A Zero Tillage Planter in action on the farm
A field of wheat just planted using the Zero Tillage methodI’m proud of the fact that my husband was amongst the first farmer’s in Tanzania, and the very first farmer in the West Kilimanjaro area, to practice Zero Till or Zero Tillage farming which is a form of Conservation Farming.
We are busy with our planting season at the moment, and are using Zero Tillage planting methods for our current crops of wheat, beans and safflower. It is a ground breaking farming method here in Tanzania, so I thought it would be interesting to write a little about it.
My husband first tried Minimum Tillage farming in 2006 and quickly switched over to Zero Tillage farming as he found it to be the most effective of the two methods for him personally. He has found it to increase his yields and decrease his operating costs, when compared to “conventional” planting which involves cultivation of the soil beforehand.
Zero Tillage basically means planting your crop without any form of cultivation whatsoever –you plant directly in to the earth / untouched residue plant matter (organic matter) left over from the previous season. This in turn conserves soil moisture and also allows the natural organisms in the soil to function and the soil eventually returns to a more “natural” state, which also sees a reduction in things like soil compaction.
It can be likened – in it’s simplest form - to mulching your garden flowerbeds, but only on a much bigger scale !
The planter frames are built in Tanzania, and the planter tines are imported from Australia. They come across by ship to Mombasa, Kenya and are then transported by road to Arusha, Tanzania where the Zero Till Planters are assembled, and then brought out to our farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.
We are busy with our planting season at the moment, and are using Zero Tillage planting methods for our current crops of wheat, beans and safflower. It is a ground breaking farming method here in Tanzania, so I thought it would be interesting to write a little about it.
My husband first tried Minimum Tillage farming in 2006 and quickly switched over to Zero Tillage farming as he found it to be the most effective of the two methods for him personally. He has found it to increase his yields and decrease his operating costs, when compared to “conventional” planting which involves cultivation of the soil beforehand.
Zero Tillage basically means planting your crop without any form of cultivation whatsoever –you plant directly in to the earth / untouched residue plant matter (organic matter) left over from the previous season. This in turn conserves soil moisture and also allows the natural organisms in the soil to function and the soil eventually returns to a more “natural” state, which also sees a reduction in things like soil compaction.
It can be likened – in it’s simplest form - to mulching your garden flowerbeds, but only on a much bigger scale !
The planter frames are built in Tanzania, and the planter tines are imported from Australia. They come across by ship to Mombasa, Kenya and are then transported by road to Arusha, Tanzania where the Zero Till Planters are assembled, and then brought out to our farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.
