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Dr. Forbes Walker, a University of Tennessee soil scientist, examines a gully where soil has eroded from farmland in the African nation of Lesotho. UT, Tennessee State University and the National University of Lesotho have signed an agreement to help Lesotho farmers learn how to preserve their soil resouces. Download this image

Erosion, which begins when rain drops dislodge tiny surface particles, can result in tons of valuable topsoil washing away into creeks and rivers.

Scientists with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture know something about erosion. For more than 40 years faculty have characterized the soils of Tennessee and reached out to educate farmers on
how to prevent the highly erodible, and extremely fertile soils of West Tennessee from eroding off the farms, decreasing soil fertility and crop yields and silting
waterways in the process.

The research has dramatically reduced erosion rates and input costs while maintaining or increasing yields. Nearly 90 percent of the state’s row crop land is now farmed using no-till or conservation tillage technology.

Greater crop yields are what the small African nation of Lesotho desperately needs. Lesotho produces only about 15 percent of its own food, and one of the nation’s biggest problems is soil erosion.

A recent memorandum of agreement signed between UT, its cooperating agricultural Extension partner Tennessee State University, and the National University of Lesotho will allow UT and TSU researchers and Extension professionals to help the students and farmers in Lesotho.

Theotis Robinson, Jr, UT Vice President of Equity and Diversity, spearheaded the effort that led to the signing of the agreement. “This three-way memorandum of understanding represents more than just much needed assistance to the National University of Lesotho. It demonstrates that UT and TSU can come together in meaningful ways to assist African and other nations in finding solutions to problems while creating research and educational opportunities for our students and faculty,” he said.

The memorandum between the three institutions will assist Lesotho farmers in their struggle to meet their basic food needs. The ultimate goal, however, is to teach them how to produce enough food for the household and excess food that they can market while protecting the soil resource for future generations.

Dr. Forbes Walker, an associate professor of soil science and one of the UT Extension professionals involved in organizing the effort says, “The farmers of Lesotho grow many of the same row crops that we do—corn, sorghum and beans, for example. However, where our farmers, because of our conservation tillage research and education, can produce an average of about 110 bushels of corn per acre, Lesotho farmers average just 7 bushels per acre.” Walker says the majority of farmers in Lesotho manage about one acre of land, or roughly the size of one football field, and are not even at the level of subsistence farming.

“Much of the yield difference can be attributed to poor soil management and topsoil loss due to erosion,” Walker said.

The agreement between UT, TSU and the National University of Lesotho will facilitate the transfer of knowledge between the educational institutions through student and scientist exchanges and study abroad opportunities for UT and TSU students. Walker and his colleague Dr. Neal Eash were among the delegation visiting Lesotho in fall 2007 to work out details of the agreement. Sam Comer, assistant professor and International Program Coordinator, and Dr. Constantine Fenderson, interim dean–both with the School of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences at TSU–and Dr. Robert Orr, director of UTIA International Programs, also participated in the trip.

Fenderson sees the agreement as a win-win situation for all involved. "This effort represents a positive collaboration between UT and TSU," he said. "It will allow us to work together on the international scene to help poorer nations." Fenderson hopes the agreement will open doors for further efforts through agencies like USAID (United States Agency for International Development).

Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy, is located in the high mountains and plateaus in southern Africa. It is a small nation entirely surrounded by South Africa; however, its topography contributes to its erosion problem.

Topsoils are the most fertile part of the soil. They took thousands of years to create. Eash says rain and poor farming practices allow the valuable topsoil to erode away at spectacular rates. “Without conservation tillage practices, particularly the sorts of no-till technology for which UT is famous," he said. "Lesotho will continue to lose its topsoil and with it all likelihood of achieving self-sufficiency in food production.”

Walker, Eash and others believe the agreement between the universities will bring positive changes to Lesotho ’s agricultural economy. “The farmers of Lesotho are eager to learn and open to new ideas. Our combined efforts will offer them real possibilities of increased yields and a higher standard of living,” says Walker.

Robinson is also excited about another aspect of the long-term effort. “It demonstrates that UT and TSU are committed to the spirit of the Geier Consent Decree to maintain and expand cooperation between the UT and TSU agricultural outreach programs while expanding opportunities for diversity in educational programs,” Robinson said. He is pleased that among the more immediate outcomes will be educational exchanges to Lesotho involving delegations of UT and TSU students.

The Geier Consent Decree was a U.S. District Court ruling whose mandate included that Tennessee increase the presence of diverse races of students, faculty, staff, and administrators on the campuses of Tennessee's colleges and universities. An additional requirement of the decree was enhanced cooperation between the UT Institute of Agriculture’s research and extension programs and those of Tennessee State University in Nashville. Both institutions fulfill land-grant missions of education and service to the citizens of the state.

TSU and UT Extension programs currently operate collaborative agricultural and family and consumer science programs in 20 counties.

The Geier Consent Decree was dismissed in 2006, when a federal judge ruled that the court-ordered requirements had been met. Robinson says the new memorandum of understanding between UT, TSU and the National University of Lesotho is open ended. He expects the relationship to expand beyond agriculture into other areas of mutually beneficial economic development and scholarship.

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Contacts:

Forbes Walker and Neal Eash, UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science,
(865) 974-7266

Theotis Robinson, UT Vice President for Equity and Diversity, (865) 974-0518

Constantine Fenderson, interim dean, and Sam Comer, assistant professor,
Tennessee State University School of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, (615) 963-5435