Conservation agriculture employs all modern technologies that enhance the quality and ecological integrity of the soil, but the application of these is. There is a need to expand ca from past and present i. Conservation agriculture enables these people to grow more food with less work. They are a great way for professionals and academics involved in conservation agriculture and soil health issues to meet up, network with other professionals, gain a new perspective, and learn some new information about the world of conservation agriculture today. We suggest that a recent commentary piece in the geographical journal on conservation agriculture ca and the. When and where is conservation agriculture an appropriate. Conservation agriculture is claimed to be a panacea for the problems of poor agricultural productivity and soil degradation in subsaharan africa ssa. Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in africa. The approach advocated to improve the soil fertility status of african soils is embedded. No silver bullets for african soil problems nature. By ken e giller, jens a andersson, marc ecorbeels, marc ecorbeels, john.
Type region examples tillage mulch rotation farm type inpu t main issues references direct planting with hand tools subhumid subsaharan africa west, east, and southern africa. How conservation agriculture works in different types of farms. Ken giller, zerihun kebebew, abebe nigussie, rahel eshetu, dereje mamo and abebe mengistu. Conservation agriculture programmes and projects in malawi. Andersson and giller 2012 blanket salesmen read version. Afnet is the single most important implementing agency of tropical soil biology and fertility institute of the international centre. Conservation agriculture ca can be defined by a statement given by the food and agriculture organization of the united nations as a concept for resourcesaving agricultural crop production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while concurrently conserving the environment fao 2007. The benefits arising from the ease of crop management, energycosttime savings, and soil and water conservation led to widespread adoption of ca, particularly on large farms in the. Ken giller, who heads the plant production systems group at wageningen university in the netherlands, is a technical advisor to the africa soil health consortium and chairman of the n2africa steering committee, a project that aims to boost the use of nitrogenfixing crops in smallholder agriculture.
Conservation agriculture 1 was introduced by the fao 2008b as a concept for resourceefficient agricultural crop production based on an integrated management of soil, water and biological resources combined with external inputs. Contested agronomy the case of conservation agriculture 3. Giller wageningen university verified email at wur. Conservation agriculture offers an opportunity for all farmers in all regions of zimbabwe to improve yields and income, food security and. Giller, jens andersson, leonard rusinamhodzi, marc corbeels1 plant production systems, wageningen university, wageningen, the netherlands. Lafond gp, mcconkey bg, stumborg m 2009 conservation tillage models for small scale farming. Semantic scholar profile for ken e giller, with 162 highly influential citations and 46 scientific research papers. Conservation agriculture is being used increasingly around the world h. Giller plant production systems, wageningen university, po box 430, 6700ak wageningen, the netherlands, ken. Learning agricultures module 2 soil and water systems. Background conservation agriculture being promoted as a panacea. The african network for soil biology and fertility afnet. This learning also makes the link to governance issues and. Conservation agriculture conferences on the horizon.
Wageningen university, wageningen, the netherlands. Ploughs, conservation agriculture and the problem of agricultural intensification. Claims for the potential of ca in africa are based on widespread adoption in the americas, where the. Factors affecting adoption of conservation agriculture in malawi a case study of salima district.
Conservation agriculture should help you grow more, and will produce a greater variety of crops. The benefits arising from the ease of crop management, energycosttime savings, and soil and water conservation led to widespread adoption of ca, particularly on large farms. Tillage is incompatible with sustainable agriculture. The principles of conservation agriculture conservation agriculture takes advantage of natural ecological processes to conserve moisture, enhance soil fertility, and improve soil structure, and to reduce soil erosion and the presence of diseases and pests. Kassam and brammers intervention in the continuing debates around. Conservation agriculture ca is proposed as a panacea to agricultural problems in smallholder farming systems in the tropics hebblethwaite et al. Land sparing and land sharing are both realistic options to manage the agriculturenature interface. The benefits arising from the ease of crop management, energycosttime savings, and soil and water conservation led to widespread adoption of ca, particularly on large farms in the americas and australia, where farmers harness the tools of modern science.
