Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi.

2022 ◽  
pp. 151-175
Author(s):  
W. Trent Bunderson ◽  
Christian L. Thierfelder ◽  
Zwide D. Jere ◽  
R. G. K. Museka
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Strong Base ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
On Farm ◽  
And Training

Abstract The Conservation Agriculture (CA) system promoted by Total LandCare (TLC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is based on 14 years of experience grounded on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, good soil cover and crop associations. The platform to promote CA in Malawi was to build a strong base of knowledge about best practices through an innovative non-linear research-extension approach. Long-term on-farm trials were conducted in multiple sites across Malawi to compare yields and labour inputs of CA with conventional ridge tillage on the same footing. Results showed the superiority of CA in terms of maize and legume yields with significant savings in labour and resilience to climate change. The results provided the basis to upscale CA although adoption was lower than expected. Key challenges included: (i) lack of exposure and training; (ii) conflicting extension messages; (iii) misconceptions about inputs and tools for CA; (iv) resistance to change unless CA is clearly seen to be a better practice; (v) fears about controlling weeds, pests and diseases under CA; and (vi) perceptions that increased termites and earthworms are harmful to soils and crops.

Increasing adaptation to climate stress by applying conservation agriculture in Southern Africa.

2022 ◽  
pp. 270-283
Author(s):  
Christian Thierfelder ◽  
Peter Steward
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Drought Stress ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
On Farm

Abstract Climate change and soil fertility decline are threatening food security in southern Africa and efforts have been made to adapt current cropping systems to the needs of smallholder farmers. Conservation Agriculture (CA) based on minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop diversification has been proposed as a strategy to address the challenges smallholder farmers face. Here we analyse the potential contributions of CA towards adaptation to the effects of climate change by summarizing data on infiltration, soil moisture dynamics and crop productivity under heat and drought stress. The data were taken in the main from CIMMYT's on-farm and on-station trial network. Data show that CA systems maintain 0.7-7.9 times higher water infiltration than the conventional tilled system depending on soil type, which increases soil moisture during the cropping season by 11%-31% between CA treatments and the conventional control treatment. This leads to greater adaptive capacity of CA systems during in-season dry spells and under heat stress. A supporting regional maize productivity assessment, analysing the results of numerous on-farm and on-station experiments, showed that CA systems will outperform conventional tillage practices (CP), especially on light-textured soils, under heat and drought stress. With higher rainfall and low heat stress, this relation was more positive towards CP and on clay soil there was no benefit of practising CA when rainfall was high. The long dry season and limited biomass production of CA systems in southern Africa require complementary good agricultural practices to increase other soil quality parameters (e.g. increased soil carbon) to maintain higher productivity and sustainability over time. This can be addressed by combinations of improved stress-tolerant seed, targeted fertilization, inclusion of tree-based components or green manure cover crops in the farming system, scale-appropriate mechanization and improved weed control strategies.

What drives small-scale farmers to adopt conservation agriculture practices in Tanzania?

2022 ◽  
pp. 284-292
Author(s):  
John E. Sariah ◽  
Frank Mmbando
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Average Area ◽  
Input And Output ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
On Farm

Abstract Conservation Agriculture (CA)-based Sustainable Intensification (CASI) practices in this study comprised minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, intercropping of maize and legumes, and use of improved crop genotypes and fertilizers, and were tested on-farm in different agroecologies in northern and eastern Tanzania. The results for six consecutive years of study indicate increased adoption of CASI practices compared to the baseline year (2010). The major impacts of these practices were reduced production costs, labour savings and overall increased crop and land productivity. The average area allocated to improved maize-legume (ML) intercrop rose during the project period by 5.28 ha per household, of which 15% was under complete CASI practices. Adoption trends show that, on average, 6.5% of adopters across the study and spillover communities started adoption in the 2nd year and about 14% of farmers adopted the practices over the next 3-5 years. Demographic and human capital (family size, education, age and farming experience), on-farm CASI demonstrations, farmer to farmer exchange visits, social capital (farmers' group or a cooperative), access to input and output markets (improved seeds, herbicides, fertilizers, insecticides and equipment) and food security were found to have positive and significant effects on adoption of a range of CASI practices. These results suggest continued and long-term efforts in investments in demonstrations, institutionalizing CASI practices in NARS, and good links to input and output markets, including appropriate machinery, are necessary to achieve sustained adoption.

scholarly journals Conservation agriculture and drought-tolerant germplasm: Reaping the benefits of climate-smart agriculture technologies in central Mozambique

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 414-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Thierfelder ◽  
Leonard Rusinamhodzi ◽  
Peter Setimela ◽  
Forbes Walker ◽  
Neal S. Eash
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Tillage Treatment ◽  
Smart Agriculture

