Developing organic resource management options with farmers in Eastern Uganda

Making our research more relevant to farmers has been the challenge of the last few years as prescriptive approaches have largely failed to increase farm level adoption of new technologies. In Eastern Uganda a partnership led by Africa 2000 Network has been developed to target technologies more accurately to farmers. The partners are Makerere University, NARO, ICRAF, TSBF/CIAT, Appropriate Technology Uganda (AT), Tororo local government, Department of Agriculture, UNFA, FOSEM, A2N, farmers, the District Agricultural Extension and the local administration. Farmer managed on-farm demonstrations of soil fertility replenishment technologies were used to evaluate technologies with farmers and to act as demonstration and training sites with farmers, NGO,s and extension personnel. Result highlights are presented for the use of Tithonia and legume cover crops. Incorporation of 50% and 100% of one season Mucuna and Canavalia fallow biomass was assessed to look at the fallow management options. Both incorporation rates of Mucuna and 100% incorporation of Canavalia increased grain yields by more than 200% compared to the control. Incorporation of 100% rather than 50% of the biomass produced in the plot did not significantly increase maize grain yields compared to the control. This would allow the farmer to produce the biomass in one place and to apply the biomass over twice the area, i.e. to use one part for incorporation and the other for biomass transfer or livestock feed. This is crucial where land sizes and fallow areas are small and little area is available for non-food crop production. Tithonia increased grain yields significantly in Kisoko sub-county only and farmers preferred to use it on high value crops where biomass transfer amounts, and hence labour requirements, are smaller. Farmers ability to innovate and experiment has been enhanced. Since 1999 second season, between 38-68 farmers have been maintained as demonstration farmers. In the same period, there has been an exponential growth in the number of farmers adapting and adopting improved fallows: 233 in the first season of 2000, 1,120 in the first season of 2001 and 1570 in the second season of 2001. Detailed surveys of farmer perceptions and decision making are in progress and synthesis of research results and discussions with farmers has led to the development of a decision aid for selection of different LCCs depending on the production objectives of the farmer.