Conservation Agriculture the base for a sustainable intensification of crop production

Conservation Agriculture
the base for a
sustainable intensification
of crop production
Theodor Friedrich
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012

• 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
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

Drivers for adoption:
• Erosion: North America,
Brazil, China
• Drought: China, Australia,
Kazakhstan, Zambia
• Cost of production:
global
• Ecosystem services
global

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)
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
0 30 60 90 120
nitrogen (kg/haGrainyield(t/ha)
20-year no-tillage
2-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:
Theodor.Friedrich@fao.org
http://www.fao.org/ag/ca
http://www.fao.org/ag/save-and-grow
Join the CA-CoP!

Conservation Agriculture the base for a sustainable intensification of crop production

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