Maize and pearl millet production in hot semi-arid north eastern Namibia under conventional tillage and conservation agriculture practices

This article focuses on the results from experiments conducted to test and compare the effects of selected agricultural practices and principles on maize and pearl millet production of the major cropping systems in north-eastern regions of Namibia. Conventional Tillage (CT), Minimum Tillage (MT), Minimum Tillage with Mulch (MT-M), Minimum Tillage with Rotation (MT-R) and Minimum Tillage with Mulch and Rotation (MT-MR) were the primary treatments tested. Significant differences were observed on pearl millet grain in the first season (p=0.0496) and for maize grain in the second season (p=0.0206). For pearl millet, CT yielded the highest with 1783.0 kg ha-1and MT (1520.8 kg ha-1) had the lowest pearl millet grain yield at SE 240.35. For maize, CT-MR yielded the highest maize grain, 3852.3 kg ha-1, Standard Error of Mean 240.35. Results suggest that CA has the potential to increase or maintain maize production while noting projected declines in crop production of at least 50% or more through the influence of climate change according to Namibia’s Country Climate Smart Agriculture Programme (2015 – 2030).