Effectiveness of sustainable land management practices in controlling invasive plants and improving crop productivity in East Usambara, Tanzania.
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Invasive plant species (IPS) present significant threats to agriculture globally by
increasing land preparation and weeding costs and reducing agricultural productivity,
consequently IPS reduce yield which leads to low food security particularly for
smallholder farmers. In Africa’s agro ecosystems, the management of IPS has been
challenging due to a lack of sustainable practices. The traditional practices that have been
used are ineffective. Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices which are developed
by diverse stakeholders have the potential to control IPS and improve small-holder
farmers’ livelihood but their effectiveness have not been studied. We tested SLM practices
and traditional practices to compare their effectiveness in the control of three IPS namely
Lantana camara, Clidemia hirta and Pteridium aquilinum, on five farms owned and
managed by small-holder farmers. We assessed the farms planted with Cassava (Manihot
esculenta) for one cropping season (one year), we compared IPS density, soil condition,
plant species diversity and herbaceous biomass between SLM farms and Traditional
farms. We also compared the yield of Cassava between SLM practice and traditional
practices. Density of IPS, diversity of plant species, and herbaceous biomass and cassava
yield was recorded. Data were collected before the implementation and every three
months up to the end of cropping season, at the end of the cropping season yield data were
collected for both practices. The SLM practices reduced the density of the three IPS,
Clidemia hirta by 94% Lantana camara by 96% and Pteridium aquilinum by 46% and the
yield of Cassava was 20% higher in SLM practices than under traditional practices. SLM
practice significantly reduced IPS density and improved cassava yield with no effects to
soil and plant diversity. Therefore, the study findings suggests that SLM practice used is
effective enough to be recommended to farmers in control of IPS.
Description
Masters Dissertation
Keywords
Sustainable land management, Controlling invasive plants, Improving crop productivity, East Usambara, Tanzania