Global support for conservation agriculture ca as a pathway to sustainable intensification is strong. Dec 01, 2009 the following comments have been made regarding the recent paper published by ken giller. It is one of the most costeffective ways to protect and improve soil a farmers most precious asset. On heretics and gods blanket salesmen contested claims for conservation agriculture. Ken giller, professor, the wageningen centre for agroecology and systems analysis the big challenge for agriculture is that we need to further increase yields but greatly reduce our environmental impacts. Ken giller plant production systems, wageningen university, netherlands conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in africa. Apr 25, 2012 millions of growers, large and small, are reaping the benefits of notillage farming. Conservation agriculture enables crops to use the nutrients in the soil more effectively.
Conservation agriculture aims to boost agricultural production by optimising the use of farm resources and helping to reduce widespread land degradation through the integrated management of available soil, water and biological resources combined with external inputs. Future challenges agronomy in context the development spotlight shifted 1990s the dark ages. His research is focused on smallholder farming systems in subsaharan africa, particularly soil fertility, nutrient flows, and the temporal and spatial dynamics of resources within croplivestock farming systems. Information about the openaccess article beyond conservation agriculture in doaj. Learning agricultures world overview of conservation approaches and. Ken giller plant production systems, wageningen university three issues 1. The role of conservation agriculture and associated soilbased. This cited by count includes citations to the following articles in scholar. From ispc chair, professor ken cassman, 17th april 2012 the independent science and partnership council ispc of the cgiar is launching an independent strategic. The following comments have been made regarding the recent paper published by ken giller. Conservation agriculture ca, as currently preached by a wide range of international agricultural research and development agencies. The main focus of conservation agriculture has been on high management levels and good extension work, optimising all resources through best land and field practices. Effect of conservation agriculture on maize yield in the semiarid areas of zimbabwe volume 50 issue 2 j. The african network for soil biology and fertility afnet was established in 1988 as a panafrican network of researchers in subsaharan africa.
I am disappointed with the suggestion by ken giller. Frontiers beyond conservation agriculture plant science. We then analyse experiences from two african landscapes of global importance for conservation. The heretics view, author ken e giller and ernst witter and marc corbeels and pablo tittonell, year2009. The outcomes of these discussions are summarized in the paper by giller et al. Integrated soil fertility management in africa 2 more productive and sustainable agriculture, improving household and regional food security and increasing incomes of smallscale farmers. On the role of religion in the political agronomy of conservation. Oct 01, 2009 read conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in africa.
Conservation agriculturebased technologies and the political economy. The three principles of conservation agriculture disturb the soil as little as possible, keep the soil covered as much as possible, and. Conservation agriculture as a viable and feasible option to farm sustainability. Although most biodiversity is found in production landscapes, conservation organisations engage little with agriculture. Andersson 2, marc corbeels 3, john kirkegaard 4, david mortensen 5, olaf erenstein 6 and bernard vanlauwe 7.
Giller, use systems, giller ke, andersson ja, corbeels m, kirkegaard j, mortensen d, erenstein o, vanlauwe b. Which principles of conservation agriculture contribute to the desired effects. It offers them a real chance to improve their lives. Conservation agriculture attempts to address these problems. Ca places emphasis on conservation and thereby implicitly the status quoin contrast to the.
Beyond conservation agriculture directory of open access. Will you be able to harvest these crops, dry them, and store them in your grain store. Download the programme download the conference programme pdf, 1mb the programme contains full details of presentations in. The role of conservation agriculture and associated soil. Millions of growers, large and small, are reaping the benefits of notillage farming. Conservation agriculture is the integration of ecological management with modern, scientific, agricultural production. Ploughs, conservation agriculture and the problem of. Extended abstract doing more with less is a powerful framing for agriculture. Corbeels m, kirkegaard j, mortensen d, erenstein o, vanlauwe b, ken e. Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in africa wassa. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline. Conservation agriculture with trees world agroforestry centre.
