Conservation agriculture: opportunities for intensified farming and environmental conservation in dry areas
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Citation
Peter Fredenburg, Colin Piggin, Michael Devlin. (1/1/2015). Conservation agriculture: opportunities for intensified farming and environmental conservation in dry areas. Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
Abstract
This report presents examples, approaches and evidence on conservation agriculture
and its potential for use in low-income countries. It is designed to help policy makers and
development partners appreciate the issues and evaluate how conservation agriculture
can contribute to rural development and food security goals, paving the way for its adoption
as a national agricultural strategy.1
Conservation agriculture – the practice of not plowing farmlands and leaving crop residue
in the field for improved soil fertility and water conservation – is used by a majority of
farmers in Australia, Brazil and by many in North America and other middle and highincome
countries. Research and testing of the approach since the 1960s has confirmed to
these countries that conservation agriculture brings optimal production at the best cost.
In the world’s drylands agro-ecosystems and the marginal farming areas of low-income
countries, conservation agriculture can bring direct benefits to smallholder farmers. The
practice has the potential to benefit food security in many drylands agro-ecosystems in
Central and West Asia, the Middle East and in North and sub-Saharan Africa.
For low-income countries, today’s paradox for conservation agriculture is that it can
benefit their smallholder farmers at minimal additional cost; but this thinking has so far
not been recognized by their food security planners and policy makers. Likewise, donors
and development partners active in rural development have yet to embrace the practice
as a viable approach to improve livelihoods in low-income countries – even as this is how
much of their agriculture is managed at home.
The two factors needed for the successful adoption of conservation agriculture for drylands
farming are appropriate technologies and a favorable policy environment. Locally-made
low-cost seeders are needed and require a local market for repair and technical services
to farmers. These markets are taking shape today, and are expected to mature in the
medium term.
But probably the most critical factor needed to encourage the uptake of conservation
agriculture is a change in perception among decision makers in low-income countries.
For conservation agriculture to spread, ministry officials, extension services and influential
large-scale farmers in these regions need to be engaged and informed of the benefits.
ICARDA’s work over the past five years in Syria and Iraq, has shown that as a small number
of farmers try the approach, news of the results can rapidly travel to neighboring villages
and towns. This report contains examples, thinking and evidence. Its goal is to help policy
makers and development partners better appreciate how conservation agriculture works,
so they can formulate programs to evaluate how it can contribute to their rural development
and food security goals, paving the way for its adoption in a national agricultural strategy