become!toxic!

to!cattle.!Tall!fescue!was!said!to!be!the!only!annual!grass!in!the!mix.!!

Figure13: OzwathiniMeeting on strip cropping

Figure 14: Fodder Production Demonstration

On!the!14th!of!January!there!was!a!strip!cropping!demonstration!in!Ozwathini!where!the!grasses!

were!planted!in!a!20!by!10!m!area!demarcated!into!8!plots!of!alternate!grass!and!maize!strips.!

Each!of!the!8!plots!was!2.5!x!10!m!in!size.!The!following!table!is!a!depiction!of!the!layout!of!the!

plots.!A!separate!10!by!10!m!plot!of!a!mix!of!all!four!grasses!was!planted!where!the!grass!seed!

was!broadcasted!and!another!10by10!plot!of!winter!cover!crops!which!were!also!broadcasted.!

The!field!where!the!demo!was!quite!fertile,!with!a!dark!brown!soil!and!a!lot!of!earthworms!which!

were!uncovered!when!planting.!!

A!total!of!12!participants!volunteered!to!try!out!the!strip!cropping!on!their!individual!plots!and!

they!each!received!50!grams!of!each!grass!and!a!kg!of!cover!crops.!The!two!planting!options!were:!

1.Mixing!all!four!grasses!and!planting!in!alternate!strips!with!maize!!

2.Planting!them!in!separate!strips!alternatively!with!the!maize.!

It!was!also!explained!that!the!winter!cover!crops!could!either!be!planted!on!a!single!10!by!10!plot!

or! in! between! the! maize.! The! team! would! monitor! the! outcome! of! each! trial! by! visiting! the!

households! at! a! later! date.! The! date! of! monitoring! of! the! demo! trial! was! set! to! be! the! 12th!of!

February!2020.!!

The!plot!layout!is!shown!in!the!diagram!below

,Demonstraiton,CA,trials:,Impendle,

Introduction%

The!planting!demonstrations!were!carried!out!on!the!18th!and!19th!of!November!in!Ntwasahlobo!

and!Mapanekeni!respectively.!The!purpose!of!the!CA!demonstrations!is!to!show!farmers!how!the!

planting!is!done,!from!plot!demarcation,!to!spacing!and!planting!methods.!The!planting!was!done!

mainly!using!hand!hoes;!the!team!tried!to!demonstrate!the!MBLI!planter!in!Ntwasahlobo!but!the!

bottom!compartments!kept!getting!blocked!by!the!soil!as!it!was!a!bit!moist!since!it!had!recently!

rained.!Both!of!the!workshops!had!over!90!percent!attendance!and!the!participation!from!the!

farmers!was!quite!encouraging.!

Maize! was! planted! in! basins! to! help! keep!

water!around!the!growing!plants!and!beans!

were! planted! in! tramlines.! Each! plot! was!

planted! under! two! rows! of! maize! and! two!

rows! of! legumes,! planted! alternatively!

throughout! the! plot.! A! standard!10x10! m!

plot!has!a!total!of!14!lines!of!maize!and!12!

lines!of!beans!if!the!aforementioned!spacing!

is!applied.!It!was!further!explained!that!the!

maize! is! planted! in! a! zig! zag! and! not! in!

straight!lines!to!help!give!it!breathing!space!

and!for!the!ears!to!form!properly!in!between!

plants!as!well!as!to!provide!shelter!into!an!

otherwise! empty! space! in! between! the!

rows.!!

Figure 15: Ntwasahlobo CA planting Demonstration:

18 November 2019

Plot!1!

Plot!2!

Plot!3!

Plot!4!

Plot!5!

Plot!6!

Plot!7!

Plot!8!

Plot!9!

Plot!10!

Pansacola!!

(in"row)"

Maize!

(basins)"

Mooi!River!

mix!!

(in"row)"

Maize!

(basins)!

Tall!

Fescue!!

(in"row)!

Maize!

(basins)"

Lespedeza!

(in"row)!

Maize!

(basins)"

Pansacola,!

Digiteria!

Tall!

fescue,!

Mooi!

River!Mix!

(broadcast)"

Winter!

Cover!

Crops!

(broadcast)!

Pansacola!

(broadcast)"

Maize!!

(haraka)"

Mooi!River!!

Mixed!!

(broadcast)"

Maize!!

(haraka)"

Tall!

Fescue!

(broadcast)"

Maize!

(haraka)"

Lespedeza!

(broadcast)"

Maize!

(haraka)"

Figure 16: Emapanekeni Planting Demonstration 19 November

Crop&Growth&Monitoring&

Crop!growth!monitoring!is!at!it’s!beginning!stages!as!most!Swayimane!groups!were!still!planting!

in!January.!To!date,!monitoring!has!been!done!in!Mpendle!although!it!has!not!yet!been!completed,!

with!3!participants!in!Mapanekeni!and!11!in!Ntwasahlobo!having!been!visited!for!crop!growth!

monitoring.!Due!to!delayed!germination!as!a!result!of!no!rain,!SC701!was!panted!as!a!replacement!

for!PAN!6479!in!most!of!the!trials.!!

eMapanekeni,

Initially!it!was!believed!that!none!of!the!PAN6479!had!!not!germinated!as!it!was!taking!longer!

than!usual!to!emerge.!The!team!monitored!three!trials!in!eMapanekeni.!The!three!participants!

visited!were!Mr!Duma,!Agnes!Nkala!and!Mr!Khumalo.!The!PAN!6479!had!germinated!in!most!

trials!and!seemed!to!be!growing!moderately!well.!

