5th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture, 25-29 September, Brisbane

Mainstreaming Conservation Agriculture:Challenges to Adoption, Institutions and Policy

Amir Kassam, Theodor Friedrich, Jules Pretty, Francis Shaxson, Herbert Bartz, Ivo Mello

University of Reading, UKFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome

University of Essex, UKTropical Agriculture Association, UK

Brazilian No-Till Association, Ponta Grossa, Brazil

Outline• Background – mainstreaming• Challenges –adoption –institutions –policy

• Opportunities• What is needed• Conclusions

Mainstreaming CA

For CA to be a preferred paradigm of choice by concerned stakeholders – by farmers of all types (adoption), by service providers (institutions – private, public, community), and by policy makers & politicians (policy ).

Mainstreaming CA

So that CA mind set and innovation system take roots to serve as a sustainable ecological foundation for the multi-functional food and agriculture land use system and into which other complementary on-farm and landscape level production and ecosystem management practices can be/are integrated (e.g. GAP, precision & energy efficient farming; controlled traffic farming, integrated land use management etc)

Mainstreaming CA

Not an exclusive vision & purpose – as most existing production systems, sub-systems and practices can benefit from integration of CA principles e.g. IPM, IPNM/ISFM, irrigated systems, agroforestry, SRI rice, organic farming, rotational farming, integrated crop-livestock system.

Mainstreaming CA

Not saying that CA is the only agro-ecological approach to sustainable production intensification.

Others are free to promote non-CA paradigms and practices if they think they can harness ecologically sustainable production intensification and ecosystem services simultaneously.

Mainstreaming CASo mainstreaming at two interlinked levels:

• At the level of on-farm adoption – where productivity, output and sustainability are of major concern (THIS PRESENTATION)

• At the integrated landscape level – where environmental ecosystem services are also of major concern to rural communities and society generally (A different set of additional barriers involved here)

Challenges to Adoption(within a given effective

demand and market access)

Challenges to Adoption• TA to CA – A fundamental operational change– Issues of knowledge base, personal experience,

risks, all would influence the state of the mind & psychology of the would be adopter towards CA

• Discussed for 70 years, practiced for 40 years• “Real”: more than 120 Mill ha• Yet: it is relatively unknown and not promoted

as a mainstream production system choice• Typical adoption curve, slow start

Challenges to Adoption

• Necessary conditions for adoption, to be mobilised at the individual, group, institutional and policy level to create the sufficient conditions for uptake and continuation

• But farmers do not start from a clean sheet – more than 90% of them practice tillage-based systems which have ‘worked’ for them so far, and they aspire to intensify within the same paradigm

Challenges to Adoption• And are forced to stay with the old

‘interventionist’ tillage paradigm by the private and public parts of the food and agriculture system – the market capitalism version of harnessing production intensification and its socio-economic assumptions – strong on input and output market liberalization and access and value chains but weak or almost ‘unconcerned’ about on-farm and landscape agro-ecology or ecosystem functions and management

Challenges to AdoptionChallenges to Adoption

Intellectual challenges to adoption (1):• CA is counterintuitive• CA against “common knowledge”• Tillage and plough part of culture &

existing system• “Experiential knowledge” of CA:–More knowledge – positive view– Little knowledge – negative bias (majority)

Intellectual challenges to adoption (1):• CA is counterintuitive• CA against “common knowledge”• Tillage and plough part of culture &

existing system• “Experiential knowledge” of CA:–More knowledge – positive view– Little knowledge – negative bias (majority)

Challenges to AdoptionChallenges to Adoption

Intellectual challenges to adoption (2):• CA is unknown, no option for farmers• CA pioneers need technical guidance– knowledge intensive, forward-planning

• CA no package ready for adoption – local adaptation, farmer R&D

• CA publications often poor quality

Intellectual challenges to adoption (2):• CA is unknown, no option for farmers• CA pioneers need technical guidance– knowledge intensive, forward-planning

