Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Crop Production Intensification

The Sustainable crop production intensification, focused on soil and ecosystem functions, and the concept of the Conservation Agriculture.

© FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Conservation Agriculture
the base for a
sustainable intensification
of crop production

Theodor Friedrich
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012

2. 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

3. Conservation Agriculture
•Highest possible production
•Environmental footprint < recovery capacity
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012
Sustainable Crop
Production Intensification

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 f or dif f erent
duration of no-tillage in Canada 2002 (Laf ond
2003)
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
0 30 60 90 120
nitrogen (kg/ha
Grain yield (t/ha)
20-year no-tillage
2-year no-tillage
AG department brainstorming, April 12, 2012

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. 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
?
?

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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”

21. 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