Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Crop Production Intensification

Conservation Agriculture the base for a sustainable intensification of crop production Theodor Friedrich

AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012

Conservation Agriculture

• Sustainable crop production intensification – Focus on soil and ecosystem functions

• Conservation Agriculture – The concept – Impacts of CA – CA – the wider picture

• History and development – FAO’s role – Issues around CA adoption and scaling

• Conclusions

Outline



• Highest possible production

• Environmental footprint < recovery capacity

Sustainable Crop Production Intensification




• Green Revolution Paradigm (since WWII): – High soil disturbance + modern high yield varieties

+ high purchased input use = high output

– Downside: Pollution, reduced efficiency, loss of soil health, soil erosion as unavoidable side effects

• Sustainable Intensification Paradigm (alternate): – Strengthen natural processes to boost production

and environmental services

– Avoid waste, input use as the system can take



Focus on soil and ecosystem functions: Healthy soil is base for sustainable crop production


degradation/ erosion >

natural soil

formation = NOT

sustainable Soil tillage

“Dirt – the erosion of civilizations” by David R. Montgomery (Prof. of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, leads the Geomorphological Research Group, member of the Quaternary Research Center): • Soil is a fragile thin skin around the world • Soil formation is very slow, degradation very fast: even with conservation tillage soil erosion is by orders of magnitude higher than soil formation • The decline of important human civilizations can be related to erosion events and soil degradation (Greek, Romans etc.)




The Concept: CA involves core components, which

are necessary, to make “no-till” sustainable. CA in practice is characterized by three linked principles, namely: 1. Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance. 2. Permanent organic soil cover. 3. Diversification of crop species grown in sequences

or associations.



The Concept and SCPI: CA does not solve ALL

problems (NO Panacea) but complemented with other best practices CA base allows

for high production intensity and sustainable agriculture in

all systems.


Minimum soil disturbance Soil Cover Crop Diversity

Integrated Pest

Management

Integrated Plant Nutrient Management

Integrated Weed

Management

Integrated Water management

Sustainable mechanization

Compaction management, CTF

Permanent Bed and

Furrow Systems

System of Rice Intensification

Good seed Genetic potential Genetic resources mgmt.

Pollinator/ Biodiversity

management

Organic agriculture



Minimum soil disturbance Soil Cover Crop Diversity

Integrated Pest

Management

Integrated Plant Nutrient Management

Integrated Weed

Management

Integrated Water management

Sustainable mechanization

Compaction management, CTF

Permanent Bed and

Furrow Systems

System of Rice Intensification

Good seed Genetic potential Genetic resources mgmt.

Pollinator/ Biodiversity

management

Organic agriculture

Conservation Agriculture Drivers for adoption: • Erosion: North America, Brazil, China • Drought: China, Australia, Kazakhstan, Zambia

• Cost of production: global

• Ecosystem services global




Conservation Agriculture Impacts: • Increase of yields and production • Less fertilizer use (-50%) less pesticides • Less machinery and labour cost (-70%) • Higher profit • More stable yields – lower impact of climate (drought, floods, heat, cold) • Lower environmental cost (water, infrastructure)

Wheat yield and nitrogen amount for different duration of no-tillage in Canada 2002 (Lafond

2003)

1.01.52.02.53.03.54.0

0 30 60 90 120nitrogen (kg/ha

Gra

in y

ield

(t

/ha)

20-year no-tillage2-year no-tillage



They are documented where CA has been applied over a longer time and large area: Canada, Brazil, Australia




Impacts of CA: • Similar reports are now appearing increasingly from small scale farmers and from other regions:




CA – the wider picture: CA opens the way for diversified and integrated production:

• Horizontal integration of other production sectors (agroforestry, crop-livestock integration!)

• Ecosystem services

• Labour saving allowing vertical integration in the value chain




History and Development


0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00 125

Global CA area (million ha)

USA 26.5

Canada 13.5

Australia 17

Europe 1 Kazakhstan 2

Africa 1

Brazil 25.5

Conservation Agriculture globally 125 Million ha

Argentina 25.5 (10.5)

Paraguay 2.4

China 3.1

tropical savannah

continental, dry

temperate, moist

temperate, moist

continental, dry

irrigated

smallholder

smallholder

smallholder

arid

arid

large scale

large scale

large scale

large scale

large scale

large scale

subtropical, dry

tropical savannah

other LA 2.4

>50% W (30%)

15%

79%

100% West (35%)

Russia, Ukraine 5.1



FAO Impact

?

?


FAO’s role: link up with CA community • knowledge management (concept) • networking (WCCAs, CA-CoP) • advocacy (regional workshops, world

congress) • technical support (field work)




FAO’s role: Support to member countries: • Policies and Institutions:

– policy support for upscaling CA; coherent policies (mechanization/CA, extension)

– institutions, supporting infrastructure: education/training, science/technology, commercial infrastructure (input supply)

• Field level: farmer-groups/associations; proof of concept and field evidence with farmer learning processes (FFS, earthworm clubs...)

• FAO DRR/M uses CA as concept (mostly Africa, LA)




Issues around CA adoption and scaling: • CA is a concept – no blueprint

• Local adaptation works best in a farmer discovery/ learning process – participation of private sector/ input suppliers is crucial for uptake

• CA works through synergy – hence all three components are important (to some degree)

• Understanding of the concept is important for practice solutions for CA – in some cases “gradual” approaches work, in others full adoption is better




Issues around CA adoption: Common perceptions • No-till needs more herbicides: tillage conserves seeds; multiplies

rhizomes; CA has non chemical options for weed management

• No-till soils compact: compaction comes from traffic; no-till CA soil with mulch compacts less; biological tillage/SOM to “repair”;

• Residues vs. livestock: CA produces over time more biomass; better IC-LS options/double purpose cover crops

• Residues tie nitrogen: only when soil and straw is mixed

• Residues carry pests and diseases: they also host beneficial fauna and flora; crop rotation is key

• Root crops and CA: no problem for most; some adaptation in harvest or cultivation




Issues around CA adoption: Common perceptions • and many more, such as: “no-till cannot be done….

• …on large farms

• …on small farms

• …on clay soils

• …on sandy soils

• …in cold climates

• …in humid tropics

• …in arid climates

• …etc. – but in all these conditions it is successfully be done as CA




• CA addresses the core problem for sustainable agriculture with the deepest environmental footprint: soil tillage

• For SCPI there is no “alternative” to CA

• CA has many local adaptations and there are different routes to adoption

• FAO/AG department should therefore mainstream CA as approach to cropping

Conclusions


“CA - there is no better way to farm”

CA, the Agriculture of the Future – the Future of Agriculture

More information: [email protected] http://www.fao.org/ag/ca http://www.fao.org/ag/save-and-grow

Join the CA-CoP!



Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Crop Production Intensification

Technology

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