Conservation Agriculture Technologies Research Articles

Conceptualizing climate-induced migration in Africa

Climate change has detrimental effects on the livelihoods of Africans, given their dependency on agriculture and subsistence farming. As such, when the environment is no longer conducive due to climate change challenges, migration is opted to seek better, more supportive living conditions. The study aimed to understand migration trends in the African region and to identify sustainable development strategies to mitigate migration by employing a bibliometric and systematic literature review. This systematic literature review of 16 studies conceptualized climate-induced mobility in African countries with evidence on how climate change has influenced migration decisions for most dwellers in vulnerable African areas. The results revealed a rural-urban migration as farming workers searched for other ways to secure livelihoods. Migration to other countries was also identified, especially in countries like the United States, France and the United Kingdom. However, the results also revealed that those who remained in rural areas would opt for other livelihood activities such as businesses. It was also observed that climate-induced migration is growing in Africa, particularly in Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Therefore, to mitigate climate issues and manage migration, strategies are required to support communities affected by climate-induced problems.This study recommends that governments and policymakers should consider strategies like climate development finance, capacitating communities depending on natural resources, conservation agriculture and innovative technology to help stabilize the economies in areas affected by climate change and to improve human security.

Conservation Agriculture is a Sustainable Approach for Future

Conservation agriculture (CA) embodies a forward-looking and sustainable approach to cultivation. It is characterized by a farming system that prioritizes sustainability through practices such as minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining permanent soil cover, and implementing crop rotations. The overarching goal is to preserve soil health and enhance productivity. This method emphasizes the optimization of natural resources, the reduction of inputs, and the enhancement of nutrient utilization efficiency. The primary focus of this review article around conservation agriculture (CA), characterized by revolutionary practices involving minimal soil disturbance (no-till, NT) and the maintenance of continuous soil cover (mulch). Agriculture heavily relies on cultivation and tillage practices. The review first explores the advantages of conventional cultivation techniques before the introduction of conservation tillage (CT), a method that originated in response to the American dust bowl of the 1930s. Subsequently, the review delves into the benefits of CA, considered an improvement over CT. The incorporation of no-till (NT), mulching, and related innovations significantly enhances soil qualities and various biotic factors within the framework of CA. Nevertheless, the promotion of Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies encounters several challenges. These include the absence of suitable seeders tailored for small-scale farmers, conflicts between the use of CA and livestock feeding for crop residues, the practice of burning crop residues, a scarcity of skilled manpower, and the challenge of overcoming traditional attitudes towards tillage. Drawbacks of conservation agriculture encompass factors such as limited adoption, insufficient knowledge and skills, reliance on herbicides, and initial investment costs, among others.

Effects of conservation agriculture technologies on soil macrofauna community attributes in rainfed agriculture system

AbstractInappropriate rainfed crop management, especially wrong tillage and crop residue management, led to reduce the diversity of soil biological quality, especially soil macrofauna community, in semiarid region. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of 5 year conservation agriculture operation techniques on the quality and the diversity indices of soil macrofauna community in the rainfed lands in the west of Iran. This experiment was carried out in the statistical format of split‐split plots based on a randomized completely block design with three replications. The main treatments include control or conventional tillage, compound tillage, chisel tillage, and direct cultivation (no tillage) with three sub‐treatments of plant residues (no residues, one‐third, and two‐thirds of plant residues) in rainfed wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation with rainfed chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Changes in soil biological quality indicators, such as soil microbial respiration were measured. Also, the indicators related to the population of soil macrofauna, including biodiversity index, uniformity index, and species richness, were measured and the effect of treatments on the measured indicators were compared with the classical statistical method of analysis of variance and Duncan's mean comparison test. The results showed that conservation agricultural treatments, including no‐tillage treatment, have led to significant increase of 19% and 15% of macrofauna biodiversity index in wheat and chickpea, respectively. Also, keeping one‐third of the wheat residues has led to an 18% increase in the biodiversity index of the soil macrofauna during the evaluation period. Biodiversity index and taxonomic richness of soil macrofauna were generally higher in the years of wheat than chickpea, and on the contrary, the species uniformity index of soil macrofauna biological community was higher in chickpea than wheat.

