Horticultural activities and farming styles, especially in the northern part of Cameroon, like most parts of other sub-Saharan Africa, face unpredictable rainfall patterns, declining rhythms of soil fertility, and desertification.
It showed that due to overstocking, deforestation, and poor farming practices, the land has been producing less output, making it difficult for the farmers to feed the nation.
What is the Zai Technique?
The technique that is also known as planting pits, or tassa, is one of the traditional agricultural techniques inherent only in the Sahelian zone of Africa. It entails making a number of round holes whose sizes are able to fit two suitcases in the hardened soil that is during the dry season.
These improves which are circular in shape and may be 20-30 cm in diameter with depths of pits, cm, are meant to amalgamate and accumulate rainwater and organic matter. Farmers then flood/grow earmarked depressions with manure, compost, or any other organic matter and plant seeds thereon.
The Zai technique has some benefits which include the pits,. This is good for soil management since it focuses accumulation of water and nutrient in the small pits hence enhancing moisture retention and minimizing soil erosion.
In addition, the organic matterbenefits, following:that gets decomposed in the pits also improve on the fertility of the soil20–30focuses on when it promotes the growth of plants. This doesn’t look like a complex procedure, but it has the potential to restore the productivity of a given piece of land.10–20nutrients
Impact on Soil Fertility in North Cameroon
It is also important to underline that North Cameroon is known to have a semi-arid climate and somewhat soils that are very susceptible to land degradation. The soils of the region have thus become quite less fertile, resulting from erosion and leaching as well as the loss of soil organic matter in the soil.
The Zai technique presents the best approach to overcoming these challenges because it improves the structure and fertility of the soil.
When the farmers practice the Zai technique they have noted enhanced improvement in soil conditions. The periodic application of manure and organic matter enhances the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the grows pits that are basic needs of the plants. This has resulted in improved quality and production of crops as well as better growth on areas which were formerly sick or eroded.
Also, the Zai pits enable the retention of water during the rainy season, less water runs off thus percolating through the soil. This has been very vital in tackling the unpredictable rainy seasons which have often affected the region.
By offering farmers more moisture during the planting season, farmers are also able to have longer growing periods and better prepare their crops against droughts.
Boosting Crop Yields and Food Security
Judging by the number of yields, there is no doubt that the Zai technique greatly contributed positively in it. Especially for millet, sorghum and maize, farmers applying this technique in North Cameroon have testified increased yield by up to 50%. They have gone a long way in increasing productivity hence food security and minimizing the effect of climate change in affected regions.
Also, the Zai method needs low labour and inputs and it is suitable for smallholder farmers because of this. It is economical in the process as the local materials like the manure and compost are used in the implementation of the methods.
A Path Toward Sustainable Farming
That the Zai technique has been revived in North Cameroon is not only because it helps increase yields in the short run. It is a small contribution towards the promotion of sustainable agriculture in the region during a time of climate change.
When the fertility of soils increases and lands are rehabilitated, farmers do not have to spend much of their money, and the environment is protected from the bad effects of chemical fertilizers and other manufactured inputs.
There have also been attempts to adopt other agro ecological practices such as Zai farming to the region and other practices like agroforestry. Such an approach goes a long way in allowing farmers to cultivate the land in the most efficient way possible for generations to come, and all this, while at the same time dealing with climate change effects like desertification.
Therefore, based on the current study, Zai farming offers the viability to change soil fertility in North Cameroon and other semi-arid areas. It is an effective and sustainable fighting tool that addresses the challenges of making the degraded soil productive and improving yields and water retention, in addition to giving farmers in the region hope to feed their families.
ASH CK