Mr!Duma’s!trial!had!a!lot!of!patches!in!between!for!both!maize!and!beans,!with!maize!germination!

having! being! around!

70%! and! bean! and!

cowpeas! 40%!

germination.! There! was!

also! an! overgrowth! of!

weeds!in!the!first!plot!of!

the! trial.! The! second,!

third! and! fourth! plots!

had!many!patches!and!a!

spacing! of! up! to! 1! m!

between!maize.!!

Figure 17: Mr Duma's CA

plots

Agnes!Nkala’s!plot!looked!very!beautiful,!and!the!maize!appeared!dark!green!and!was!growing!

well.!The!germination!for!maize!was!over!90%!and!for!beans!and!cowpeas!it!was!over!80%.!There!

were!a!few!patches!in!one!of!the!rows!where!the!maize!was!eaten!by!crows.!There!were!very!few!

weeds! in! the! trial,! which! could! be!attributed! to! the! good! germination! of! both! the! maize! and!

legumes! which! quickly!

shaded! the! weeds.! The!

participant! also!

weeded! early! before!

the!weeds!overtook!her!

crops.! The! participant!

attributed! the! good!

appearance!of!her!trial!

to!doing!all!the!planting!

herself!as!she!felt!other!

people!left!a!lot!of!blank!

spaces! when! they!

planted! as! a! group! in!

the!other!CA!trials.!!

Figure 18: Mrs Nkala's trial

plot

Mr! Khumalo’s! maize! appeared! to! be! growing! well! but! there! were! many! patches! in! between.!

Germination! for! beans!

was!below!30%!and!was!

even! lower! for! cowpeas.!

Nevertheless,! the! maize!

had! a! good! germination!

of! over! 80%! and! was!

green! in! colour.! There!

were! a! few! patches! here!

and! there,!where! Mr!

Khumalo! planted! !in! the!

SC701.!!

Figure 19: Mr Khumalo's trial

plot

Ntwasahlobo%

Ntwasahlobo!farmers!reportedly!experienced!the!same!challenge!as!those!in!Emapanekeni!with!

regards!to!germination,!of!PAN!6479,!but!similalrly!unpon!moniotring!it!was!seen!that!the!maize!

had!in!fact!germnated!reasoanbly!well.!It!appears!the!farmers!were!too!ready!to!blmae!the!seed!

for!lack!of!germination,!rather!than!the!hot!dry!weather!conditions.!The!PAN!6479!was!growing!

quite!well!in!most!of!the!trials!and!the!primary!issues!identified!were!lack!of!weeding!and!the!

presence! of! pests! although! no! severe! damage! was! present! at! the! time! of!monitoring.! ! ! Mrs!

Gwambe,!the!farmer!in!whose!field!the!demonstration!was!conducted!informed!the!team!that!

next!year!she!is!going!back!to!ploughing!as!CA!did!not!work!out!for!her,!stating!that!the!weeding!

was! too! much.! It! is! possible! that! she! was! also! discouraged! by! the! late! germination! and! had!

thought! that! the! maize! would! not! emerge.! Another! setback! was! that! some! participants! had!

ploughed!their!fields.!As!many!as!4!out!of!the!11!that!were!monitored!said!they!ploughed!prior!to!

planting.!In!one!instance!it!was!not!easy!to!tell!the!trial!apart!from!the!control!plots!as!the!farmer!

planted! two! different! types! of! maize! in! one! field! and! did! not! intercrop,! rather! three! lines! of!

cowpeas!were!planted!on!another!side!of!the!house!and!it!was!said!that!beans!will!be!planted!in!

February.!!Below!are!some!pictures!from!Ntwasahlobo.!!

Participants who Planted under CA

The!participants!in!the!pictures!below!had!good!looking!crops!which!were!growing!vigoroously.!

Both!maize!and!legumes!had!a!high!germination!!rate!and!goood!canopy!cover!had!already!formed!

at! the! time! of!

monitoring,! which!

contributed! to!the! low!

presence! of! weeds! in!

these! plots.! It! is!

interesting!to!note!that!

despite!spacing!of!up!to!

a! metre! in! between!

maize! plants,! the!

cowpeas! still! managed!

to! outgrow! and! shade!

the! weeds.! Cowpea! is!

generally! a! very! good!

grounmd! cover! as! it!

grows! vigorously! and!

fixes! more! nitrogen!

than! beans.! In! Mrs!

Mbelu’s! plot! however,!

the!bottom!two!rows!of!

her! plot!had! low!

germination! and! thus!

an! overgrowth! of!

weeds.!!

