Conservation tillage implements for smallholder farmers in semi-arid Ethiopia

摘要

Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia practice conventional tillage systems using a traditional plow called Maresha. The tillage system has caused land degradation and poor utilization of rainwater that led to low crop productivity and famine. Experience in other countries has shown that such problems could be solved using conservation tillage. However, the implements used for conservation tillage were found to be too heavy and expensive for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. On the other hand, Maresha modified implements have been developed in Ethiopia. These implements are the Subsoiler, the Tie-ridger, the Row Planter, and the Sweep. This study was carried out to evaluate the modified implements for their effectiveness in undertaking conservation tillage with particular emphasis on tackling the problem of moisture stress in semi arid regions. The results showed that the Subsoiler was capable of disrupting the plow pan created by the Maresha plow. The Tie-ridger had less draft power and lifting force requirements while forming furrows with larger cross sectional areas compared to The Maresha Plow and the inverted Broad Bed Maker. The Row Planter resulted in earlier and twice as much seedling emergence of maize compared to conventional planting techniques while the Sweep enabled deeper root growth of tef apart from accomplishing planting operations faster and with less energy. It is concluded that the newly developed implements are suitable to undertake conservation tillage under smallholder farming systems in the semi-arid regions of Ethiopia.