Perception of Agricultural Extension Workers to Importance of Conservation Agriculture Technology Nineveh Governorate

Perception of Agricultural Extension Workers to Importance of Conservation Agriculture Technology Nineveh Governorate

CASI Adoption in Bihar for Smallholder Farmers- An Option or Future

"Conservation agriculture (CA) evolved as a practice in response to concerns of sustainability of agriculture globally and also is a viable solution for Sustainable Intensification. The study was attempted to examine the profitability of CASI technology vis-à-vis traditional cultivation practices especially for direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and Zero Till (ZT) wheat. Primary data was collected from 120 sample farmers following a multi stage sampling technique. It was observed that 40.83 per cent farmers adopted either of the CASI technology. The level of adoption was found lowest among marginal and small farmers (18.87%) whereas most of the medium farmers (94.44%) and almost half of the semi medium farmers (44.90%) tried CASI at least in some portion of their field. CASI technology was mainly followed in cereal crops (paddy, wheat and maize). The grain and straw productivity with the adoption of CASI raised the gross income by 14.48, 18.75 and 19.70 per cent in rice, wheat and maize, respectively. CASI adopters on an average earned 53 paisa, 55 paisa and 1.34 rupee more than the net return obtained by conventional farmers over each rupee invested paddy, wheat and maize respectively. This was primarily due to the reduction in explicit cost items. Adoption of conservation agriculture technology can surely reduce the farmer’s costs of cultivation and also increase the farmer’s net income and thereby results in the betterment of standards of living."

Conservation agriculture‐based sustainable intensification improves technical efficiency in Northern Bangladesh: The case of Rangpur

AbstractThe dissemination of conservation agriculture (CA) technologies has become the objective of a growing number of projects aimed at reducing food insecurity in vulnerable areas of the world. While many studies have found that CA increases farm productivity, little is known about the components of the productivity gains related to CA adoption. CA is a knowledge‐intensive technology, and it is expected to affect both technical efficiency (TE) and input productivity positively. Using cross‐sectional farm‐level data of 220 maize farmers in Bangladesh, we measure the impact of CA on farmers' TE. We first apply propensity score matching (PSM) to create comparable counterfactual groups of CA and non‐CA farmers. Then, we use a stochastic frontier with correction for self‐selection bias to analyse TE. Finally, we fit a stochastic meta‐frontier (SMF) model to the data and use it to compare TE across the two farmer groups. The analysis showed that CA farmers exhibit greater TE levels than non‐CA farmers. This can be attributed to enhancements in farm management, leading to 8% and 9% increases in their productivity and TE, respectively. Thus, there is a case for policymakers to strengthen programs delivering CA technologies that improve food security in Bangladesh.

Agricultural technology adoption for smallholder small grain farmers in Zimbabwe. Implications for food system transformation and sustainability

Abstract Food security is a perennial concern in natural regions IV and V of Zimbabwe, that receive low rainfall per annum. Improved small grain varieties and conservation agriculture practices provide a promise for bumper harvests in these dry regions. This study focused on four districts (Binga, Chiredzi, Hwange and Matobo) from these two regions to determine patterns for improved small grain varieties and conservation agriculture technology adoption by smallholder small grain farmers. Data were collected from 281 respondents using structured questionnaires and interviews. The statistical package Stata (version 16) was used to analyse data. Logit and multinomial models were used to compare non-adopters and adopters of technologies in order to show the rationale for adoption. Results indicated that 56% of the sample were non-adopters while 44% were adopters. Adoption patterns varied with location, education, land size, marital status, frequency of extension visits and access to credit. The study recommends increased funding to research institutions that develop high-yield small grain varieties. Comparative studies are recommended in other semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe to support the study findings in informing future policy.

