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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
• Highest possible production
• Environmental footprint < recovery capacity
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
Conservation Agriculture
• 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
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Focus on soil and ecosystem functions: Healthy soil is base for sustainable crop production
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
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.)
Conservation Agriculture
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
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.
Conservation Agriculture
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
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.
Conservation 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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
They are documented where CA has been applied over a longer time and large area: Canada, Brazil, Australia
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture
Impacts of CA: • Similar reports are now appearing increasingly from small scale farmers and from other regions:
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture
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
Conservation Agriculture
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
History and Development
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
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
Conservation Agriculture
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
FAO Impact
?
?
Conservation Agriculture
FAO’s role: link up with CA community • knowledge management (concept) • networking (WCCAs, CA-CoP) • advocacy (regional workshops, world
congress) • technical support (field work)
History and Development
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
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)
History and Development
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Conservation Agriculture
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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
History and Development
Conservation Agriculture
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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
History and Development
Conservation Agriculture
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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
History and Development
Conservation Agriculture
• 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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
“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
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
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