1. A Comparative Analysis of Yield Gaps and Water Productivity on Smallholder Farms in Ethiopia, South Africa and Tunisia
- Author
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Brilliant Petja, Degol Fissahaye, Salia Hanafi, Nebo Jovanovic, Tarek Ajmi, Cou Pienaar, Kiros Habtegebreal, Abreha Gebrekiros, Muluberhan Kifle, Solomon Habtu, Eyasu Yazew, Gebremeskel Aregay, Yirga Woldu, Jean Claude Mailhol, Willem de Clercq, Rami Albasha, Bruno Cheviron, Constansia D Musvoto, Abdelaziz Zairi, Jochen Froebrich, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research [Cape Town] (CSIR), Ministery of Science and Technology, Stellenbosch University, LIMPOPO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POLOKWANE ZAF, Partenaires IRSTEA, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF), Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF)-Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles [Tunis] (IRESA), Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages (UMR G-EAU), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-AgroParisTech-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Mekelle University, TIGRAY AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE ETH, Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen] (WUR), European Project: 265471,EC:FP7:KBBE,FP7-AFRICA-2010,EAU4FOOD(2011), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-AgroParisTech-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
- Subjects
Gestion de la fertilisation ,Yield (finance) ,0208 environmental biotechnology ,PILOTE model ,Soil Science ,Water en Voedsel ,ComputingMilieux_LEGALASPECTSOFCOMPUTING ,Fertilization management ,02 engineering and technology ,GeneralLiterature_MISCELLANEOUS ,Agricultural economics ,Irrigation scheduling ,Mulching ,Organic amendments ,2. Zero hunger ,WIMEK ,Water and Food ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,15. Life on land ,6. Clean water ,Water productivity ,020801 environmental engineering ,Planification de l'irrigation ,Geography ,MODELE PILOTE ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,ComputingMethodologies_DOCUMENTANDTEXTPROCESSING ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Amendements organiques ,Paillis ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Modèle PILOTE - Abstract
[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]GEUSI [ADD1_IRSTEA]Gestion intégrée de la ressource et des infrastructures; International audience; Agriculture in developing countries will have to transform and increase production by an estimated 70% in order to meet demands by 2050. Although well-managed commercial farms offer little manoeuvring space for increasing agricultural water productivity, smallholder farms usually operate at low input costs and therefore provide ample opportunities to reduce the potential yield gap through agricultural intensification. The aim of this paper is to analyse and compare yields and water productivities obtained in field and modelling experiments in Ethiopia (maize, garlic, onion), South Africa (tomato) and Tunisia (tomato, potato, wheat). Innovative agricultural practices were introduced on smallholder farms: irrigation scheduling and NPS Zn fertilization in Ethiopia; high-yielding cultivar, drip irrigation, mulching and organic amendments in South Africa; and crop water modelling in Tunisia. In general, crop yields increased up to eight times with innovative practices compared to current conventional farming practices. Crop water productivities were fairly stable within the same experiments, but increased with innovations, indicating that intensive farming can be more environmentally sustainable than conventional farming. Intensive farming systems in a resource-rich environment (high radiation levels, relatively fertile, deep and well-drained soils), combined with technology transfer and capacity building could be seen as viable strategies to secure food for smallholders and communities in African rural areas, as well as to improve water utilization in water-scarce catchments.
- Published
- 2020