Risk Cognition, Social Learning, and Farmers’ Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Technology

Soil degradation and declining soil fertility are prominent issues for sustainable agricultural development in China. Therefore, it is of great significance to promote the adoption rate of conservation agriculture technology. Risk cognition and technology adoption are closely related, but this perspective is rarely focused on, and it is essential to discuss the influence of social learning on the impact. The Loess Plateau is a representative area for promoting and implementing conservation agriculture techniques. By collecting face-to-face survey data from 1268 farmers in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Ningxia provinces in China, this study used the binary probit model to examine the impact of risk cognition on the adoption of conservation agriculture technology and the influence of social learning on the impact. The results showed that risk cognition has a significant positive impact on the adoption of conservation agriculture technology; social learning significantly enhances the effect of risk cognition on farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture technology. Both offline practical learning through “learning by doing” and online learning with ICT play an important moderating role in the impact; a high level of social learning enhances risk cognition to a greater extent and promotes enthusiasm for adopting conservation agriculture technology. Therefore, the value of farmers’ risk cognition should be considered in promoting and implementing conservation agriculture technology. Moreover, expanding offline and online social learning channels is crucial to improve farmers’ risk cognition and promote the adoption of conservation agriculture technology.

Exploring the Adoption and Impact of Conservation Agriculture among Smallholder Farmers in Semi-Arid Areas: Evidence from Chamwino District, Tanzania

The adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies by smallholder farmers is expected to affect agricultural productivity and ultimately improve food security and farm incomes. However, there is still limited empirical evidence on the adoption and effects of CA technologies among smallholder farmers in the semi-arid areas of Tanzania. This study was designed to assess the adoption of CA by smallholder farmers in semi-arid areas. The study used a cross-sectional survey design in four villages in Chamwino districts where CA projects are promoted. A random sample of 260 households was interviewed in this study, including 134 CA adopters and 126 non-CA adopters. Data were collected and analyzed using KoBo and SPSS statistics respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to examine extension approaches applied and analyze the extent of CA adoptions. A logistic regression model explored the determinants influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt CA. In addition, two independent samples t-tests were used to calculate the effect of CA adoption on crop yields and farm incomes. The results show that robust extension services led to a better quality of CA practices on CA farms. Gender, access to extension services, access to agricultural inputs, participation in farmer groups, and access to credit for agriculture significantly influence the adoption of CA. CA adopters achieved better average crop yields and higher farm income per unit area than those who did not adopt CA. Thus, the study recommends that the government and other development actors devote more resources to agricultural extension services and mechanization to support and increase the scaling up of CA technologies. There is also a need to establish and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure coherence, impact and sustainability of CF programs in semi-arid areas of Tanzania.

Conservation Agriculture Technology: Extent of Adoption & Constraints Faced by Farmers of Madhya Pradesh, India

Increase in human population and vigorously changing climate leading to declining natural resource are the emerging challenges for the world's agricultural systems, which need to produce more food for the increasing population. Therefore, change in our conventional agriculture practice is required by adapting practices or technology helping in coping up with the changing climate and sustainably using the resources for future productivity gains and Conservation Agriculture (CA) Technology is one of the best alternative. CA is a resource conservation practice which improves biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface and includes a trifecta of no-till or minimum-till or zero-till farming, permanent soil cover and crop rotations which have existed for nearly a century, but its uptake has generally been slow and uneven. Present study was conducted at state Madhya Pradesh of India using ex-post facto research design to find out the extent of adoption along with the constraints faced by the farmer in adoption of this decade older technology. The study revealed that despite the proven benefits of CA, its adoption rate is very slow in the region. Further, majority of the farmers had moderate knowledge of CA but were afraid to adopt it completely. The major reason witnessed were complexity of CA in comparison to conventional agriculture, lack of awareness of this technology among farmers and high cost and unavailability of happy seeder.

