Dr. Rachid Mrabet COP22 Session - November 13th, Marrakech African Soil Management: Adaptation of African Agriculture – Sustainable and Resilient Soil Management

1. Climate resilient
agriculture in Africa
Rachid Mrabet, PhD
INRA Morocco

2. Key threats to soils in Africa
Two thirds of Africa’s arable lands could be lost by 2025
because of the negative impact of climate change.
Soil: At the Heart of Water and Food Security Nexus
Soil erosion, loss of soil organic carbon, and nutrient imbalance
(depletion)
The continent loses 3% of agricultural GDP
annually from soil and nutrient loss on
farmlands

3. Mean size
(ha)
% < 2 ha
Sub-Saharan Africa 2.4 69
West Asia - North
Africa
4.9 65
South Asia 1.4 78
East Asia 1.0 79
SE Asia 1.8 57
Central America 10.7 63
South America 111.7 36
Europe 32.3 30
USA 178.4 4
Vast majority of Africa’s farms are small
and family operated
Eastwood et al., 2009
Africa has 33 million family
farms of less than 2 hectares,
accounting for 80% of farms
Women are the backbone of
agriculture in Africa
Only 3% of farms have more
than 10 hectares

4. Changes in Food production in SSA
available to them.Meanwhile,cropswith low financial returnssuch asdomestic cereals
destined for low-waged domestic marketsand which compete unfavourably with cheap
importson global markets,aswell aslabour-intensive cropssuch ascotton,have not
attracted the attention of LSCFs.
Regarding production trends,theoutput of most food cropsin SSAgrew substantially
between 1960sand 2013.In absoluteterms,tubersand cereal output grew significantlybetween
1985and 2010,whiletheproduction of pulses,oilseedsand vegetableswasrelativelylacklustre
(seeFigure4).In contrast,production hasdeclined significantlyin per capitaterms(seeFAO2014).
FIGURE4
Quantity of main food crop output in SSA
Source:FAOSTAT(2014).
Currently,SSA’scattlepopulation ismainly owned by family farms, although many keep
FAOSTAT (2014)
Food availability in Sub-Saharan Africa has
increased by nearly 12 percent over the past
two decades.

5. Agriculture as a driver of economic
transformation in Africa
GDPgrowth.Thisemphasisesthe point that the cropped arearisessteadily,in tandem with
demographicgrowth and theassociated expansion of familyfarms,despiteexternal shockssuch
aspoor weather and oil prices,which engendered volatilepatternsof growth.It also highlightsthe
fact that family farmsinvariablyapply their familylabour to farming,and in doing so provideover
60per cent of theformal and informal employment in SSA.
FIGURE3
GDPgrowth and area harvested for cerealsin SSA
Source:FAOSTAT(2014).
FAOSTAT (2014)
Cereal production has increased by 125%,
yields by 32%, and cultivated land by 70% in 30
years

6. Yield Gaps Persist
ERS (2013)
Yield reduction in Africa due to past soil
erosion may range from 2 to 40%, with a
mean loss of 8.2% for the continent.

7. • Double its production
by 2030 and triple it by
2050.
• Zero hunger by 2025
• food available needs
to be increased by
437 million metric
tons or 47 percent of
current demand.
• Developing agriculture
while protecting the
continent’s natural
resources depends on
sustainable intensification.
• Effective and sustainable
intensification efforts must
be geared to family farmers.
• Local markets are the main
and most dynamic
destination for agricultural
producers.
African Agriculture at Cross Road

8. Climate Resilient agriculture in Africa
Coupling and hybridizing
– Ecological Production Intensification: 4 for 100 per
year of increased production is necessary
– Sustainable expansion of croplands to increase by
1.5 percent or by 38.9 million hectares.
60% of the planet’s unexploited arable lands are found in
Africa, but land must be protected from degradation and
exhaustion

9. Contribution by sub-region to total
food crop production of Africa
18
14
9
38
21
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
North Africa
Southern Africa
Central Africa
West Africa
East Africa

10. Cropland Increase in No Hunger-High
Food Security
Region CHANGE IN LAND AREA in
MILLION Ha
East Africa 20
West Africa 10
Southern Africa 5.1
Central Africa 3.7
North Africa 0.1
Africa 38.9
NEPAD (2016)While 40% of the land in Africa is potentially
arable, only nine percent is actually cultivated.

