scholarly journals Review on Conservation Agriculture in Ethiopia: Status of Application, Opportunities and Challenges

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Abdissa Bekele ◽  
◽  
Abdissa Abebe ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
Implementation Status

Conservation agriculture has been considered as the potential not only to increase the sustainability of agricultural productivity, but also to help works toward mitigation and adaption of climate change. Farming and soil management practices included in conservation agriculture are based on three core principles, which must be fulfilled concomitantly Minimum soil disturbance, Maintenance of permanent soil covers and Cropping system diversity, crop rotations. The objective of this document is therefore to review the implementation status, opportunities, challenges and limitation of conservation agriculture practices in Ethiopia. Conservation agriculture has economic as well as climatic advantages. The soil conservation practices, including minimum or no tillage have long been practiced by farmers with different approaches or systems in Ethiopia, conservation agriculture and its associated package of best practices were introduced in 1998. Presence of traditional practices contributing for conservation agriculture principle and socioeconomic and extension facilities are some of factors affecting adoption of conservation agriculture in Ethiopia while, Climate change prevention activities and untapped opportunity for the wide-scale promotion are some opportunities for adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Ethiopia. The principal goal of climate smart agriculture is identified as food security and development, while productivity, adaptation, and mitigation are identified as the three interlinked pillars necessary for achieving this goal. Key challenge with mainstreaming conservation agriculture systems relate to problems with up-scaling which is largely due to the lack of knowledge, expertise, inputs (especially equipment and machinery), adequate financial resources and infrastructure, and poor policy support.

Climate smart agriculture for Africa: the potential role of conservation agriculture in climate smart agriculture.

2022 ◽  
pp. 66-84
Author(s):  
Emilio J. González-Sánchez ◽  
Manuel Moreno-Garcia ◽  
Amir Kassam ◽  
Saidi Mkomwa ◽  
Julio Roman-Vazquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Abstract To achieve the challenges raised in Agenda 2063 and the Malabo Declaration, new agricultural techniques need to be promoted. Practical approaches to implement climate smart agriculture and sustainable agriculture, able to deliver at field level, are required. These include sustainable soil and land management that allows different user groups to manage their resources, including water, crops, livestock and associated biodiversity, in ways that are best suited to the prevailing biophysical, socio-economic and climatic conditions. The adoption of locally adapted sustainable soil management practices is needed to support climate change mitigation and adaptation from the agricultural perspective. In this sense, Conservation Agriculture (CA) can be adapted to local conditions, and help achieve the key objectives. The application of CA principles brings multiple benefits, especially in terms of soil conservation, but also for mitigating climate change. In fact, CA has the ability to transform agricultural soils from being carbon emitters into carbon sinks, because of no-tillage (NT) techniques and the return to the soil of diverse crop biomass from above-ground parts of plants and from diverse roots systems and root exudates. Similarly, fossil energy use decreases due to the reduction in agricultural operations, and so less CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere. Lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in CA also result, because of reduced and more efficient use of inputs. Scientific studies confirm the sequestration potential of increased soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks on croplands in Africa on each of the continent's major bioclimatic areas. Coefficients of SOC sequestration for Africa are presented in this chapter.

scholarly journals Bioactive Properties of Fruits and Leafy Vegetables Managed with Integrated, Organic, and Organic No-Tillage Practices in the Mediterranean Area: A Two-Year Rotation Experiment

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costanza Ceccanti ◽  
Marco Landi ◽  
Daniele Antichi ◽  
Lucia Guidi ◽  
Luigi Manfrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Cash Crops ◽  
Starting Point

The sustainability of current farming systems has been questioned in the last decades, especially in terms of the environmental impact and mitigation of global warming. Also, the organic sector, which is supposed to impact less on the environment than other more intensive systems, is looking for innovative solutions to improve its environmental sustainability. Promisingly, the integration of organic management practices with conservation agriculture techniques may help to increase environmental sustainability of food production. However, little is known about the possible impact of conservation agriculture on the content of bioactive compounds in cash crops. For this reason, a two-year rotation experiment used 7 cash crops (4 leafy vegetables and 3 fruit crops) to compare integrated (INT), organic farming (ORG), and organic no-tillage (ORG+) systems to evaluate the possible influence of cropping systems on the nutritional/nutraceutical values of the obtained fruits and leafy vegetables. The results pointed out specific responses based on the species as well as the year of cultivation. However, cultivation with the ORG+ cropping system resulted in effective obtainment of fruits and vegetables with higher levels of bioactive compounds in several cases (11 out 16 observations). The ORG+ cropping system results are particularly promising for leafy vegetable cultivation, especially when ORG+ is carried out on a multi-year basis. Aware that the obtained data should be consolidated with longer-term experiments, we conclude that this dataset may represent a good starting point to support conservation agriculture systems as a possible sustainable strategy to obtain products with higher levels of bioactive compounds.

Intervention of Climate Smart Agriculture Practices in Farmers Field to Increase Production and Productivity of Winter Maize in Terai Region of Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
J. J. Gairhe ◽  
M. Adhikari
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Yield Attributes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Climate change has been the burning issue in agriculture sector. The research world is focused on developing appropriate technology, innovations and concept to cope up this change. The Climate Smart Agriculture [CSA] has been adapted globally for cultivation and crop management in changing context without compromising yield and productivity. The CSA involves wide range altered techniques and innovations like using resilient varieties, water management, zero tillage, legumes incorporation, cover cropping, site specific fertilizer management, variation in planting date etc. Grounding on the similar practices and principles of CSA, the research in maize was conducted in 2014 in farmers' field of Eastern Nepal. Three progressive farmers with 1 hector of land were selected and Maize was cultivated using Zero tillage seed cum fertilizer driller tractor. This field experiment considers farmers as replication with six different treatments. All treatments differ to each other based on nutrient management, water management, residue management, tillage practice, crop establishment, and inclusion of legumes in the cropping system. Six treatments are coded as follows: Current Irrigated (CI), Improved Irrigated Low (IIL), Improved Irrigated High (IIH), Climate Smart Agriculture-Low (CSA-L), Climate Smart Agriculture-Medium (CSA-M), and Climate Smart Agriculture-High (CSA-H). Significant impact of intervention was observed in yield and yield attributes in the trial with climate smart agriculture practices than in conventional practices of farmers. Plant density, ear number, filled grains per cob and grain yield was substantially higher in climate smart practices revealing CSA to be the appropriate technology to minimize potential loss of climate change.

