The merits of three climate smart agriculture (CSA) technologies implemented by farmers were assessed in Machinga district of Malawi with respect to their soil quality and maize yield effects. Data were collected from farms implementing the three CSA technologies, namely conservation agriculture (CA), maize–pigeonpea (Maize-PP) intercrops and a local organic and inorganic soil amendment known as Mbeya fertilization (Mbeya-fert), from 2018 to 2019. With respect to resilience and adaptation, particulate organic matter, soil organic carbon (SOC), N, P, K, Ca and Mg all significantly improved while bulk densities were lowered under the three CSA systems. Higher annual biomass inputs and improved water infiltration from the Maize-PP intercrops were observed. With respect to productivity, CA and Mbeya-fert improved maize yields by 51 and 19%, respectively, compared to conventional farmer practices. With regard to climate change mitigation, increases in measured SOC in the top 20 cm depth compared to the conventional farmer practices amounted to 6.5, 12 and 10.5 t C ha⁻¹ for CA, Mbeya-fert, and Maize-PP intercrops, respectively, over a period of 2–6 years. This suggests higher potential for carbon sequestration from CSA technologies. Furthermore, use of drought tolerant varieties, timely weeding and optimum plant populations, increased productivity. Improved gross margins from CSA practices were also apparent. Thus, employing these CSA technologies could enable farmers to be more resilient, productive and adapt better to climate change shocks leading to improved food security and livelihoods.

中文翻译：

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评估马拉维小农农业下气候智能技术的优点

在马拉维 Machinga 区，农民实施的三种气候智能型农业 (CSA) 技术的优点在土壤质量和玉米产量影响方面进行了评估。从 2018 年至 2019 年，从实施三种 CSA 技术的农场收集数据，即保护性农业 (CA)、玉米-木豆 (Maize-PP) 间作以及称为 Mbeya 施肥 (Mbeya-fert) 的当地有机和无机土壤改良剂。在恢复力和适应性方面，颗粒有机质、土壤有机碳 (SOC)、N、P、K、Ca 和 Mg 在三个 CSA 系统下均显着提高，而体积密度降低。观察到玉米-PP 间作的年生物量输入增加和水渗透改善。在生产力方面，CA 和 Mbeya-fert 将玉米产量提高了 51% 和 19%，分别与传统的农民做法相比。在减缓气候变化方面，与传统农民做法相比，在顶部 20 厘米深度测量的 SOC 增加了 6.5、12 和 10.5 吨 C·ha在 2-6 年期间，CA、Mbeya-fert 和 Maize-PP 间作分别为^{-1 。}这表明 CSA 技术具有更高的碳封存潜力。此外，使用耐旱品种、及时除草和优化植物种群，提高了生产力。CSA 实践提高的毛利率也很明显。因此，采用这些 CSA 技术可以使农民更有弹性、生产力和更好地适应气候变化冲击，从而改善粮食安全和生计。