Soil erosion and conservation policy in Zimbabwe

Whitlow, Richard

doi:10.1016/0264-8377(88)90076-2

Cited by 20 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Grant et al (1979); Vogel (1993); Munodawafa and Zhou (2008) Clean ripping Clean ripping entails ripping land in between the previous season's crop rows with a rigid ripper tine attached to animal-drawn plough frame; no crop residues are left in the field; planting is done into the rip mark line; ripping depth ranges from 0.15 to 0.25 m and spacing is usually similar to that in conventional tillage. Nyagumbo (1999); Vogel (1993) Elwell (1981); Wilson (1995); Hagmann (1996), Whitlow (1988) Fanya juus (bench terraces)…”

Section: Type Of Tillage Methods Tillage Methods Description Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil erosion and land degradation had become severe and the colonial government intervened using the Native Land Husbandry Act of 1951 which enforced compulsory construction of contour ridges (Hagmann and Murwira, 1996;Whitlow, 1988;Wilson, 1995).…”

Section: Contour Ridgesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Holing out is a traditional tillage method which was used prior to the advent of the plough in the 1920s (Whitlow, 1988;Wilson, 1995). Land is cleared of previous season crop residues and weeds; usually shrubs coppice regrowth is cut without stumping.…”

Section: Holing Outmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conventional tillage has been criticised for its failure to alleviate the destructive effects of long dry spells on rainfed crops and its failure to combat land degradation due to soil erosion (Bultena and Hoiberg, 1983;Whitlow, 1988;Willcocks and Twomlow, 1993;Wilson, 1995). An estimated 50-80 t ha À1 yr À1 of soil is lost annually from crop fields (Munodawafa and Zhou, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Conservation tillage of rainfed maize in semi-arid Zimbabwe: A review

Nyakudya¹,

Stroosnijder²

2015

Soil and Tillage Research

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Section: Type Of Tillage Methods Tillage Methods Description Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contour Ridgesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Holing Outmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Conservation tillage of rainfed maize in semi-arid Zimbabwe: A review

Nyakudya¹,

Stroosnijder²

2015

Soil and Tillage Research

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“…Many researchers studying soil erosion are in agreement that parts of Zimbabwe's smallholder areas face serious erosion problems (e.g. Elwell, 1983;Elwell and Stocking, 1988;Whitlow, 1988). A study by Whitlow and Campbell (1989) reported that over 25% of the smallholder areas are severely eroded and this has been cited as the major cause of poor yields (Hernanz, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infiltration and runoff losses under fallowing and conservation agriculture practices on contrasting soils, Zimbabwe

Nyamadzawo¹,

Nyamugafata²,

Wuta³

et al. 2012

WSA

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Fallowing and conservation agriculture are sustainable farming practices that can be used for soil and water conservation. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effects of different conservation agriculture practices on rainfall infiltration and soil and water losses across 4 sites, using simulated rainfall. The study was carried out at Domboshawa and the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Chikwaka smallholder farming areas, 4 sites with different soil types. Conservation agriculture practices evaluated were mulch reaping (MR) and clean reaping (CR) at Domboshawa with 5% clay and the Institute of Agricultural Engineering (IAE) with 50% clay. The study also evaluated runoff losses from fallow plots subjected to no tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) at ICRAF Domboshawa site (20% clay) and fallows subjected to CT in Chikwaka smallholder farming areas (4% clay). Infiltration rates were greater under conservation agriculture practices (>35 mm•h ). On fallows infiltration rates ranged from 24-35 mm•h -1 when compared to <15 mm•h -1 in maize under CT. Runoff losses were highest under CT at both Domboshawa and IAE sites, and were 21.5 and 15% respectively, while there was no runoff under MR and CR. At the ICRAF Domboshawa site, runoff ranged between 0-31% in fallows and was 57% in maize under CT. At Chikwaka runoff in CT maize was 58%, while in fallow plots runoff ranged 37-44%. Soil losses ranged from 0.2-0.3 t•ha -1 per rainfall event in maize, while in fallows, soil loss ranged from 0-0.1 t•ha -1. The results showed that CT resulted in reduced infiltration rates, increased soil and water loss when compared to fallowing and conservation agriculture across different range of soils. Conservation agriculture practices and fallowing are potential sustainable cropping practices that reduce soil and water loss and increase water use efficiency.

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Assessment of driving factors for yield and productivity developments in crop and cattle production as key to increasing sustainable biomass potentials

Gerssen‐Gondelach

Wicke

Faaij

2015

Food and Energy Security

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The sustainable production potential of biomass for energy and material purposes largely depends on the future availability of surplus agricultural lands made available through yield improvements in crop and livestock production. However, the rates at which yields may develop, and the influence of technological, economic and institutional factors on these growth rates are key uncertainties in assessing the potentials and impacts of biomass production. This study analyzes the pace and direction of historical yield developments (1961–2010) of five major crops, beef and cow milk in Australia, Brazil, China, India, USA, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and examines the driving factors behind these developments. In addition, it explores how future yields are modeled and how modeling efforts may be improved. Average yield growth rates over the investigated period ranged in most cases between 0.7–1.6% year−1 for crops, 1.0–1.5% year−1 for milk, and 0.4–0.8% year−1 for beef (relative to 2010). The role of different drivers is region specific. Yet, supporting agricultural policies have played an important role in increasing yields in all countries, especially for crops. In cattle production, a key factor was the importance of commercial beef and milk production for the national or export market. Based on regional differences in drivers and yield developments, models that assess biomass potentials and impacts should take into account regional drivers, yield gaps, and potential policy pathways.

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Soil erosion and conservation policy in Zimbabwe

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Conservation tillage of rainfed maize in semi-arid Zimbabwe: A review

Conservation tillage of rainfed maize in semi-arid Zimbabwe: A review

Infiltration and runoff losses under fallowing and conservation agriculture practices on contrasting soils, Zimbabwe

Assessment of driving factors for yield and productivity developments in crop and cattle production as key to increasing sustainable biomass potentials

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