• CA no package ready for adoption – local adaptation, farmer R&D

• CA publications often poor quality

Challenges to AdoptionChallenges to Adoption

Social challenges to adoption:• Social isolation/peer pressure• Land tenure, communal rights on

land/residues• Adoption depends on entire

communities – social capital

Social challenges to adoption:• Social isolation/peer pressure• Land tenure, communal rights on

land/residues• Adoption depends on entire

communities – social capital

Challenges to AdoptionChallenges to Adoption

Biophysical and technical challenges to adoption:

• CA practices not for every situation readily available

• Crop rotations/cover crops/livestock integration need local solutions

• Unavailability of inputs:cover crop seeds, equipment

Biophysical and technical challenges to adoption:

• CA practices not for every situation readily available

• Crop rotations/cover crops/livestock integration need local solutions

• Unavailability of inputs:cover crop seeds, equipment

Challenges to Institutions

Challenges to InstitutionsChallenges to Institutions

Financial challenges to adoption:profit vs. investment capital• Investment for building up soil health

(initial “repairs”)• Investment into new equipment• Unavailability of services – credit,

machinery contractors, low cost adaptations

Financial challenges to adoption:profit vs. investment capital• Investment for building up soil health

(initial “repairs”)• Investment into new equipment• Unavailability of services – credit,

machinery contractors, low cost adaptations

Challenges to InstitutionsChallenges to Institutions

Infrastructural challenges to adoption:• Inputs required for sustainable intensive

production: available, affordable, accessible

• Different inputs for CA (cover crop seeds, herbicides, equipment)

• Suppliers need to be proactive

Infrastructural challenges to adoption:• Inputs required for sustainable intensive

production: available, affordable, accessible

• Different inputs for CA (cover crop seeds, herbicides, equipment)

• Suppliers need to be proactive

Challenges to PolicyChallenges to Policy

Policy challenges to adoption:• Policy makers unaware of CA• Policies working against CA (commodity

subsidies, tillage laws)• Lack of inter-sectoral coordination

(agriculture-mechanization-finance …)• Landownership/-user rights

Policy challenges to adoption:• Policy makers unaware of CA• Policies working against CA (commodity

subsidies, tillage laws)• Lack of inter-sectoral coordination

(agriculture-mechanization-finance …)• Landownership/-user rights

But there are opportunities to promote CA

• Increasing pressures on land use in general and farmers in particular are opportunities for change.

• Crisis and emergencies• Increasing environmental concerns• Challenges of climate change

What is needed?

• Reliable local individuals and institutional champions

• Dynamic institutional capacity to support CA• Engaging with farmers & farmers with

farmers (social capital development)(a) The importance of working with farmers

towards improvements in current practices. (b) Importance of farmers’ organizations including FFS, Cooperatives, Clubs, Networks

What is needed?Providing knowledge, education and learning services(a) The need for scientists and extension agents to recognise and characterise the problems relating to soil health in agricultural land and facilitate problem solving (b) The need to build up a nucleus of knowledge and learning system in the farming, education, extension and scientist community

What is needed?

Mobilizing input supply and output marketing sectors for CA(a) Accessibility and affordability of required inputs and equipment(b) Financing and enabling the initial stages

What is needed?

Designing and implementing policy and institutional support–Putting a political emphasis on policy and

institutional support for mainstreaming CA–The need to sensitise policy-makers and

institutional leaders – Formulating enabling policies including for

rapid up-scaling

ConclusionsConclusions

• CA adoption rarely spontaneous• Hurdles keep farmers from adoption• All hurdles have solutions • Benefits from CA can be harnessed with

supportive policies and institutional service providers in response of actual local, national and global problems

• This has begun to occur in Africa and Asia in recent years

• CA adoption rarely spontaneous• Hurdles keep farmers from adoption• All hurdles have solutions • Benefits from CA can be harnessed with

supportive policies and institutional service providers in response of actual local, national and global problems

• This has begun to occur in Africa and Asia in recent years

Let’s share our capacities in the global CA-CoP to advance CA

Let’s share our capacities in the global CA-CoP to advance CA

Thank you

More information:Theodor.Friedrich@fao.orgkassamamir@aol.comhttp://www.fao.org/ag/ca

Thank you

More information:Theodor.Friedrich@fao.orgkassamamir@aol.comhttp://www.fao.org/ag/ca