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA) based on minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop rotations is considered as a soil and crop management system that could potentially increase soil quality and mitigate the negative effects of climate variability. When CA is combined with drought-tolerant (DT) maize varieties, farmers can reap the benefits of both—genetic improvement and sustainable land management. New initiatives were started in 2007 in Mozambique to test the two climate-smart agriculture technologies on farmers' fields. Long-term trends showed that direct seeded manual CA treatments outyielded conventional tillage treatments in up to 89% of cases on maize and in 90% of cases on legume in direct yield comparisons. Improved DT maize varieties outyielded the traditional control variety by 26–46% (695–1422 kg ha−1) on different tillage treatment, across sites and season. However a direct interaction between tillage treatment and variety performance could not be established. Maize and legume grain yields on CA plots in this long-term dataset did not increase with increased years of practice due to on-site variability between farmer replicates. It was evident from the farmers' choice that, beside taste and good milling quality, farmers in drought-prone environments considered the potential of a variety to mature faster more important than larger potential yields of long season varieties. Population growth, labor shortage to clear new land areas and limited land resources in future will force farmers to change toward more permanent and sustainable cropping systems and CA is a viable option to improve their food security and livelihoods.

scholarly journals Can on-farm irrigation reservoirs enhance long-term sustainability of large irrigated systems? The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón (Spain)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Haro-Monteagudo ◽  
Leticia Palazón ◽  
Santiago Beguería
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Allocation Model ◽  
Ebro River ◽  
Irrigated Area ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
On Farm

<p>With a total irrigated area above 127,000 ha divided into 58 sectors, the Riegos del Alto Aragón (RAA) irrigation district is currently the largest irrigated area in Spain and in the European Union. Also, it is the largest water user within the Gallego-Cinca subsystem within the Ebro River Basin, which also supplies water to 588 livestock operations, 10 industrial polygons, and 110 populated areas. Although there are plans to increase the irrigated area by another additional 47,000 ha, the system is currently close to its resource limit and several supply restrictions took place in the last years with consequent impacts on agricultural productivity. Moreover, this expansion of the irrigated area collides with environmental objectives in the region, mostly due to water quality and nature conservancy aspects, as well as with other water uses downstream.</p><p>The forecasted effects of climate change on future water resources produced in the Pyrenees (the major source of water in the system), as well as market prices, national and international trade and agricultural policies, among other variables, are surrounded by a high level of uncertainty that difficult investment decision-making. Some of the adaptation measures initially devised for the system, e.g. construction of new large reservoirs in the Gallego and Cinca rivers, require either confronting further environmental conflicts or large energy expenses, when not both. With the end of the era of large public works, there is a need to identify new and robust strategies for climate change adaptation. One of these strategies is the construction of private on-farm reservoirs within the RAA system that started in recent years.</p><p>The present work evaluates the contribution of on-farm reservoirs to enhancing the long-term sustainability of the RAA system using a multi-model and multi-scenario approach. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate water provisions from the Gallego-Cinca headwater system under an ensemble of downscaled climate models. Afterward, SWAT outputs were fed into a water allocation model built with AQUATOOL to simulate the management of the system's reservoirs, including on-farm reservoirs, and the water supply to the different demands. The performance of agricultural demands and compliance with environmental flow requirements in the system was evaluated for different on-farm reservoir sizes and combined with construction and operational costs to develop sustainability/investment curves. The outcomes have the potential to better inform decision-making from farmers in RAA as well as from managers in the Ebro River Basin Agency, providing further understanding of the system's dynamics under climatic change.</p>

scholarly journals Climate Smart Agriculture and Its Implementation Challenges in Africa

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Behailu Legesse Kaptymer ◽  
Jemal Abdulkerim Ute ◽  
Musa Negeso Hule
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Sharing ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Smart Agriculture

The changing climate is hitting smallholder farmers hard. It is doing so especial in the African continent which is regularly pronounced as most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  Climate change brings droughts and floods, pests and diseases; it means poorer crops, less food, and lower incomes. Agriculture in Africa must undergo a major transformation in the coming decades in order to meet the intertwined challenges of achieving food security, reducing poverty and responding to climate change without depletion of the natural resource base. Climate-smart agriculture seeks to increase productivity in an environmentally and socially sustainable way, strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change, and reduce agriculture’s contri­bution to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon storage on farmland. Climate-smart agriculture includes practical techniques including mulch­ing, conservation agriculture, integrated crop-livestock management, crop rotation, intercropping, agro forestry, improved grazing, and improved of water management system. In spite of the potential of Climate Smart Agriculture to improve resilience and to enhance agricultural production and rural livelihoods, systematic response to climate change through adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture practices and technologies is still very limited in Africa for a host of reasons. some of the challenges facing Climate-smart agriculture in Africa includes, Lack of practical understanding of the approach; Lack of data and information and appropriate analytical tools at local and national levels; Inadequate coordinated, supportive and enabling policy frameworks; Lack of adequate and innovative financing mechanisms and effective risk-sharing schemes; Limited credit and finance and Poor physical and social infrastructure to mention few.  To support the implementation of climate-smart agriculture and resolve the challenges in Africa, it is necessary to improve the coordination of policies and strengthen local, national and regional institutions.

