Low and continuously deteriorating soil fertility coupled with frequent droughts and extended mid-season dry spells scenarios brought about by low and unreliable rainfalls have had a significant negative influence on agricultural productivity in most semi-arid regions of the world. The farmers' limited capacity to change their farming practices and adjust to the changing climatic circumstances further exacerbates these effects. Various in-field rainwater collection techniques, including Zai pits, have been promoted in recent years to assist farmers, particularly in dry and semi-arid locations, to harvest, store, and use rainfall for increased crop productivity. Zai pit is a form of dryland farming technique that involves the unitization of holes or troughs aimed at ensuring soil maintenance, soil erosion control and water preservation in agricultural fields. Additionally, combining effective soil fertility management strategies, such as integrated soil fertility management, with rainwater harvesting methods has the potential to further boost crop yields. Integrated soil fertility management involves the combined use of inorganic fertilizers and organic fertilizers such as cattle manure with the aim of improving soil fertility. Zai pit technology and integrated soil fertility management techniques have been utilized as climate smart agricultural approaches to reduce soil moisture stress and improve crop productivity in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper reviews previous research results on crop productivity as influenced by Zai pit technology and integrated soil fertility management techniques.
Deteriorating soil fertility, low unreliable rainfall and soil moisture stress has resulted to low crop yields among farmers of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), necessitating a search for more sustainable production practices. Zai technology has the ability to promote soil moisture retention and enhances soil fertility. A four-seasons field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of Zai technology combined with cattle manure and inorganic fertilizer on selected soil properties and sorghum yields in Kabati, Kitui County. The experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with eight treatments replicated thrice with sorghum Gadam as the test crop. Soil sampling was done at the beginning of the first season and at the end of the fourth season at a dept of 0–15 cm across each plot for laboratory analyses. From the results, the increase in electrical conductivity was significant at p < 0.05 in all the treatments after four cropping seasons. Total organic carbon significantly increased in Zai with cattle manure (p = 0.045), conventional with no input (p = 0.038) and conventional with cattle manure (p = 0.045). Available phosphorous significantly (p < 0.05) increased in treatments under Zai technology while total nitrogen significantly (p < 0.05) reduced after the four cropping seasons. There was a significant (p < 0.05) interactive effect of the tested factors on soil pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, and available phosphorous at the end of the experiment. Moreover, there was significant (p < 0.05) interactive effects on grain yields (SR18 and SR19 seasons) and stover yields (SR18, LR19, and SR19 seasons), with higher yields being recorded in treatments under Zai technology. This study demonstrates the importance of Zai technology in increasing crop yield by trapping water and enhancing its retention and infiltration into the soil for uptake by plants. This study concluded that positive impacts on important soil properties and crop yield could be realized when Zai technology is utilized alongside either sole inorganics or a combination of organic and inorganic amendments and this could be used as a strategy to improve crop production in eastern Kenya and other similar areas.
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