Conservation tillage

  • Knowledge partner
    Knowledge partner
    Country of registration
    Canada
    Relation to CTCN
    Network Member
    Knowledge Partner
    Sector(s) of expertise
    Agriculture
    Agriculture and forestry
    Renewable energy
    Forestry
    Industry

    Viresco Solutions is a consulting firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

  • Sectors
    Objective

    Agricultural ecosystems hold large carbon reserves (IPCC, 2001a), mostly in soil organic matter.Historically, these systems have lost more than 50 Pg Carbon, but some of this carbon lost can be recovered through improved management, thereby withdrawing atmospheric CO2 (Paustian et al., 1998; Lal, 1999, 2004a).

  • Objective

    Conventional tillage is the traditional method of farming in which soil is prepared for planting by completely inverting it with a tractor-pulled plough, followed by subsequent additional tillage to smooth the soil surface for crop cultivation. In contrast, conservation tillage is a tillage system that conserves soil, water and energy resources through the reduction of tillage intensity and retention of crop residue. Conservation tillage involves the planting, growing and harvesting of crops with limited disturbance to the soil surface.

  • Publication date
    Objective

    The experiences from East and Southern Africa presented in this paper indicate that for smallholder farmers in savannah agro-ecosystems, conservation farming primarily constitutes a water harvesting strategy. It is thus a non-inversion tillage strategy for in situ moisture conservation, rather than one solely aimed at minimum tillage with mulch cover. Challenges for the future adoption of conservation farming in sub-Saharan Africa include how to improve farmer awareness of conservation farming benefits, and how to efficiently incorporate green manure/cover crops and manage weeds.

  • Objective
    Sectors

    The study showed that rainwater alone is not sufficient to support maize, which is the preferred staple food crop. Thus, a combination of improved tillage and rainwater harvesting techniques, which help to boost crop yields, needs to be employed. The study showed that with as little rainfall as 186-403 mm/season yields of up to 4.8 t ha can be achieved through the application of more efficient soil and water retention techniques compared to much less than 1 t ha as presently achieved.

  • Publication date
    Objective

    In sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the Makanya catchment of northern Tanzania, rainfed subsistence farming systems obtain low crop yields as a result of highly erratic rainfall seasons. The research sought to prove that, with improved farming innovations (runoff diversion, on-site rain water harvesting and conservation tillage), grain yields can improve even under the existing challenging hydro-climatic conditions. The results showed that the innovations resulted in increased maize grain yields of up to 4.8 t ha_1 compared against current averages of less than 1 t ha_1.

  • Publication date
    Objective

    Intensive farming has been adopted to produce large amounts of food grains and cash crops but environment is being deteriorated at alarming rate also. Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, chemical growth regulators, machinery and poor management practices are accelerating environmental pollution, soil degradation, global warming, climatic change and food deterioration. Conservation agriculture offers a sustainable solution for all these problems most often. This review focuses the use of fertilizers in conservation agriculture and their impact on weed management.

  • Publication date
    Objective
    Approach

    The study documented in this journal article focused on the knowledge and perceived roles of state based-Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in climate change mitigation and adaptation in Anambra State, Nigeria. Results indicated that a greater proportion (60 per cent) of NGO members were not aware of climate change while about 63 per cent indicated that issues on climate change have not been included in their programme.

  • Publication date
    Objective

    This study was undertaken to assess farmers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for various climate-smart interventions in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) was selected because it is highly vulnerable to climate change, which may adversely affect the sustainability of the rice-wheat production system and the food security of the region.