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Abstract:
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The changes in climate, especially poor rainfall patterns and distributions are key issues posing major agricultural challenges for food security and threaten the rural livelihoods of many communities in Limpopo Province. Rainfall(P) is low and limited. These limited P is mostly lost through runoff and evaporation, which results in low soil moisture availability and possible crop failure. Therefore, techniques that reduce these water losses are important for improving dryland crop production and rainwater productivity (RWP). The objectives of the study are to determine the potential and effectiveness of rainwater harvesting and conservation techniques (RWH&CT's) to conserve and improve plant available water (PAW) for dryland maize production and also determine the efficiency of the RWH&CT's to improve dryland maize yield and RWP compared to conventional tillage (CON). |