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Booklet - Conservation Farming
Generally the soil is very hard
to till before the rains fall. This
is especially the case for
farmers Manual who - Fire use animals. These
are weak after the long dry
season.
In minimum tillage the compost
and manure is placed directly
in each planting hole. It is thus
used more efficiently than
when it is spread over the hole
field.
Minimum tillage requires
inicially more time for weeding.
The household must avoid
planting on a larger area than
they have the capacity to
maintain. But if the weeding is
done well from the beginning,
then the land will after a few
years have less weeds because
less and less seeds get the
chance to germinate.
This manual was elaborated by:
Development Aid from People to
People (DAPP),
Child Aid & Environment ,
Southern Province, Zambia.
Summing up one can say that
minimum tillage saves water,
soil and money.
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The GAIA-Movement Booklet - Conservation - Conservation Farming Booklet Farming 23 1
CONSERVATION
FARMING
What you should know about the sustainable
farming system - Conservation Farming
What is minimum
tillage
Minimum tillage simply means
that the land is not tilled deeply:
no ploughing, no digging of
ridges, no deep digging with a
hoe. In many parts of Zambia -
where farmers had no draft
animals - minimum tillage has
been carried out for centuries.
The Conservation
Farming System
This method was developed in
Zimbabwe, and has shown
excellent results in Zambia. The
farmer digs a hole at every
planting station. This should be
done during the dry season, so
the farmer will be ready to
plant the very first day after the

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Booklet - Conservation Farming
sunset of the rain. The method
must be followed by soil
conservation methods such as
crop Manual rotation - Fire with legumes
crops, no burning of crop
residues and if needed,
establishment of contour
bunds, in order to get the best
results.
Advantages of
Conservation Farming
The farmer will be able to
plant the crop early and will
at the same time be ready
to start the weeding. This
will increase the yield and
food security, as early
planted and well weeded
crops give the best results
The holes will concentrate
rainfall around the plant,
and this will improve
growth of the crop in case
of little rainfall
The holes should be dug
using a string. This will
secure correct spacing of
the crop
Manure will be applied in
each planting hole - which
will make the manure go a
long way. The accurate
planting will give a good
germination percentage and
will therefore reduce the
amount of seeds needed
Fertiliser is applied into the
planting holes. This makes it
easy to give the correct
amount and make it more
difficult for heavy rain, to
wash away the fertiliser
The soil structure will
improve, if the land is not
ploughed over some years
- especially if other
conservation farming
methods are used in
combination with minimum
tillage.
Booklet - Conservation - Conservation Farming
and leaves from this legume
plant will have improved the
soil fertility. Crops can be
grown profitably without
fertiliser.
Improve crop yield
with Faidherbia albida
Faidherbia albida is also known
as Acacia albida - or Musangu.
This tree can with good result
be left in the fields. The tree
fertilises the soil and it does not
compete with the crops for
light, as it drops the leaves
before the rainy season. Maize
plants under Musangu trees
give a very good yield.
The basic concept of
minimum tillage
When the soil is tilled the good
structure formed naturally is
destroyed. The valuable humus
is buried further down. The soil
structure is spoiled and it is left
without a protective cover. This
results in soil erosion when
heavy rains fall.
With minimum tillage one
works together with nature
and not against nature.
Never plough the soil, nut use
this method of digging holes
each time a crop is planted.
These holes attract water.
The residues from former
crops prevent evaporation of
water from the soil, when they
are left as a protective mulch.
This furthermore prevents high
soil temperatures that destroy
living conditions for many soil
organisms.
Another advantage is that
minimum tillage gives the
possibility to prepare the land
before the rains.
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Booklet - Conservation Farming
much in order to use oxen for
cultivating (weeding) between
the crops.
Manual - Fire
Rehabilitating
degraded land with
Tephrosia and Sesbania
Land which has been overused
and has lost fertility can be
rehabilitated with the use of
Tephrosia and Sesbania. This is
a shrub which can grow 3 m
high.
Both are common plants in
many areas of Zambia.
Tephrosia contains a strong
chemical and can be used as a
natural pesticide. Tephrosia is
not browsed by animals but
Sesbania is liked especially by
goats and needs protection.
