User:Alandmanson/Sources of Information for smallholders in KwaZulu-Natal

This document is a guide to sources of information that may help smallholders in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to produce crops and vegetables without expensive inputs.

Smallholder agriculture is practised widely in KwaZulu-Natal. Although low-cost agriculture is unlikely to raise many poor people out of poverty, it can improve household livelihoods This is because most households in the province have insufficient resources to generate a living wage from agriculture, and need other forms of income.

Smallholders in KZN generally have less than 2 ha (often less than 0.2 ha or 2000 m2) available for crop production. Despite this limitation, there are many successful smallholders; they often produce a variety of crops that may include a small patch of irrigated vegetables, a few fruit trees, and a mix of dryland (rain-fed) crops. There is a great deal of information available to help these farmers, but it is not always accessible. This document is an attempt to show what locally relevant information is available, and where it can be found (mostly on the world-wide web).

Natural resources

The availability of natural resources will limit the choice of crops that can be produced at low cost - Rainfall, temperature regime, soil type and terrain all vary considerably from place to place in KZN. At the scale of the smallholder, the soil and terrain usually require an on-site inspection to determine soil depth, soil drainage and slopes of individual fields. However, there are a number of mapping projects that can serve as guides regarding climate, soil patterns, terrain, and water availability for irrigation at the village or ward scale.

Bioresource Groups
Camp, K.G.T., 1999. A bioresource classification for KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/handle/10413/5406

Handbook on adaptation to climate change for farmers, officials and others in the agricultural sector of South Africa https://www.daff.gov.za/daffweb3/Branches/Forestry-Natural-Resources-Management/Climate-Change-and-Disaster-Management/Climate-Change-Unit

Agrohydrology Atlas

DWAS regulations regarding use of surface water

Climate-smart Agriculture

There are many low-cost technologies available that can help smallholders make the most of the limited climatic resources available to them.

Conservation Agriculture

No-Till Crop Production For KwaZulu-Natal https://archive.org/details/no-till-crop-production-for-kzn

Introduction to Conservation Agriculture https://www.mahlathini.org/resources/manuals/conservation-agriculture-manual/conservation-agriculture/

No-Till For KwaZulu-Natal's Small-Scale Farming Systems https://archive.org/details/no-till-for-kwa-zulu-natals-small-scale-farming-systems

No-till: Guidelines for beginners This 54-page document is aimed at commercial crop farmers (rather than smallholders) considering conversion to no-till cropping. However, it is included here because it highlights many of the difficulties associated with conservation agriculture and no-till crop production in KwaZulu-Natal. It is available from the No-Till Club of KwaZulu-Natal (the publishers; http://notillclub.com/) and was authored by Aubrey Venter and Ant Muirhead in 2005.

Water harvesting and other technologies

Smallholder Decision Support System - https://dss.mahlathini.org/home

Farmer-managed natural regeneration

Rinaudo, T., Muller, A. & Morris, M. 2019. Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) Manual. World Vision Australia. PDF

Hassan Abdirizak, Masumi Gudka, Benjamin Kibor, Monica Kinuthia, Paul Kimeu, Jan de Leeuw, Malesu Maimbo, Uriel Safriel, Mary Njenga, Miyuki Iiyama 2013. Farmer-managed natural regeneration: How to regenerate pasture and farmland on a low budget. World Agroforestry.

World Vision International 2012 Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) project model. Integrated Ministry & World Vision International. Uxbridge, UK. PDF

Bioirrigation

Bayala, J. and Prieto, I., 2019. Water acquisition, sharing and redistribution by roots: applications to agroforestry systems. Plant and Soil, pp.1-12. DOI PDF
This review indicates that hydraulic lift by deep-rooted perennial plants (shrubs or trees) can help to reduce the effect of droughts on annual crop production in agroforestry systems and promote productivity in some regions with erratic rainfall. Precise measurement of the contribution of the various water fluxes in the groundwater-subsoil water-topsoil water-mycorrhizal-root-shoot-atmosphere continuum is fraught with difficulties, but modelling of important parameters may contribute to the design of more productive agroforestry systems for drought-prone regions.

Drought-tolerant crops

Drought avoidance by having a short growing season - mung bean, millet, leafy vegetables, buckwheat http://mccc.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IA_2016_Short-Duration-Cover-Crops-for-Vegetable-Production-Systems.pdf
CAM crops need less water per unit CO₂ fixed
The potential of CAM crops as a globally significant bioenergy resource: moving from ‘fuel or food’ to ‘fuel and more food’ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278742016_The_Potential_Of_CAM_Crops_As_A_Globally_Significant_Bioenergy_Resource_Moving_From_Fuel_Or_Food_To_Fuel_And_More_Food
Davis 2019 https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz223

Crop modelling

Estes, L.D., Beukes, H., Bradley, B.A., Debats, S.R., Oppenheimer, M., Ruane, A.C., Schulze, R. and Tadross, M., 2013. Projected climate impacts to South African maize and wheat production in 2055: a comparison of empirical and mechanistic modeling approaches. Global change biology, 19(12), pp.3762-3774. DOI PDF