An overview of no-till technology in the concept of conservation agriculture

This review article summarises some of the most important terms and definitions of the vocabulary used in conservation agriculture (CA) and no-till technology (NT). It also presents the concepts and foundation principle of CA. The article cites selected sources with detailed historical notes and a chronological narrative about the development of the concept of conservational agriculture, machinery, devices and techniques that no-till technology applies. Due to the vastness of CA as a subject, the current review deals very briefly with some of the topics such as economic benefit, weed control, cover crop and crop rotation, use of herbicides. The availability of controversial results about no-till does not allow any final conclusion about the feasibility of that technology. It could be expected that on different soils, in different geographical conditions, depending on the machinery used and the combination of particular elements of the technology, the outcome of its adoption is highly probable to be different. Despite this variability in technology adoption, in cases of no significant reduction in crop yield, the application of technology seems worthy due to the ecological benefits which it provides. However, there is another important consideration that should be taken into account in NT adoption - any expectations for quick revenue should not be considered feasible because ecological sustainability could only be achieved in a long-term application of CA and NT.

Influence of Mineralized Water Sources on the Properties of Calcisol and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The use of conservation agriculture (SWC-soil and water conservation) technologies is now becoming more and more necessary. For the soils in arid ecosystems, the problem of irrigation deficiencies has always been relevant, and clean fresh water is always insufficient to irrigate these agricultural lands. This paper provides a brief historical overview of the use of mineralized water sources in agriculture and their impacts on soils and plants (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment involving wheat cultivation in saline soils irrigated with mineralized water was set for 3 years. The main chemical and physical-chemical properties of the agro-transformed solonchaks and mineralized water sources were investigated. According to the contents of mobile forms of N, P, and K, the soils were poorly supplied; after a series of irrigation phases, they remained the same. There were signs of the growth of mobile phosphorus in the variants where mineralized water sources were applied. Our results showed that under conditions of irrigation with water sources with mineralization rates of up to 2.8-3.5 g/L, the wheat yield increased by 1.5 c/ha compared to the control. The use of mineralized water for irrigation purposes will reduce the use of clean river water.

Влияние способов использования почвы на изменение содержания гумуса в чернозёмах выщелоченных умеренно засушливой и колочной степи Алтайского края

The results of a study of the influence of various soil use methods on the humus content in leached chernozem under the conditions of the moderately arid and forest-outlier steppe of the Altai Territory are presented in this article. Soil sampling was carried out on the basis of experimental fields in the Educational farm “Prigorodnoe” and the FSUE “Komsomolsky”, Pavlovsky District. The following variants of soil use as traditional technology, minimum technology, perennial fallow land (18 years), virgin land (natural haymaking) are considered. We determined the humus content using I.V. Tyurin’s method, repeated three times. The article shows that the use of conservation agriculture technologies contributes to an increase in the accumulation of soil carbon, and as a result, an increase in soil humus content. It has been established that when using traditional soil cultivation technology, the humus content in the soil is lower against the background of perennial fallow land (18 years), virgin land (natural haymaking). During the experiment with traditional technology, we revealed the minimum value of the humus content in the subsurface horizon. When using the minimum technology, the humus content in the soil prevails 1.5 times compared to the traditional one. Adaptation of resource-saving technologies to the conditions of the moderately arid and forest-outlier steppe of the Altai Territory will reduce the intensity of mechanical impact on soils, improve the ecological state of agricultural landscapes and optimize farming systems.

Uptake of conservation agriculture technology through farmer field schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique

The study assessed the levels of usage of conservation agriculture technology in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angonia, Mozambique. A structured questionnaire was randomly administered to 192 farmers in each study site to collect data through a multistage sampling process. The study employed descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression to examine possible relationships among the study parameters. The results showed that land size used for conservation agriculture was a significant predictor in both study sites. Farmers’ intention to adopt depended on the services of vulgarisation of conservation agriculture technology. The results further showed that Kisangani farmers do not use the three-conservation agriculture technology at the same time, but they use crop rotation (54%). However, farmers use the three technologies (30%) simultaneously and soil cover (38%) in Angonia. The results suggest that efforts to promote adoption in Kisangani should be based on equal provision of extension services in all locations, and that the current farmer field schools (FFS) approach should be redesigned for contextualisation. For both study sites, the results imply that the use of FFS should be adapted to the use of farmer-to-farmer extension services, which can improve the upscaling of conservation agriculture to increase food security in a sustainable manner.

