Farming systems and indigenous technologies of finger millet (Elusine coracana) production in Southwestern Tanzania
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Date
2006
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kyoto University
Abstract
Vaiinas pioduction practices for finger millet are found in Southwestern Tanzania even
today when staple food has changed Io maize in many pails ol
lan/ania. Demand for
brewing has made tingei millet an impoilant cash ciop in Mbo/i. Ileje, Sumbawanga and
Nkasi Dishii'ts under present rnaikel oriented socio economic environment.
louml
wavs ol
llicii
innovating indigenous technologies to balance
the
I*'armeis
household
l'1'OIIOIIiy. these practices and all influencing factors characlcii/e the farming, systems of
Hie an-.is Despite inherent eiiviionmenlal degradation and almost exclusive use of
li.idilional technology, the Inline ol finger millet production is still promising, socio
i idfiii.dlv ami in specific situations technological!y. b'or these reasons, research has been
can icd out wit h the aim Io:
I) identity ami classily the divcisc linger millet production systems in Southwestern
I in ama Ihioiigh (aiming systems appioach that includes various components analysis
ami inteiaetions.
liml out socio cultural ami socio economic backguitinds associated with the systems.
i) figinc out tingei millet production systems as an innovative process (hat has been
developed through hisloiical and environmental interactions.
I) claiily (he iide of indigenous technologies in the light of agronomic sciences throng,h
on laim experimentation at laimcis’ field, and extract the basic strategies embedded in
(he system.
Ixlcnsive suivcys in Rnkwa and Mbeya Reg,ions and intensive survey in Mbo/i District
were conducted to collect information on finger millet production systems dining 2000
and .*00.’.
On farm field experiments were conducted to clarify agronomic significance
of indigenous technologies ami farmers' practices riming, (wo crop seasons in 2001 and
.’00.*. Through the suivcy, nine land preparation techniques were identified in (he field,
namely: slash and burn (iitemcle and nkoimniji/ti variants),
mounds (nttimbti), ox
ploughing with cultivated fallow, ox-ploughing with un-cultivated fallow, burnt mounds
(iikule), ridg.es with cultivated fallow, ridg.es with un-cultivated fallow and hand-hoe
cultivation, and with consideration of intensity of rotation, they were grouped into I)
shifting, cultivation, ii) fallow and iii) continuous cultivation farming systems; and further,
iiififteen cultivation systems were categorized. The “’cultivated fallow” or kuvuiidika
practice was found to be a common characteristic of all finger millet cultivation systems
in the study area except slash and burn, nkule and continuous cultivation. 1 his practice is
a very important indigenous farmers’ strategy for soil fertility and good physical structure
assurance via decomposition and rainwater infiltration, and manpower management
during critical period.
Finger millet in Southwestern Tanzania is usually planted as an opening crop and
essentially as a monocrop in different cultivation systems. Livestock keeping has been
found to be particularly important for households that practice ox-ploughing.
Among socio-economic parameters, household size, available workforce and possession
of cattle were strongly related with the level of finger millet cultivation. Ox-ploughers
cultivated more acreage and produced more of the crop, thus also obtaining more cash
out of it. When coupled with “cultivated fallow” (kuvuiidika') practice, ox-ploughing has
become almost insatiable in household labour saving.
Particularly during planting,
labour saving is of un-parallelcd importance, because of erratic rainfall of the period.
Other cultivation practices also focus on reducing manpower requirements during peak
period, such as kuvuiidika cultivation during previous crop season accompanied later with
very easy re-cultivation (breaking of iitumba, nkule mounds, ridges or re-cultivating ox-
ploughed fields) prior to sowing, or absolutely no ploughing with slash-and-burn
cultivation.
Ox-ploughing and kuvuiidika practice indicate evolutionary trends in cultivation
technology in response to diminishing woodland through slash-and-burn cultivation.
Another environmentally sensitive issue is an expansion of crop fields associated with
ox-ploughing as a way to counteract declining soil fertility when ash-based fertility of
slash-and-burn system cannot be practiced. Thus, cultivation technology seems to follow
the reverse order of woodland preservation from Fipaland (origin of iitumba cultivation)
and Nyihaland where break-down of slash-and-burn cultivation evolved the nkule system
to Nyamwangaland where there are still comparatively rich woodlands. Great diversity
ivof the cultivation systems found in Mbozi District is associated with the adoption of
ntumba system from Fipaland, and nkule system from Nyihaland. Introduction of ox
ploughing in all research areas after 1950s helped increase the importance of maize as a
staple food, but did not wipe out the motivation of cultivating finger millet.
This
signifies the importance of indigenous technological innovation, and calls for re-
evaluation of indigenous systems as sustainable development pathways.
On-farm experimentation was conducted in 2001 and 2002 in Mbozi District for
comparative examination of different cultivation systems in terms of crop performance
and change in soil characteristics. Crop growth and yield increased remarkably with
slash-and-burn and nkule cultivation. Yield component analysis revealed that yield of
linger millet is composed mainly of plant density and panicle weight. The experiments
demonstrated that the main aim of indigenous cultivation is to increase plant
establishment by improving soil condition particularly soil nutrients and pH. Yield
increase in 2001 slash-and-burn (nteniele} plots was associated with decreasing plant
density and increased panicle weight per plant. This shows that plants start to compete
for nutrients and sunlight after certain level of crowdness, if nutrient supply is sufficient.
The importance of early stage of growth (seedling vigour) was demonstrated by a strong
correlation between seedling growth and panicle size.
All cultivation systems
investigated had remarkable influence on seedling vigour as a result of improved soil
fertility and physical characteristics. Unique to some of the areas of this research and
most unlikely to be found anywhere else world-wide is the submersion and soaking
processing techniques practiced on finger millet after harvest. Practical and physiological
significance of this technology was experimentally validated.
Farming systems analysis of finger millet cultivation in Southwestern Tanzania thus
facilitates not only to understand indigenous technologies on scientific basis, but also to
clarify the basic strategics embedded in the systems. Unlike modern farming systems,
maximizing healthy growth of individual plants under regulated plant population is not
the main idea in the indigenous finger millet production. Rather, main effort is made in
increasing the number of plants to survive until harvest by producing favorable
Vconditions first for seedling emergence and establishment, then plant growth, within
available resources and technologies. The evolution of indigenous finger millet farming
systems in Southwestern Tanzania gives an example of an agricultural development
pathway even today when staple food has shifted to maize, for socio-culturally oriented
indigenous way of thinking is a base for future sustainable resource management.
Description
Keywords
Elusine coracana, Southwestern Tanzania, Farming systems, Finger millet production, Indigenous technologies