By shifting from conventional tillage to conservation agriculture, North West sunflower producer Obakeng Ntshabele has reduced diesel consumption from 65ℓ/ha to about 35ℓ/ha, while improving crop establishment and soil management. This is the first article in African Farming’s series on Obakeng’s farming enterprise.
By Lebogang Mashala, editor at African Farming
For Obakeng, farming is a family legacy – but improving the family’s dryland sunflower operation means challenging some of the practices handed down through generations.
The journey started with his father, Butika Hosea Ntshabele, who planted his first 25ha of sunflower by hand in the 1980s while working as a bus driver in Thabazimbi. Today, the family plants about 300ha of dryland sunflower, with Obakeng applying the agronomic knowledge he gained through formal training and practical experience to improve production efficiency.
One of his biggest changes has been moving away from intensive conventional tillage towards conservation agriculture.
The family traditionally ploughed, ripped and disced the soil before planting. Obakeng has gradually reduced soil disturbance, using minimum-tillage practices to conserve moisture, protect soil structure and lower machinery and fuel costs.
“The transition from doing things the old traditional way to modernising our operation has taken years of convincing the old man. I had to be patient with the process,” he says.
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Fewer passes, lower fuel costs
Reducing tillage has delivered a significant saving in diesel consumption. Where the operation previously used about 65ℓ/ha, consumption has dropped to about 35ℓ/ha.
The saving is not limited to fuel. Fewer tractor passes also reduce machinery wear, breakdowns, travelling costs and expenditure on spares.
For a dryland farmer operating under variable rainfall conditions, Obakeng believes controlling these costs is essential to maintaining profitability.
His current sunflower yields range from 1.2t/ha to 1.8t/ha, depending largely on seasonal rainfall.
Managing plant population
Obakeng has also adjusted his sunflower plant population. Under the previous conventional system, the farm planted about 27 000 plants/ha. This has increased to about 33 333 plants/ha as his management system has changed.
He says improved moisture conservation and better weed control have allowed him to increase plant numbers and make more effective use of available resources.
However, plant population is not fixed. It must be matched to expected moisture availability. For the 2026/27 season, which he expects could be drier, he is considering reducing the population to between 25 000 and 27 000 plants/ha to limit competition between plants for soil moisture.
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Calibration drives efficiency
Accurate calibration is central to his production system. The planter is calibrated to achieve the desired plant population and the boom sprayer is calibrated according to the chemical being applied.
When changing from herbicide to pesticide applications, nozzle selection can change the application volume. Larger nozzles deliver more liquid, whereas smaller nozzles deliver less, even when travelling speed remains unchanged.
“Calibration is important because the number of litres applied per hectare will differ completely,” he says.
Correct calibration ensures that seed and chemical inputs are applied accurately, reducing wastage and unnecessary costs.
Controlling early weed competition
Weed control is another important component of Obakeng’s production strategy. He uses non-selective herbicides, including glyphosate and 2,4-D Amine, to control weeds before and around crop establishment.
His current programme uses about 40ℓ of glyphosate and 10ℓ of 2,4-D Amine over 20ha, applied through a 2 000ℓ boom sprayer.
Application timing is important. Obakeng aims to spray when soil moisture conditions are favourable, allowing the sunflower crop to establish without excessive weed competition.
Once the crop develops sufficient canopy cover, reduced sunlight reaching the soil surface helps suppress further weed growth.
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Building soil health
Although chemical fertiliser remains part of the production system, Obakeng is increasingly focused on improving soil health and nutrient-use efficiency. He is experimenting with about 500kg/ha of organic compost combined with 50kg/ha of chemical fertiliser.
The objective is not to eliminate chemical fertiliser, but to improve the soil environment and nutrient availability.
“Applying compost doesn’t eliminate fertiliser application, but boosts the absorption of some of the elements required during growth,” he says.
He sees the approach as a long-term investment in soil fertility rather than a short-term yield intervention.
Soil pH is another key consideration. Maintaining an appropriate pH helps create conditions conducive to nutrient availability, moisture management, air infiltration and decomposition.
For Obakeng, conservation agriculture is therefore about more than reducing tillage. It is a production system built around conserving moisture, improving soil function, precisely managing inputs and reducing unnecessary costs.
His experience shows how incremental changes in tillage, plant population, calibration, weed control and soil management can collectively improve the efficiency of a dryland sunflower enterprise.
In the next instalment, we look more closely at the livestock division of Obakeng’s farming operation.
Also read:
From maize to orchards: How Masala Murovhi built a diversified farming enterprise
Communal farming that pays: Boer goats and Meatmaster sheep driving profit in Limpopo
Their lambs hit 35kg in two months – how two communal farmers cracked the crossbreeding code