Ntwasahlobo Participants who ploughed

There!are!participants!who!ploughed!their!plots!prior!to!planting!and!two!out!of!the!three!of!them!

were! not! at! home! at! the! time! of! monitoring.! It! is! possible! that! these! participants! decided! on!

ploughing!as!they!were!not!yet!convinced!that!CA!is!a!viable!option!to!maize!production!and!had!

the!potential!of!reducing!erosion!and!improving!soil!health!over!time.!All!of!them!planted!maize!

and!legumes!separately.!In!some!of!the!trials,!large!areas!of!soil!were!exposed!due!to!planting!

under!monoculture!using!very!large!spacings,!which!is!seemingly!the!norm.!!

Figure 20: From top left,

clockwise 1) Nomusa

Gwambe, 2) Mr Mbelu, 3)

Sechaba Molefe, 4) Adelaida

Molefe

Figure 21: Participants who ploughed and mono-cropped. Their plots had large

bare areas and a lot of problems with weeds

There!were!trials!that!did!not!look!good!

as!a!result!of!a!lack!of!weeding,!such!as!

the!one!in!Mrs!Gwambe’s!field!(left)!and!

another!elderly!farmer’s..!The!weeds!were!

a!combination!of!broadleaf!and!grass!

species!with!nutsedge!being!quite!

common!as!well!as!kikuyu,!black!jack!and!

Amaranthus,!!

Figure 22: Mrs Gwambe’s field , overgrown with

weeds

Cornfields,

Although! it! has! been! a! struggle! to! get! positive! results! for! the! CA! experimentation! process! in!

cornfields!due!to!the!highly!compacted,!interfile!soils!and!difficult!weather!conditions,!a!small!

group!of!participants!have!continued!to!try!out!different!options.!It!was!intended!to!do!the!strip!

cropping!fodder!demonstration!in!the!area,!but!Charmane!Mchunu!from!KZNDARD,!insisted!on!

taking! soil! samples! upon! arrival! and! seeing! the! condition! of! the! soil.! The! demonstration! was!

postponed.!The!results!have!subsequently!com!back,!indicating!no!major!soil!fertility!issues;!given!

that!the!concerns!are!more!related!to!soil!type!and!structure.!

Monitoring!was!conducted!towards!the!end!of!January!2020.!Mr!Mieya,!the!local!facilitator!for!the!

area!opted!to!plough!his!CA!trial!plot!as!the!soil!was!too!hard!to!plant!in.!Growth!of!this!“trial”!was!

okay,!but!severe!run-off!problems!have!now!been!experienced.!He!admitted!that!ploughing!had!

been!a!mistake.!It!is!very!difficult!to!suggest!remedial!action!for!the!farmers!with!really!bad!soil;!

they!invariably!insist!on!planting!maize!every!season,!almost!regardless!of!how!many!times!their!

crops!do!badly!and!fail!

Figure 23: Left to right; Mr Miya’s field, ploughed and mono-cropped to maize and beans and a few rows of summer

cover crops. Capping and run-off in the field is evident.

Farmer&Innovation&Platforms&

Two!events!were!held!towards!the!end!of!2019,!one!in!Ozwathini!focussing!on!cover!crops!and!

one!in!Ntabamhlophe!in!association!with!LandCare!as!an!introduction!to!CA!in!the!area.!

Ozwathini,Open,Day;,Cover,crops,,

An!open!day!was!hosted!by!the!Ozwathini!learning!group!on!the!24th!of!September,!focussing!on!

demonstration!of!the!two-row!tractor!drawn!planter!and!on!cover!crops.!This!day!was!held!in!

association!with!the!KZNDARD,!LandCare!and!AGT!Foods,!who!donated!a!range!of!CC!seeds!and!

did! a! presentation! on! cover! crops! for! the! group.! Around! 120! farmers! participated,! including!

farmers!from!Swayimane!and!Bergville!

!Below!are!pictures!of!the!CC!poster!and!handouts!provided!to!all!participants.!

Figure 24: Cover crop poster and handouts provided at the Ozwathini farmers’ day (in isiZulu)

The!mechanisation!demonstration!had!the!intention!of!showcasing!the!newly!acquired!two-row!

planter!for!the!group,!but!also!to!demonstrate!contour!planting!for!the!steeper!slopes!typical!of!

the! area,! as! well! as! using! the! planter! to! inter! crop! maize! and! beans.! The! two! separate! seed!

hoppers,!means!that!they!can!be!set!for!different!seed!types!and!different!planting!depths!making!

intercropping!an!easy!and!realistic!option.!

Figure 25: Right; The

two-row planter with

different seed types

(maize, sugar beans) in

the seed hopers and Far

right: a view of the

planter being

demonstrated in the

field

Mr!Simon!Hodges!from!AGT!Foods,!head!of!their!cover!crops!division,!was!an!important!guest!and!

speaker!at!the!event.!Cover!crops!are!important!in!CA!systems!for!improvement!of!soil!fertility!

and!soil!health!and!

also! for! provision!

of! fodder! for!

livestock!!

Figure 26: Right: Mr

Hodges doing his

power point

presentation at the

open day and Far

right; examples of

cover crops – millet

and mung beans.