Sinnathamby, S., Douglas-Mankin, K.R. and Craige, C., 2017. Field-scale calibration of crop-yield parameters in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Agricultural water management, 180, pp.61-69. DOI

Schulze, R.E., 2016. Agriculture and Climate Change in South Africa: On Vulnerability, Adaptation and Climate Smart Agriculture A Selection of Extracts from HANDBOOK ON ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE FOR FARMERS, OFFICIALS AND OTHERS IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR OF SOUTH AFRICA Chapters A1, A2, A3, A4, K1 and Appendices. PDF

Schulze, R.E., 2016. On Observations, Climate Challenges, the South African Agriculture Sector and Considerations for an Adaptation Handbook. In: Schulze, R.E. (Ed.) Handbook for Farmers, Officials and Other Stakeholders on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Agriculture Sector within South Africa. Section A: Agriculture and Climate Change in South Africa: Setting the Scene, Chapter A1. PDF

Pest and Disease Control

Natural Pest and Disease Control Handbook Chemical control options for Fall Armyworm in maize https://www.kzndard.gov.za/images/Documents/RESOURCE_CENTRE/GUIDELINE_DOCUMENTS/Research_and_Technology_Bulletin/Chemical-control-options-for-Fall-Armyworm-in-maize.pdf Disease Management in Crops https://www.kzndard.gov.za/images/Documents/researchandtechnologydevelopment/publications/Research_and_Technology_Bulletins/2016.01-Disease-Management-in-Crops.pdf The application of plant based pesticides in sustainable agriculture https://www.kzndard.gov.za/images/Documents/RESOURCE_CENTRE/GUIDELINE_DOCUMENTS/Research_and_Technology_Bulletin/2015.08%20The%20application%20of%20plant%20based%20pesticides%20in%20sustainable%20agriculture.pdf

Weed control

Weed Management Principles For Maize PDF
This four-page document discusses the principles of weed control in a maize crop. It indicates the importance of good general agronomic practices to ensure rapid closure of the maize canopy, makes recommendations regarding the use of tillage and mulching and gives guidelines for the use of herbicides.

Vegetable Production In KwaZulu-Natal: Weed Control PDF
A three-page document that outlines the importance of weed control in vegetable production and discusses the use of cultural methods and herbicides.

Bezuidenhout, S., 2015, Sprayer calibration. Research & Technology Bulletin 2015/10, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Republic of South Africa, Pietermaritzburg. PDF
A four-page document describing how to calibrate agrochemical spraying equipment. It includes sections on nozzle selection, water quality, and details of calculations used to calibrate knapsack sprayers and boom sprayers.

Soil Fertility

Using Manures To Supply Plant Nutrients https://archive.org/details/miles-1998-using-manures-to-supply-plant-nutrients A two-page guide to the use of manures. It includes information on the nutrient content of manures and suggested application rates.

Soil Testing for Better Crops https://www.kzndard.gov.za/images/Documents/researchandtechnologydevelopment/publications/Research_and_Technology_Bulletins/Soil-Testing-for-Better-Crops.pdf A four-page guide to soil sampling and the submission of soil samples for fertilizer recommendations.

Completing the Sample Submission Form https://www.kzndard.gov.za/images/Documents/researchandtechnologydevelopment/publications/Research_and_Technology_Bulletins/Completing-the-sample-submission-form.pdf A pamphlet outlining the information requested when submitting soil samples for fertilizer recommendations.

Crop-specific guidelines

Vegetable Production In A Nutshell https://archive.org/details/allemann-young-1998-vegetable-production-in-a-nutshell Crop-specific guidelines are given for a range of vegetable crops grown in South Africa, along with general fertiliser guidelines. Suitable climate, soil types, cultivars, sowing times, seeding rates, plant population and spacing are outlined, and brief indications are given regarding the required fertiliser, possible pests and diseases, and likely yields. Vegetables included are beetroot, brinjal (eggplant), cabbage, carrot, chilli (hot pepper), trailing cucurbits (butternut, gem squash, hubbard squash, pumpkin), green bean (bush type), green pea, lettuce, amadumbe (taro), onion, potato, sweet pepper, sweet potato, swiss chard, and table tomato.

Brochures and Production guidelines for a wide range of props are available on the website of the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) https://www.dalrrd.gov.za/Branches/Agricultural-Production-Health-Food-Safety/Plant-Production/Production-Guidelines

Important rain-fed (dryland) crops Maize Dry beans Sugar cane Pumpkin Madumbe Sweet potato Irish potato Minor rain-fed crops Cowpea Field pea Dryland leafy greens - Japanese radish, kale, amaranthus, swiss chard Sorghum Millet Vegetables (most need irrigation or water harvesting) Trees for fruit, nuts, medicinal purposes, edible leaves