And though Morocco’s Berbers have long cultivated water management practices that sustained their crops, it turns out that direct seeding can substantially improve yields in an uncertain future.
Planting directly in the soil
Direct seeding involves planting seeds directly into the soil instead of nurturing seedlings in water-intensive nurseries beforehand.
“…direct seeded plants are more likely to be able to reach moisture remaining in the soil after the rainy season has ended than those raised in plant nurseries because of their more extensive root system,” according to the Eden Initiative, which began promoting direct seeding in the Sahel in the 1990s.
“They are therefore better able to tolerate drought,” they add.
This is of particular importance to small farmers who have limited access to sophisticated irrigation systems, and where water supplies are intermittent, scarce and shared across various sectors.
Drought resistance
“Compared to traditional plowing and sowing, direct seeding (also known as “conservation agriculture” or “no-tillage”) allows for both increasing organic matter in soil and making the most of the limited rainfall,” Gabriella Izzi from the World Bank notes.
via Direct Seeding Helps Moroccan Farmers Adapt to Climate Change | Green Prophet.
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