This document summarizes a project in Sinnar State, Sudan that aims to improve soil fertility and conservation agriculture for small-scale farmers. The project is being implemented in 3 localities and targets 100 villages. It seeks to introduce environmentally friendly and productive technical packages to respond to increasing land degradation. One approach being assessed is minimum tillage prior to the first rains to harvest water. Another is using a chisel plough which has been shown to improve water retention in the surface layer compared to traditional wide-level discs that compact the soil. The overall goal is to enhance soil health and crop yields for smallholders and pastoralists facing challenges of low rainfall, drought, lack of conservation practices, and declining soil fertility.

1. ICARDA 2013
T9: Building resilience in agricultural systems: soil conservation and
fertility management
Case study 1: Assessment of approaches for improving soil fertility conservation agriculture in Sinnar State, Sudan.
December 17th, 2013

2. Supporting the Small-Scale Traditional Rainfed Producers in
Sinnar State (SUSTAIN)
Project Rationale:
Responding to ↑ levels of land
degradation
• Introduction of environmentally
friendly and productivity
enhancing technical packages
Location:
• 3 of 7 localities in Sinnar State
• Dinder, Abu Hajar, &
Dali/Mazmoum
Project Beneficiaries:
• 100 villages over 3 localities
Target:
• Smallholders (9 fed & ≤5 SR)
• Settled pastoralists
• Destitute women
•

3. Thirty years ago..

4. 2012…

5. Constraints
•low and erratic rainfall
• severe drought (1-3 years, 15-21 days in-season)
•lack of soil and water conservation practices
•minimum inputs - ↓ soil fertility

6. Wide level disc (WLD)
• 1° tillage, designed for 2°
tillage (pulverization)
• shallow (3 – 5 cm), thus ↓
water conservation.
• 1st - dry disking (after 100 –
150 mm) - seal cracks;
incorporate trash, weeds.
• 2nd - green disking – seeding,
1 – 2 weeks later dependent on rainfall.
Recurrent use has caused:
• clay pan and compacted soil
surface - ↓ water infiltration
• late planting - missing more
than 30 – 40 % of annual
rainfall

7. Poor water infiltration – leading to runoff/erosion
Compaction
Crusting

8. Promotion of minimum tillage – prior to 1 st rain - water
harvesting
Under minimum tillage:
– 133% increase in sorghum grain yield
– 355mm rainfall average

9. Assumed that creating furrows would collapse cracks and improve
water retention into the surface layer.

10. Following chisel ploughing
Following first rainfall

11. Crusting and Poor water Infiltration

12. Thank you