Effects of climate-smart alley cropping and conservation agriculture on selected soil physicochemical properties in Nyimba, Zambia

Abstract

Climate change significantly impacts the livelihoods and food security of millions of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its effects hinder agricultural production, decrease food availability, and threaten the economic stability of agriculture-dependent nations. In Zambia, where agriculture is the primary economic activity, especially in rural regions, climate change affects farm productivity by changing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, as well as the average and variability of weather conditions like temperature and rainfall patterns. In Zambia's Nyimba District, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of climate-smart farming methods on soil quality in croplands owned by smallholder farmers. Conventional agriculture, ripping, conservation agriculture basins, and G. sepium alley cropping were among the practices evaluated. Thirty composite soil samples, to a depth of 0–30 cm, were collected using a systematic sampling approach from six different areas: basins, G. sepium alley cropping, conservation agriculture ripping, and two types of conventional agriculture (n = 6 each). Minitab Statistical Software version 17 was utilized to analyze the soil samples, calculating Tukey's LSD, standard deviations, and mean values. As per the study findings, there were notable (p < 0.05) effects caused by G. sepium alley cropping, basins, and conservation agriculture ripping on various soil properties such as pH, bulk density, porosity, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, and exchangeable bases (sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium). Integrating climate-smart farming methods into agricultural systems can enhance soil fertility and contribute to the overall health of the agricultural landscape. These findings have significant implications for the development and implementation of Zambia's climate-smart agriculture policies and for future research endeavours.