11. Yield history & trends in Africa
Figure 5.3: Yields (tons per hectare) for African regions.
Source: IFs version 7.19, using data from FAO. Increase in Central Africa in 2012 is from countries for w
North Africa
East Africa
Southern Africa
Central Africa
West Africa
Crop Yields (tons per hectare) for African regions
Sustainable Soil Management, Improvements
to local specific seed varieties, increases in use
of fertilizer, and expansions in irrigation could
dramatically improve yields.
NEPAD 2016

12. High potential in irrigated agriculture
es are far from exploiting
al potential for irrigation
areas have
both surface
veloped only
gation potential
he developed
rrigation is only
Potential, equipped and actually irrigated
areas in the SSA drylands countries
7
Rainfed agriculture produces 90% of SSA’s staple food needs... ...and irrigated supply
provides only 5%

13. African (Intended) Nationally Determined Contributions
« (I)NDC analysis »: Adaptation measures
CSA= Climate Smart Agriculture
SLM = Sustainable Land Management
AF = Agroforestery
AE = Agro-ecology
Plans and policies are in progress for widening appropriation by farmers of resilience
21
20
15
85
21
20
15
50
0 20 40 60 80 100
CSA
AF
AE
SLM
Countries Projects
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/73255
Richards et al., 2016

14. Agroforestry systems:
wide variety of shapes and forms.
y
mimicry
1986) for
, humid
table for
ept. The
corporate
oforestry
nd peren-
system in
interac-
d in Asia,
ure both
onmental
air 2001;
). These
Fig. 4 Beyond significant cocoa production, Cocoa agroforestry
systems in Cameroun provide wood, fruits, medicine and a variety
of ecological services
19
Beyond significant cocoa
production, Cocoa agroforestry
systems in Cameroun provide
wood, fruits, medicine and a
variety of ecological services.
Banana agroforestry system
Farm household resilience
Social wealth
Water cycling
Soil cover and fertility
Carbon sequestration
Fighting desert progression
Adaptation and mitigation
REDD+ or AFOLU CONCEPTS

15. Agroforestry systems: cost-effective
solutions to enhance food security
Mbow et al., 2013
Maize Growing under Faidherbia Albida Trees in Tanzania

16. Agroforestry and Soil Carbon
Sequestration Rates
kg C ha−1 yr−1 World Bank 2012

17. Conservation Agriculture (CA)
is an approach to managing agro-ecosystems for
improved and sustained productivity, increased profits
and food security while preserving and enhancing the
resource base and the environment
① Minimizing soil disturbance, consistent with sustainable production.
② Maximizing soil surface cover by managing crops, pastures and crop
residues.
③ Stimulating biological activity through crop rotations, cover crops
and integrated nutrient and pest management.
Crops do not ask for plow or disk … they demand a
good soil condition for germination and growth.

18. CA World-Wide (2013)
Continent Cropland under
CA (Million ha)
Per cent of
global CA area
Per cent of
cropland
South America 66.4 (49.5) 42.3 60.0
North America 54.0 (40) 34.4 24.0
Australia & NZ 17.9 11.4 35.9
Asia 10.3 (2.6) 6.6 3.0
Russia & Ukraine 5.2 (0.1) 3.3 3.3
Europe 2.0 (1.5) 1.3 2.8
Africa 1.2 (0.4) 0.8 0.9
Global total 157.0 (106) 100
Kassam et al. 2015

19. Conservation agriculture holds great
promise for Africa
1.22 million ha in Africa
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
1400000
1973 1982 2002 2007 2009 2011 2013
Area under
Conservation
Agriculture (ha)
Year
Mrabet, 2016