1. Dig the holes as for crops
under minimum tillage (70
cm between plants and 90
cm between rows)
2. Back fill the soil and plant 3
seeds in each hole at a
depth of 3 cm
3. Keep the plants free from
weeds, while they are still
small
4. Protect the seedlings
against fire (make a
firebreak)
5. Fencing is not needed as
these plants are not
browsed by livestock
6. Leave the shrub in the field
for 2 to 3 seasons. Cut
down the shrub (good
firewood!)
7. You can now grow crops
on the land. The roots of the
Tephrosia will have lifted
hard plough pans. The roots
Booklet - Conservation - Conservation Farming 3
How to carry out
Conservation Farming
Step 1: Prepare the land
Do not burn
crop residues.
Spread them
out on the
field.
Step 2. Prepare a rope
Prepare a rope, with bottle
tops squeezed onto it at
distances of 70 cm. If no bottle
tops are available, you can make
knots on the string using the
same distance.
Step 3. Mark out the
planting holes
Use the rope to mark the
planting stations. Measure 90
cm between each row with a
90 cm long stick. It is worth
marking out accurately in the
first year, because the holes will
be permanent.
Step 4: Dig the holes
Dig the holes around 35 cm (1
foot) long, 15 cm wide and 15
cm deep (like a hand).
Dig the
holes before
onset of the
rains - so
you are
ready to
plant early.
You can dig a
few lines
every day starting in August.
Step 5. Application of
manure and/or fertiliser
Apply basil dressing or manure
in one end of the hole.
This must be done together
with planting the seeds or
preferably before. Place one or
two big cups of manure per
hole and fertiliser as
recommended for the different
varieties of crops.

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Booklet - Conservation Farming
Step 6. Planting the crop
Maize
Plant Manual with the - Fire first good rain
(mid November to mid
December)
Soak the seeds overnight (6
hours) before planting - it will
speed up germination. Plant 4
seeds in the hole opposite the
manure/fertiliser 3 cm deep.
Plant the day after a good
planting rain. Never plant into
soil that is getting dry.
Cotton
Plant with the first good rain.
(mid November to mid
December)
Back fill most of the soil into
the hole leaving a small
repression only. Plant 5 to 6
seeds per hole, and cover very
lightly.
Cow Pea, Pigeon Pea, Gram
Plant mid to end of December
(You can plant some of the crop
earlier, in order to get an early
harvest for consumption). 5 to
6 seeds per hole - 3 cm deep
Groundnuts
Plant with the first good rain.
(mid to end of November)
Plant 8 to 10 nuts across the
hole - 3 cm deep
Sunflower
Plant between 1st -15th of
December. 4 to 6 seeds per
hole - 2 cm deep
Step 7. Early weeding
Start to weed as soon as weeds
emerge. This makes the work
easier and faster - it takes less
time to weed a field with tiny
weeds 4 times - than to weed
a field with big weeds 2 times.
When the weeds grow big the
crops will suffer as the weed
will steal nutrition, water and
light from the crops.
Step 8. Thinning
Thin while the plants are still
young in order not to disturb
the surviving plants. Thin maize
Booklet - Conservation - Conservation Farming
to 3 plants per hole and cotton
to 4 plants per hole.
Step 9. Top dressing
Add top dressing to maize
when it is knee high. Place the
fertiliser in a small hole 20 cm
from the stand of maize - 1
bottle top per station.
Step 10. Mid and late season
weeding
Do not allow weeds to shed
their seeds. As the land is not
ploughed, the weed population
will be smaller every year, if the
weeds never shed their seeds.
Step 11. Top the maize
Once the maize is mature, it is
a good idea to top the stalks
just above the cobs, and drop
the tops in the furrow. This will
shed up the drying and reduce
lodging from termites and wind.
Minimum tillage using
oxen
Ripper
A farmer can carry out
minimum tillage using a ripper.
A ripper does not turn around
the soil, but loosen the soil in a
furrow, in which the crop can
be planted. This work can be
done in the dry season, as it is
not so heavy to pull compared
with a plough. This will make
the farmer ready to plant early.
The ripper does not get
disturbed by thrash lying on the
ground.
Ploughing lines
A farmer can decide to plough
lines - instead of ploughing the
whole field. The job will be done
fast and secure all crops being
planted reasonably early,
compared with conventional
ploughing.
Cultivating
Cultivating does not turn
around the soil and it is very
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