Beyond conservation agriculture pubmed central pmc. It is actively promoted by international research and development organisations, with such strong advocacy that critical debate is stifled. The politics of agricultural technology interventions. Ken e giller wageningen university jens a andersson international maize and wheat improvement center cimmyt marc ecorbeels french agricultural research centre for international. We first explore the history of research on conservation tillage in zimbabwe, and show how the. By eike luedeling, joseph sang, chris van kessel, ken e. The heretics view, field crops research on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. Is maizecowpea intercropping a viable option for smallholder.
On the role of religion in the political agronomy of conservation agriculture, corne rademaker and henk jochemsen 4. Conservation agriculture as a viable and feasible option to farm sustainability 11. The 11th congress of the european society of agronomy in montpellier, august 2010, included a discussion session on the topic of whether conservation agriculture is suitable for smallholder farmers in africa and attempted to draw out the main aspects of a research agenda. An analysis of smallholder farming practices in zimbabwes zambezi valley, reveals.
Evolution of conservation agriculture practice, from past conventional to notill, conservation tillage, to present conservation agriculture to future systems agronomy. It specifically aims to address the problems of soil degradation resulting from agricultural practices that deplete the. Effect of handhoe based conservation agriculture on soil fertility and maize yield in selected smallholder areas in zimbabwe. The choice between land sparing and land sharing should be sitespecific and evidencebased. Opportunities and challenges bruce sosola1, sileshi gudeta1, festus akinnifesi1 and olu ajayi1 abstract conservation agriculture ca benefits include increased organic matter, improved water retention, improved soil fertility, reduced soil erosion, reduced weed infestation, crop productivity and. Conservation agriculture and small holder farming in africa. The adaptive capacity of maizebased conservation agriculture systems to climate stress in tropical and subtropical environments. Oct 28, 2015 global support for conservation agriculture ca as a pathway to sustainable intensification is strong. Read conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in africa. Analysis of conservation agriculture promotion and uptake in mufulira, zambia.
Conservation agriculture ca is defined as a sustainable agriculture production system comprising a set of farming practices adapted to the requirements of crops and local conditions of each region, whose farming and soil management techniques protect the soil from erosion and degradation, improve its quality and biodiversity, and contribute to the preservation of the natural resources, water. Global support for conservation agriculture ca as a pathway to sustainable. National conservation agriculture task force secretariat land resources conservation department, lilongwe. We suggest that a recent commentary piece in the geographical journal on conservation agriculture ca and the system of rice intensification sri kassam and brammer 2012 was misleading because it drew very selectively from the literature, and presented its conclusions as both widely accepted and uncontroversial. Pdf global support for conservation agriculture ca as a pathway to. Conservation agriculture a manual for farmers and extension workers in africa conservation agriculture holds special promise for africa, where farming communities face the problems. Regional conservation agriculture symposium 810 february 2011 emperors hotel, johannesburg, south africa. Giller ke, witter e, corbllels m, tittonell p 2009 conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in africa. Ken giller wageningen ur jens andersson cimmyt international maize and wheat improvement center website. There are a number of great conservation agriculture conferences that are coming up within the next few months. The conference will begin in the afternoon of tuesday 23 february 2016, and run until lunchtime on 25 february.
Conservation agriculture ca is a resourcesaving land management approach that optimizes and sustains the capacity of soils to produce food. When and where is conservation agriculture an appropriate option for smallholder farmers in southern africa. Beyond conservation agriculture table 1 conservation agriculture takes many forms across the g lobe related to farm size and intensity of input use. Org february 2020 page 1 of 4 conservation agriculture references alcantara, viridiana, axel don, reinhard well, and rolf nieder. Giller, ernst witter, marc corbeels, pablo tittonell. Ploughs, conservation agriculture and the problem of agricultural intensi cation.
356 922 811 676 1302 1434 742 119 177 617 741 264 388 172 705 737 807 1313 785 38 1619 1369 484 986 1391 1224 175 1194 1077 779 1116 853 1421 1084 1357 80 103 1250 230 176 1249 356 943 246