In total, more than 2,500 farmers applied the technology across the two study sites. As farmers started to see the benefits of the contour bunding, they began paying to implement the technology in their own fields. We worked with a local NGO, which provided a contour line-marking service to farmers for only USD 10 per farm. We installed equipment to measure run-off, soil erosion and soil moisture in both bunded and non-bunded fields.įrom the start of the project in 2014, our researchers were able to demonstrate to farmers and regional agricultural bureau experts that the level of run-off collected after heavy rains from the bunded fields was lower than from the non-bunded ones. At each technology park, we constructed contour bunding in some areas and left other areas free of intervention, before sowing locally grown crops. Our research team began by establishing technology parks within each study site to conduct agronomic and environmental monitoring, and demonstrate the benefits of contour bunding to farmers. Cotton is an important cash crop in both areas. In response to these climatic conditions, Bougouni farmers tend to grow maize and sorghum, while those living in Koutiala cultivate millet and other dryland crops. The sites had differing agro-ecologies, with Bougouni receiving 1,060 mm mean annual rainfall, and Koutiala 862 mm. These districts lie within Sikasso, a region of Sudanean savanna with agriculture characterized by rainfed, small-scale crop, livestock and integrated agro-pastoral farming systems. The two sites comprised four villages in Bougouni district and five villages in Koutiala district. If trees are used to strengthen the bund, then it can also provide animal fodder and reduce the need for free grazing, particularly during the dry season. It is aimed at reducing run-off and increasing water filtration to reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss. Contour bunding involves laying points of equal elevation along the contour of a sloping field and then constructing a bund, or barrier, along the contour. The first paper focused on the use of contour bunding at study sites in two semiarid districts of southern Mali. Our findings, outlined in two new publications, show that practices such as contour bunding, infiltration trenches, enclosure-based management and water-spreading weirs can help to reduce the effects of drought, limit soil loss, restore ecosystem services and enhance agricultural production. Scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in collaboration with partner organizations, investigated the effects of such interventions. Various land- and water-management practices introduced in recent years have sought to enhance farmers' resilience to environmental shocks, before climate changes progress further. Under climate change, the situation is worsening for example, many of the worst natural disasters recorded in East Africa have taken place in the past decade or two. Occasionally the link is to a commercial product in which case it should be understood that this does not imply any endorsement of the product by iSQAPER.Communities inhabiting Africa's drylands frequently suffer from torrential floods and recurrent droughts. However sometimes the link may be to similar practices or a research paper. Note: Most of the Further information links are to a full description of the example in the WOCAT database. Olive trees, planted in lines along the contour, are intercropped with an annual crop.Ĭontour tillage is combined with strip tillage enabled through GPS tractor guidance combines residue cover and tillage along contour lines to reduce soil erosion. Ploughing and all cultivation is carried out along the contour lines, reducing soil erosion.Ĭontour-planted trees intercropped with annual crops It is especially important at the beginning of the rainy season when there is little vegetation cover. The aim is to decrease the velocity of surface water runoff and soil erosion by concentrating water in the furrows and increasing infiltration. In the practice of contour ploughing the soil is ploughed along the contour, perpendicular to the direction of slope.
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