Abstract
Climate change and variability is threatening agricultural production and adversely affecting the natural resource base, which provides a living for more than half of the world’s poorest people. Farmers have therefore in response, developed coping strategies to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. However, most of these strategies have not been successful in some semi-arid areas owing to various challenges, including those that can be attributed to on-farm land and water resources management practices. This study was aimed at assessing the contribution of two different tillage systems (hand hoe and Magoye ripper) in climate change adaptation in agriculture, specifically on maize and sorghum crops in Chikwawa District in Malawi, a drought prone semi-arid area with perennial erratic rainfall pattern. These have been intensified of late by climate change. Three farmers’ fields were used to conduct community participatory research on farm learning activities. Data on maize and sorghum seed germination, seedling quality as well as grain yields were collected and analysed using GenStat. The results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) in time taken to germinate, maize plant height and leaf size and number of leaves per plant under both hand hoe or Magoye ripper for both crops. It was however observed that despite the statistically insignificant differences in leaf size and number of leaves per plant, the relative number and length of either maize or sorghum leaves were superior under Magoye ripper tillage system. However, the results show statistically significant differences for grain weight, maize cob circumference, length and stover. In this case, maize yield and stover increased considerably (p ≤ 0.05) under Magoye than hand hoe. These traits therefore, can be used in decision making for the adoption of the Magoye ripper for climate change adaptation in the study area and its up-scaling in Malawi.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Asfaw S, McCarthy N, Lipper L, Arslan A, Cattaneo A, Kachulu M (2014) Climate variability, adaptation strategies and food security in Malawi. ESA Working Paper No. 14-08. Rome, FAO. Accessed on 6 June 2014, from www.fao.org/3/a-i390e.pdf
Denning G, Kabambe P, Sánchez P, Malik A, Flor R, Harawa R, Nkhoma P, Zamba C, Banda C, Magombo C, Keating M, Wangila J, Sachs J (2009) Input subsidies to improve smallholder maize productivity in Malawi: toward an African green revolution. PLoS Biol 7(1):2–10
FAO (2011a) The status of conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: challenges and opportunities for expansion. http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/doc/FAO_REOSA_Technical_Brief3.pdf. Accessed on 6 June 2014
FAO (2011b) Proven technologies for smallholders. Accessed on 6 June 2012, from http://www.fao.org/teca/
Farooq M, Flower KC, Jabran K, Wahid A, Siddique KHM (2011) Crop yield and weed management in conservation agriculture. Field Crops Res 117:172–183
Hobbs PR, Sayre K, Gupta R (2008) The role of conservation agriculture in sustainable agriculture. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363(1491):543–555
IPCC (2012) Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation. In: Field CB et al (eds) A special report of working groups I and II of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, 582 pp
Joshua, MD et al (2012) Situation analysis: participatory building of capacity for climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector in Tanzania and Malawi. Zomba, Malawi: Natural Resources and Environment Centre (NAREC), Chancellor College, Malawi
Kaczan D, Arslan A, Lipper L (2013) Climate-smart agriculture? A review of current practice of agroforestry and conservation agriculture in Malawi and Zambia. ESA Working Paper No. 13-07. Agricultural Development Economics Division. FAO Accessed on 13 Dec 2012 from on www.fao.org/economic/esa
Kalinga-Chirwa R, Ngongondo C, Kalanda-Joshua M, Kazembe L, Pemba D, Kululanga E (2011) Linking rainfall and irrigation to clinically reported malaria cases in some villages in Chikwawa District, Malawi. Phys Chem Earth 36(14–15):887–894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2011.07.053
Lal R (2009) Soils and food sufficiency. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 29(1):113–133
McSweeney C, New M, Lizcano G (2008) UNDP climate change country profiles: Malawi. Accessed on 29 June 2012, from http://countryprofiles.geog.ox.ac.uk/
Mitchell JP, Pettygrove GS, Upadhyaya S, Shrestha A, Fry R, Roy R et al (1999) Classification of conservation tillage practices in california irrigated row crop systems. University of California, Los Angels
Ngongondo C, Xu C-Y, Gottschalk L, Alemaw BF (2011) Evaluation of spatial and temporal characteristics in Malawi: a case of data scarce region. Theoret Appl Climatol 106:79–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-011-0413-0
Ngongondo C, Xu C-Y, Tallaksen LM, Alemaw BF (2015) Observed and simulated changes in the water balance components over Malawi during 1971–2001. Quat Int 369:7–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.06.028
Nkomwa CC, Joshua KM, Ngongondo C, Monjerezi M (2013) Assessing indigenous knowledge systems and climate change adaptation strategies in agriculture. Case study of Chagaka Village, Southern Malawi. J Phys Chem Earth. http://dx.doi.org/1016/j.pce.2013.10.002
Nyirenda A, Ngaiyaye J (2008) Enhanced production and utilization of Sorghum for food diversification and income generation as an alternative to maize. ARDEP project. Accessed on 7 Oct 2012 from www.mirtdcmalawi.com/ARDEP%20BASELINE%20REPORT.doc
Tearfund (2010) Building resilience for food security in Malawi. Case studies—food security. Accessed on 10 Dec 2012 at http://tilz.tearfund.org/
Thierfelder C, Wall P (2009) Effects of conservation agriculture techniques on infiltration and soil water content in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Soil Tillage Res 105:217–218
Thierfelder C, Wall PC (2010) Rotation in conservation agriculture systems of Zambia: effects on soil quality and water relations. Exp Agric 46(3):309–325
USAID (2013) Malawi climate change vulnerability assessment. From the American people. Accessed on 7/89/2014 from http://community.eldis.org
Umar BB, Nyanga PH (2011) Adapting conservation agriculture for smallholder farmers: potential of cassava (Manihot esculenta) in Zambia. Available at http://aciar.gov.au/
World Bank (2010) Economics of adaptation to climate change: synthesis report. Washington DC, the World Bank
World Bank (2011) Vulnerability, risk reduction, and adaptation to climate change, Malawi. Climate risk and adaptation country profile. Washington DC, the World Bank
Whitfield S, Dougill A, Wood B, Chinseu E, Mkwambisi D (2014) Conservation agriculture in Malawi: networks, knowledge gaps and research planning. Report on the National Conservation Agriculture Research Planning Workshop Lilongwe. Accessed on 10 Jan 2015, from http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/
Zant W (2015) Why subsidize fertiliser if subsidizing water is more effective? Working Paper No. 2015/09. Maastricht School of Management
Acknowledgements
This research work was financially supported by the Rockefeller Foundation under the project Capacity Building for climate change adaptation in the agriculture sectors in Tanzania and Malawi; funding period 2011–2014. We gratefully acknowledge this support. The findings and views expressed are, however, the sole responsibility of the authors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sato, G.J., Joshua, M.K., Ngongondo, C., Chipungu, F., Malidadi, C., Monjerezi, M. (2020). Evaluation of Different Tillage Systems for Improved Agricultural Production in Drought-Prone Areas of Malawi. In: Matondo, J.I., Alemaw, B.F., Sandwidi, W.J.P. (eds) Climate Variability and Change in Africa . Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31543-6_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31543-6_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-31542-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-31543-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)