Contour bunding technology-evidence and experience in the semiarid region of southern Mali

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR multi-centre
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
cg.contributor.affiliationInstitut d'Économie Rurale, Mali
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.crpMaize
cg.contributor.crpWater, Land and Ecosystems
cg.contributor.donorUnited States Agency for International Development
cg.coverage.countryMali
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2ML
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionWestern Africa
cg.creator.identifierGundula Fischer: 0000-0002-7658-786X
cg.creator.identifierAnthony Whitbread: 0000-0003-4840-7670
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1017/s1742170519000450
cg.identifier.iitathemeNATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn1742-1713
cg.issueS1
cg.journalRenewable Agriculture and Food Systems
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.subject.iitaFARMING SYSTEMS
cg.subject.iitaINTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT
cg.subject.iitaNATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
cg.subject.ilriENVIRONMENT
cg.subject.ilriFARMING SYSTEMS
cg.subject.ilriINTENSIFICATION
cg.subject.ilriNRM
cg.volume37
dc.contributor.authorZemadim, Birhanu
dc.contributor.authorTraoré, Kalifa B.
dc.contributor.authorSanogo, Karamoko
dc.contributor.authorTabo, Ramadjita
dc.contributor.authorFischer, Gundula
dc.contributor.authorWhitbread, Anthony M.
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-17T13:46:35Zen
dc.date.available2020-06-17T13:46:35Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/108503
dc.titleContour bunding technology-evidence and experience in the semiarid region of southern Malien
dcterms.abstractLand and water management practices have been widely implemented in rural Mali since the1980s to improve agricultural productivity and erosion control. Under conditions of recurring droughts, these practices are expected to increase farmers’ ability to cope with shocks. One of the most common practices applied in the central and southern parts of Mali is contour bunding (CB). In this study the impact of the CB technology is evaluated with a focus on biophysical and socio-economic benefits. Data were collected in two agro-ecologies of southern Mali and were generated through field experimentation and household survey. Field experimentation involved implementation of contour lines with farm ridges, agronomic trails and runoff and erosion measurements. Agronomic data was collected on sorghum, maize, groundnut and millet for three consecutive years (2015 to 2017). Socio-economic data on the use of CB was obtained from individual farmer surveys. CB involves the layout of contour lines with land leveling devices to identify points of equal elevation and construction of contour lines with draught animals and human labor. The majority of the labor input to construct and maintain the CB comes from adult men who are head of the household (58%) and youth male (33%). Results indicate that with the application of CB yield of crops was higher with the highest increase in grain yield and biomass obtained for maize and millet (P < 0.01). CB application was useful in retaining soil water and reduced erosion rate. In treatment fields, 162mmof rainfall per year was saved as soil moisture and on average 13,090 kg per hectare of soil was lost from farm fields without CB, and CB implementation significantly reduced the soil loss by 163% (P < 0.01). The improvements in crops yield and biomass, and the retention of soil nutrients positively changed farm level productivity conditions. The majority of farmers (78%) perceived higher income from the sale of crops grown on CB plots. These results suggest the landscape wide application of CB.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceScientists
dcterms.available2020-02-20
dcterms.bibliographicCitationBirhanu, B., Traoré, K., Sanogo, K., Tabo, R., Fischer, G. and Whitbread, A. 2020. Contour bunding technology-evidence and experience in the semiarid region of southern Mali. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 1-9.en
dcterms.extentp. S55-S63
dcterms.issued2022-01
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherCambridge University Press
dcterms.subjecterosion controlen
dcterms.subjectcontour bundingen
dcterms.subjecterosionen
dcterms.subjectfood scienceen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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