20. Compelling evidence exists that CA farmers
worldwide and in Africa can't be wrong
toward full adoption, while in other cases it is an ongoing practice for farmers who mix and match
diverse farming techniques as they see fit. Figure 3 depicts four different pathways to CA adoption; in
Africa, pathways 2-4 (forms of partial adoption) are more common than pathway 1 (quick and
complete adoption).
Table 2. CA adoption in Africa, including total area under CA management and numbers of
smallholders adopting CA practices. Pairs of numbers separated by the “/” symbol indicate estimates
from different studies. Sources: RELMA, 2007; Kassam et al., 2009; Thiombiano and Meshack, 2009;
Derpsch et al., 2010.
Country Area under CA (ha)
Number of smallholders
conducting CA
Ghana 30,000 / 300,000 Up to 400,000
Kenya 15,000 / 18,000 5,000
Malawi 47,000 5,400
Morocco 4,000 No data
Mozambique 9,000 No data
South Africa 368,000 No data
Sudan 10,000 No data
Tanzania 6,000 No data
Tunisia 7,000 No data
Zambia 40,000 / 110,000 70,000 / 100,000
Zimbabwe 7,500 / 15,000 No data
The rate of adoption varies according to farm size, with large commercial farms comprising most of
the area under CA globally and in parts of Africa. In eastern and southern Africa, CA has been
adopted by many large commercial operators, but the extent of adoption among smallholders is not

21. Closing the yield gaps with CA
Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia,
Kenya and TanzaniaCorbeels, M., et al., 2013
Africa will never feed itself without conservation agriculture
Increased productivity (for small,
medium and large scale farmers).
Savings in labour (up to 60%).

22. Closing the yield gaps with CA
Central Morocco
Mrabet, 2011
Africa will never feed itself without conservation agriculture
yield CT = 0,0033 Rainfall + 1,4116
R2
= 0,1823
yield NT = 0,0028 Rainfall + 2,01
R2
= 0,1457
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Rainfall (mm)
GrainYield(Mg/ha)
No-tillage
Conventional Tillage

23. Internalizing benefits from environmental
preservation
Carbon sequestration with CA
Ben Moussa Machraoui et al. 2010
Tunisia
Indo-Gangetic Plains:
0.16 and 0.49 Mg C ha−1 yr−1
Sub-Sahara Africa:
0.28 and 0.96 Mg C ha−1 yr−1
Powlson et al. 2016

24. Mitigation Potential of CA in MtCO2e
95.9
323.6
260.2
1.8
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Australia & New Zealand
USA & Canada
Brazil+Argentina+Bolivia+Uruguay
China + Kazakhistan
Avoided GHG emission
Area Under CA 2007
Kenya anticipates an increase in carbon uptake
of 1.1 MtCO2e by 2030, equivalent to 0.04
MtCO2e per year, from no-till farming activities
under its Climate Change Action Plan
UNEP Emission Gap Report, 2013

25. Conservation Agriculture with Trees
• Food security via increased productivity and biodiversity
• Adaptation to climate change
• Carbon sequestration – below & above ground
– Balanced nutrition
– Micro climate creation
– Arboriculture & Forest products
– Biodiversity
Potentials

26. Trade-Offs Between Profitability and Carbon
Sequestration of Sustainable Land Management
Technologies
World Bank 2012

27. Zai Pit indigenous system
Young sorghum grown in Zai pits in Burkina
Faso(©FAO)
The use of zai pits originates in the western Sahel where infertile, encrusted soils receive low
variable rainfall. On such dry, fragile lands, smallholder farmers face a constant challenge to
food to feed their families and generate much-needed income (Motis, D’Aiuto, and Lingbeek, 2
How it works
It consists of dug holes excavated in grids, with a diameter of 15-20 cm and a depth
more, filled with manure. They are spaced 70 to 80 cm apart, resulting in around 10 000 pits p
rows of holes are dug perpendicularly to the slope. The excavated earth is formed into a small
of the pit for maximum back capture of rainfall and runoff. Manure is added to each pit, though
sometimes a problem. The improved infiltration and increased nutrient availability brings de
cultivation. This organic matter attracts termites, which play a crucial role in improving so
crops are then planted in the pits which are able to hold water in excess of500% of the water ho
the soil.
Figure 1: Zai Pit System
Source: GIZ (2012)
Zai’s Impacts the Dry lands
Restoration of degraded land is increasingly a key issue in a context where food insecu
main constraints to development. In areas such as the drylands of Africa, testimonies of Zai sy
below have stressed the need to promote the technique.
West African countries: Burkina Faso,
Mali and Niger but also in Kenya -
Nigeria
African Innovation:
the key to farming system
adaptation