COMPARING ON‐FARM AND LONG‐TERM RESEARCH EXPERIMENTS FOR SOIL CARBON RECOVERY OF CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ademir de Oliveira Ferreira ◽  
Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado ◽  
Charles W. Rice ◽  
Daniel Ruiz Potma Gonçalves ◽  
Dorivar A. Ruiz Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Carbon Recovery ◽  
On Farm

scholarly journals Pathologists and entomologists must join forces against forest pest and pathogen invasions

NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 107-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Jactel ◽  
Marie-Laure Desprez-Loustau ◽  
Andrea Battisti ◽  
Eckehard Brockerhoff ◽  
Alberto Santini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Exotic Pests ◽  
Research Programmes ◽  
And Training

The world’s forests have never been more threatened by invasions of exotic pests and pathogens, whose causes and impacts are reinforced by global change. However, forest entomologists and pathologists have, for too long, worked independently, used different concepts and proposed specific management methods without recognising parallels and synergies between their respective fields. Instead, we advocate increased collaboration between these two scientific communities to improve the long-term health of forests. Our arguments are that the pathways of entry of exotic pests and pathogens are often the same and that insects and fungi often coexist in the same affected trees. Innovative methods for preventing invasions, early detection and identification of non-native species, modelling of their impact and spread and prevention of damage by increasing the resistance of ecosystems can be shared for the management of both pests and diseases. We, therefore, make recommendations to foster this convergence, proposing in particular the development of interdisciplinary research programmes, the development of generic tools or methods for pest and pathogen management and capacity building for the education and training of students, managers, decision-makers and citizens concerned with forest health.

scholarly journals Best Practices in Training of Employees: A Framework for Training the Personnel of Social Partners and NGOs

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Nikos Papadakis ◽  
Argyris Kyridis ◽  
Prokopis Pandis ◽  
Christos Zagkos
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Detailed Review ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Modern Knowledge ◽  
Training Of Personnel ◽  
And Training

In the modern, knowledge-driven economy, it has been argued that people must upgrade their skills in order to remain competitive and to prepare for frequent changes in jobs. Adult learning is seen extremely crucial for long-term employability. Availability of adequately trained human resources in any institution is most critical to its success; and education and training play a significant role in this connection. This paper seeks the best practices for training of personnel. Initially, a detailed review of the international experience in this matter is presented and then the authors introduce a framework of a comprehensive program of personnel training in social partners and NGOs.

Crop rotational diversity impacts soil physical and hydrological properties under long-term no- and conventional-till soils

Soil Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alhameid ◽  
Jasdeep Singh ◽  
Udayakumar Sekaran ◽  
Ekrem Ozlu ◽  
Sandeep Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Crop Species

Diversification of crop species and minimum mechanical soil disturbance are the interlinked principles of conservation agriculture that are beneficial in improving soil physical and hydrological properties, and hence crop productivity. The present study was conducted to assess the long-term impacts of crop rotational diversity and tillage on soil water infiltration (qs), soil water retention (SWR), pore size distribution (PSD), bulk density (ρb) and soil penetration resistance (SPR). The study was established in 1991 at Beresford, South Dakota, and included three crop rotation systems (2-year, maize (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max L.); 3-year, maize–soybean–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.); and 4-year, maize–soybean–wheat–oat (Avena sativa L.)) and two tillage systems (NT, no-tillage; and CT, conventional tillage). Soil samples were collected only under maize and soybean phases of the crop rotations. Our results showed that NT with 4-year rotation had the lowest ρb under maize and soybean phases (1.21 and 1.19 g cm–3 respectively) compared with the CT system. Similarly, NT with 4-year rotation decreased SPR by 20% compared to CT with 4-year rotation in the soybean phase. Soils managed under NT with 4-year rotation in the soybean phase retained 27, 28, 28, 32, 33, 31 and 26% more water compared with CT and 4-year system at 0–7.5 cm depth at 0, –0.4, –1.0, –2.5, –5.0, –10 and –30 kPa matric potentials respectively. A similar trend was observed for qs under the same treatments, in which it was 31% higher under NT than under CT, both with 4-year rotation. Data from this study showed that diversified crop rotation under NT enhanced soil physical and hydrological properties compared with CT with less diverse systems (e.g. maize–soybean).

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