Despite having access to more plant protection products than his European counterparts, one Zambian farmer is opting to reap the benefits of biologicals. CPM visits Donald Burton in Zambia, to find out more.
“We had to explore ways to support soil health, optimise chemical inputs, and still maintain yields and profits.” DONALD BURTON
By Niamh Tye
A commitment to innovation has seen Zambian farmer Donald Burton embrace biological inputs as a cornerstone of a more resilient, integrated crop management system.
Together with his wife Deborah, the couple farm 2400ha at Mafundzalo (translated to ‘my funds are low’) Ranch near Kabwe, around three hours north of the capital, Lusaka.
Having returned to the family farm in his mid-twenties after managing other commercial farming businesses in Zambia, and faced with a sub-Saharan climate delivering extremes of heat, drought and pest pressure, the couple were determined to take a more holistic and integrated approach to pest and disease control.
Specifically, one that would allow them to maintain high crop performance while rebuilding soil biology. This approach reflected a shift towards balance rather than replacement – where biologicals enhance rather than compete with chemistry, explains Donald.
“Our soils are sandy, slightly acidic, and low in organic matter, so we had to explore ways to support soil health, optimise chemical inputs, and still maintain yields and profits. The goal isn’t just to grow a good crop – it’s to leave the soils better for the next one.”
Donald explains that farming at Mafundzalo Ranch was traditionally rain-fed, growing mostly maize and soya beans, while yields were always at the mercy of the rainfall. “In dry years, we may not have had a harvest, so our first step was reducing that risk by investing in water. That meant building a dam that would fill during rain, hold water during the dry season, and that we could then pump from,” he says.
Today, Mafundzalo is equipped with five centre pivots irrigating 310ha. The irrigated crops receive around 550-600mm of water/ha during the growing season. Critically, no longer being rain dependent means the rotation has changed to reflect this, now driven by wheat and potatoes.
Wheat at the ranch averages 10t/ha and is sold for milling, potatoes achieve 70t/ha and are grown for the local market, and seed maize yields 6.5-7t/ha for an international seed company.
Before each crop, an NRH Ripper is pulled through the soil breaking up any compaction, particularly where a hardpan has developed, to help aid water infiltration and drainage and allow for root growth. This is then followed by a Radium cultivator, manufactured in South Africa.
Donald points out that a cover crop of sunn hemp is planted between the wheat and potatoes, while 40ha of Macademia nut trees were sown around five years ago, for export to China, and are supported by a drip irrigation system.
However irrigation, despite mitigating drought, brings its own problems, he raises. “Warm, humid conditions are a breeding ground for pests and disease. That’s become our biggest challenge after water,” he adds.
Perhaps fortunately, Zambian growers operate with fewer chemical regulatory limitations than their European counterparts, comments Donald. “We have access to a much wider range of chemistry than growers in the UK, where many of the key actives we use here are no longer available.
“That said, we’re starting to see increasing resistance developing. We’re also aware that over-reliance on chemistry won’t build long-term resilience for either disease control or soil health.
“Because of this, a new approach was required to enhance and compliment the chemistry we have access to, and so we started to look at how biologicals could fit this requirement.”
Working closely with Colin Van Niekerk of Albida Agriculture – a bio-solutions business based in Zambia – the Burtons have now developed integrated crop protection programmes combining chemistry with microbial and biostimulant inputs, with promising results.
“Biologicals are an increasingly important component in Zambia’s commercial pest and disease management,” says Colin. “We’re not bound by the same registration frameworks as Europe – if a product is approved elsewhere and is formulated safely for transport, we can trial and use it.
“There’s an exciting, enthusiastic transition into microbials, as conventional agricultural crop protection chemistry comes under increasing legal and environmental scrutiny and is withdrawn. This opens up opportunities for useful, modern microbe practices in agriculture.
“Bacteria, viruses, fungi and insects are all now well-recognised for their strategic roles both in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere,” he explains.
Colin states that leading global R&D businesses believe biologicals will make up 25% of the overall global crop protection market by 2035, growing to more than three times to the value of £24Bn – as complementary solutions over synthetic chemistry.
“This will be through the drive for sustainable production, legislation, new modes of action and better efficacy. As a business, we want to be at the forefront of that.”
Albida partners with familiar names such as Koppert, Lallemand and Levity, which means it can offer Zambian growers a diverse product portfolio ranging from seed treatments, fertilisers and bio-pesticides including bio-control agents.
With limited state-funded research and agronomy services, Colin says Albida works closely with farmers like Donald to trial and validate products. “While we have our own R&D lab to ensure that every product we put out on farm adheres to our strict quality protocols, we also work closely with growers to validate efficacy under real-farm conditions.”
Donald believes he’s farming intensively in nature’s shadow “If we don’t innovate, we don’t survive. If a product works and gives us results, we use it. We don’t wait for top-down advice,” he stresses.
“During the past 3-4 years, we’ve had particular success using bio-pesticides across our wheat and potato programmes, and are now looking at how we can integrate similar products into the Macademias.”
For him, the most important shift has been thinking holistically. “If soils are in good, aerobic condition then microbes will flourish, so that means cultivations and soil health are just as important.
“There’s no point spending money on a product if it then can’t work to its optimum. In heavy, overcultivated soils, anaerobic conditions will take over and biological activity will be reduced,” concludes Donald.
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM. Read the article in full here.
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