Promoting adoption of soil health related regenerative agriculture practices amongst small-scale sugarcane grower communities in South Africa

Abstract

The term ‘regenerative agriculture’ describes a rehabilitation and conservation approach to farming, which aims to enhance the sustainability of production. The approach consists of an array of practices that focus on the maintenance and rehabilitation of soil health. In the South African sugar industry, major soil related problems include: (a) soil erosion; (b) compaction; (c) acidification; and (d) soil salinity/sodicity. While regenerative practices to guide growers have been developed at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI), the remediation of poor soil health in the industry has generally been hampered by low levels of adoption of these practices. The importance of the small-scale grower (SSG) sector to economic development has been recognised as a key element of the South African Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan to 2030, which aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry. To understand the barriers to adoption, SASRI conducted a survey of a small-scale grower community. This revealed that conventional knowledge exchange methods were ineffective with SSGs. Consequently, SASRI is developing and implementing knowledge exchange approaches which are founded on: (a) networks of demonstration plots where regenerative practices can be showcased and (b) participative research methodologies which aim to empower SSGs in discovering their own practical solutions to production challenges. Complementing these is an initiative to upskill extension specialists and agricultural advisors in soil health regenerative practices supported by regular radio broadcasts and newsletters. In the short term, the impact of these knowledge exchange tactics is being monitored through analysis of SSG production and economic data by SASRI, in collaboration with stakeholders from the local grower associations and mills. To date, data from the small-scale grower community study indicated that the implementation of the demonstration plot methodology focused on matching variety to soil type has had a positive impact on SSG livelihoods.