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.

CO2 fluxes and carbon balance of an agricultural grassland in southern Finland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Heimsch ◽  
Annalea Lohila ◽  
Liisa Kulmala ◽  
Juha-Pekka Tuovinen ◽  
Mika Korkiakoski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Management Procedures ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

<p>Agriculture is globally a significant source of carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Main causes for these high emissions are conventional intensive management practices which include such as frequent ploughing, monocropping and high use of agrochemicals. These practices contribute to the loss of biodiversity and soil organic matter, as well as to the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from land use. Recently, it has been recognised that agriculture functioning on the basis of regenerative practices is one of the most potential tools to mitigate climate change.</p><p>It is well known that topsoil layer and especially humus-rich soils can store more carbon than atmosphere and vegetation together. Therefore, increasing the amount of soil organic matter in the agroecosystems, by applying enhanced management practices such as reduced tillage, high biodiversity and cover cropping, agricultural soils would not only help to mitigate climate change but also to restore soil quality and fertility. To understand the carbon dynamics on different agricultural sites, factors affecting and comprising the carbon balance, and to verify soil carbon and ecosystem models, continuous long-term monitoring of the GHG fluxes is essential at such managed ecosystems. Here we present results from a new eddy covariance (EC) flux study site located in southern Finland.</p><p>Continuous CO<sub>2</sub> flux measurements using the EC method have been conducted at Qvidja farm on mineral (clay) soil forage grassland in Parainen, southern Finland (60.29550°N, 22.39281°E) since the spring 2018. Based on the flux and biomass data, the annual carbon balance was estimated to be negative, i.e. the site acted as an overall sink of carbon even in the dry and hot year 2018. However, the seasonal CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes were greatly dependent on weather conditions and management procedures. Results from 2019 show that the growing season accompanied with more mature and dense grass, a bit higher precipitation and lower temperatures, as well as higher cutting height was more favorable for carbon uptake in Qvidja as compared to year 2018.</p>

scholarly journals Farmers’ Adoption of Climate Smart Practices for Increased Productivity in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 495-508
Author(s):  
B. E. Fawole ◽  
S. A. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
The Face ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Yield

AbstractIn a bid to reinforce the efforts of agricultural professionals within the domain of climate change studies and with particular emphasis on rural farmers in Nigeria, this chapter explores the mechanics for adoption of climate smart agricultural practices among rural farmers for an increased agricultural productivity. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is paramount to the success of farming activities today in the face of the menace of the impact of climate change. Climate Smart Agricultural Practice (CSAP) is one of the major keys that agricultural development approaches aimed at; to sustainably increase productivity and resilience, while also reducing the effects; as well as removing emissions of greenhouse gases. It is pertinent to note that most of the CSAPs adopted by the rural farmers in this study are conservation agriculture, use of organic manure, crop diversification, use of wetland (Fadama), planting of drought tolerant crops, relocation from climate risk zones, prayers for God’s intervention, and improvement on farmers’ management skills. This study divulged and showcased the import of CSAP in boosting agricultural yield and also highlights the bottlenecks inhibiting agricultural farming practices such as lack of practical understanding of the approach, inadequate data and information, lack of suitable tools at local and national levels, supportive and enabling policy frameworks, and socioeconomic constraints at the farm level. The study concluded by recommending an aggressive awareness and mobilization campaign to boost the adoption of CSAPs in Nigeria.

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.

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.

Conservation agriculture innovation systems build climate resilience for smallholder farmers in South Africa.

2022 ◽  
pp. 345-360
Author(s):  
Erna Kruger ◽  
Hendrik Smith ◽  
Phumzile Ngcobo ◽  
Mazwi Dlamini ◽  
Temakholo Mathebula
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Learning Groups ◽  
Successful Model ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Abstract Introduction of Conservation Agriculture (CA) and associated climate-resilient agriculture practices within an innovation system approach, and using farmer-level experimentation and learning groups as the primary learning and social empowerment processes, has created a sustainable and expanding farming alternative for smallholders that is improving their resilience to climate change substantially. Through a knowledge co-creation process, smallholder farmers in the programme have adapted and incorporated a wide range of practices into their farming system, including minimum soil disturbance, close spacing, improved varieties, judicious use of fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides, crop diversification, intercropping and crop rotation as well as fodder production and livestock integration. They have organized themselves into learning groups, local savings and loan associations, water committees, farmer centres and cooperatives and in so doing have created innovation platforms for local value chain development. They have built ongoing relationships with other smallholders, NGOs, academic institutions, government extension services and agribusiness suppliers, and have promoted CA tirelessly within their local communities and social networks. To date, this is the most successful model for implementation of CA in smallholder farming in South Africa and, through networking and upscaling activities, is being promoted nationally as a strategic approach to smallholder adaptation and mitigation programming, in line with the Africa climate smart agriculture (CSA) Vision 25×25 (NEPAD, Malabo, June 2014).

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