2021 One Planet Laureate Candidate Dr. Ikabongo Mukumbuta Ikabongo Mukumbuta is a Research Fellow at the University of Zambia. His research measures soil greenhouse gases (GHGs) to assess mitigation options through sustainable management practices.

Collaborating with Farmers to give Soils a New Lease of Life

Ikabongo Mukumbuta spent his formative years in rural Zambia. Growing up in a smallholder farming household, he engaged in various farm activities from a young age and learned quite early about the challenges farmers faced. This background influenced his interest in science while in high school.

“I chose to study soil science because it is the foundation for agricultural production,” says Ikabongo, a 2021 One Planet Laureate Candidate. “To grow crops effectively, you have to manage your soil. Food production challenges emanate from problems in the soil.”

Zambia has approximately 1.5 million smallholder farming households. Climate change is threatening food security in the country, and smallholder farmers, who heavily rely on rain-fed agriculture, are hugely impacted by the recurring floods and droughts. The aftermath of these changing weather patterns is degraded soils that have led to a decline in food production and thrown the country’s food security into uncertainty.

Ikabongo’s research focuses on soil health management and ecosystem restoration. He is particularly interested in measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural soils and analyzing how climate change and on-farm practices influence these emissions.

Through his research, Ikabongo works with over 50 smallholder farmers in the southern province of Zambia. He trains them on good soil management practices to mitigate GHG emissions and carbon loss while increasing their yields and ultimately adapting to the effects of climate change.

In what he calls a partnership with farmers, Ikabongo has incorporated them into his research to help collect farm data and translate the findings into different local languages. Through soil tests, he identifies the physical, biological, chemical, and fertility levels which inform the design of soil management systems. Appreciating the invaluable role of farmers’ experiential knowledge and familiarity with their local conditions, Ikabongo emphasizes ‘local adaptation’ to promote the adoption of soil management practices.

“The Fellowship aims to address something close to my heart: improving livelihoods on African smallholder farmers in the face of climate change. I have learned to work with different gender groups, set career goals, and simplify science knowledge for the communities I interact with.”

Additionally, Ikabongo has established a community enterprise, Sosika Enterprise Limited, that assists farmers in acquiring inputs like improved seeds and modern tools to boost their farming activities. Through the enterprise, he trains them on sustainable farm management practices and market sourcing for their produce.

He is also sensitizing farmers on alternative food and cash crops that are more weather-tolerant, which has seen a positive shift in the adoption of sunflower farming. Such complementary activities build on his research skills and improve the livelihoods of the communities around him.

Through his role as a Research Fellow at the University of Zambia, Ikabongo is steering his institution’s work towards climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration by the soil.

He notes that the challenges of climate change are evolving over the years, and research needs to evolve as well. He cites that the mentorship from the One Planet Fellowship is setting the pace for this research evolution by providing a platform for cross-generational learning among African and European scientists.

Appreciate

Credits:

AWARD