28. Combining Zai & Fertilizer
In Niger, planting millet in pits with inorganic
fertilizer multiplied the yield by four (from 144
kg/ha to 659 kg/ha) – and by ten in a good
rainfall year (1,486 kg/ha)...
Zai is a traditional soil conservation technique that originated in Mali in the Dogon area. It is among
the most important technique implemented in Sahelian countries since 1980s and has developed land
improvement practices on a wide scale, e.g. in Burkina Faso and Niger. Zai planting pit system (also tassa in
Tahoua) is an old farming technique rediscovered after the great drought of 1973/74 and later perfected by
development partners working with farmers (Abdo, 2014). From that time, the technique has been widely
practised in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger (Sawadogo et al., 2001).
The use of zai pits originates in the western Sahel where infertile, encrusted soils receive low and often highly
variable rainfall. On such dry, fragile lands, smallholder farmers face a constant challenge to produce enough
food to feed their families and generate much-needed income (Motis, D’Aiuto, and Lingbeek, 2013).
How it works
It consists of dug holes excavated in grids, with a diameter of 15-20 cm and a depth of 10-15 cm or
more, filled with manure. They are spaced 70 to 80 cm apart, resulting in around 10 000 pits per ha. Staggered
rows of holes are dug perpendicularly to the slope. The excavated earth is formed into a small ridge down slope
of the pit for maximum back capture of rainfall and runoff. Manure is added to each pit, though its availability is
sometimes a problem. The improved infiltration and increased nutrient availability brings degraded land into
cultivation. This organic matter attracts termites, which play a crucial role in improving soil structure. Row
crops are then planted in the pits which are able to hold water in excess of500% of the water holding capacity of
the soil.
Figure 1: Zai Pit System
Source: GIZ (2012)

29. CHANGE IN 2050 IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT RISK OF HUNGER, RELATIVE
TO THE BASELINE SCENARIO, AFTER ADOPTION OF IMPROVED
AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES
Rosegrant et al. (2014)
Zero-tillage is the best option for wheat

30. Shifting from degradation to
sustainability
Sustainability spirale Degradation spirale
Agro-ecosystem
Cutting trees
for fuel
Overgrazing
Loss of
biodiversity
Burning plant cover
Denudation
Loss of organic
matter
Nutrient leaching
Waterlogging
Wind
erosion
Productivity loss
Ecosystem degradation
Crusting, compaction
CO , CH , NO emissions2 4 2
Sheet and gully
erosion
Soil and water
conservation
Sustainable production
Soil
stability
Organic matter
enrichment
Maintenance of
biodiversity
Germplasm
conservation
Productivity increase
Fertility enhancement
Drought contingency
Carbon
sequestration
Mulching and
green manuring
Conservation tillage
Agroforestry, intercropping
Pasture
improvement
Agro-ecosystem
In Africa, conservation agriculture is not just an opportunity,
it must become a mandate.

31. KEY MESSAGES
Transforming agriculture
– Tackling risks and drivers to limit (or overcome) amplification.
– Sustaining diversity in soils, crops, livelihoods, eco-services, …
– Managing adaptively for multifunctionality in agricultural systems.
– Developing knowledge and access to robust technologies and
information as well as enhancing skills for all stakeholders.
– Developing and marketing indigenous knowledge.
– Identifying the policy space for agriculture resilience: defining and
allocating responsibilities.
– Sustaining links among governments, research and extension offices,
NGOs and civil society, private sector and farmers communities.
– Implementing national and regional level efforts to extend and scale-
up CSA, SLM and AF.

32. Many thanks for patience