Cost-benefit analysis of sustainable land and water management practices in selected highland water catchments of Kenya

Sustainable land management (SLM) strives to maintain and improve the agricultural production capacity of land. To achieve the goals of SLM, communities use various types of agronomic, vegetative, and structural practices. Despite the benefits of SLM practices, some farmers are reluctant to adopt them. An economic cost-benefit analysis of SLM practices is an important approach to demonstrate the benefits of appropriate SLM practices. This study was conducted to determine the effect of adopting of SLM practices, and also the costs and benefits associated with adopting SLM practices in Kinale-Kikuyu, Cherangani, and Wundanyi water catchments in Kenya. A multistage, probability proportional to size sampling method was used to select 388 households for a cross-sectional survey in the year 2015. The study used the World Overview of Conservation Agriculture Technologies survey tools in a mixed-methods research technique. Profitability analysis, return on investment, and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Terraces, infiltration ditches, and trash lines were popular practices adopted by farmers. The cost of establishing terraces on a hectare of land was US$ 445. The most expensive vegetative SLM practice, woodlot, costed US$ 534 per hectare to establish. Average yields increased by 49.8% in Kinale-Kikuyu, 60.6% in Cherangani, and 107.5% in Wundanyi due to adoption of SLM practices. Yield increases of 8.7% in fodder maize and 108% in tomatoes and potatoes were observed. The percentage increase in mean annual gross margins due to adopting SLM practices was highest in Wundanyi at 242.09%. Cost-benefit analysis showed that Kinale-Kikuyu had the highest Net Present Value of US$ 4083.73 due to adopting SLM. Positive Net Present Values were an indicator of the benefits of SLM in all the catchments. Benefits accruing from the adoption of SLM practices by the farmers exceeded the costs of establishing the SLM structures in the long run. It is recommended that a pilot Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) project be established on hilly catchments and for linkages to be made between markets for produce and farmers willing to adopt SLM practices as an incentive to adopt them.

Adoption and diffusion of conservation agriculture technology in Zambia: the role of social and institutional networks

This study utilizes recall data from smallholder farmers in selected provinces in Zambia to examine the role of social and institutional networks, as well as other farm and household factors in the adoption and diffusion of conservation agriculture (CA) technology. We employed a dynamic discrete-time hazard model to capture the time path to adoption. The empirical results show that conditional on several potentially confounding factors, conservation agriculture technology adoption and diffusion are positively and significantly influenced by farmers’ access to information from social networks and institutional networks like extension services. Adoption decisions are also found to be significantly influenced by age, education, market distance, as well as location fixed effects.

Re-Designing Energy-Efficient and Intensively Managed Cereal Based Cropping Systems for Reducing the Environmental Footprints of Production in North-West India: A Review

Agriculture is a major contributor to India's environmental footprint, particularly through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Sustainable agricultural systems are needed to produce high-quality and affordable food in sufficient quantity to meet the growing population need for food, feed, and fuel, and at the same time, farming systems must have a low impact on the environment. Achieving sustainability of the cereal system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of North West India under progressive climate change and variability necessitates adoption of practices and technologies that increase food production, adaptation and mitigation the environmental footprints of production in a sustainable way. But production is becoming unsustainable due to depletion or degradation of soil and water resources, rising production costs, decreasing input use efficiency, and increasing environmental pollution. In contrast, cereal production systems in the IGP are largely traditional, with low yields and farm income. This review paper mainly focus on the reduction of environmental footprint production in cereal systems such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the adoption of emerging conservation agricultural practices i.e., re-designing energy-efficient, economically sustainable and intensively managed options for cereal systems. Adoption of re-designing energy-efficient, economically sustainable and intensively managed cereal systems could help in reducing the environmental footprints of production (EFP) while maintaining productivity and better resource utilization. In India could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by almost 18 percent through the adoption of mitigation measures. Several studies revealed that conservation agriculture (CA) practices and technologies implemented in the cereal systems of the IGP have positive impacts on crop yields, returns from crop cultivation, input use efficiency (water, nutrient and energy), adaptation to heat stress and reduction of GHGs emissions. Improved conservation technologies or packages of practices from intensive agriculture that reduce environmental impacts, such as laser-aided land leveling, reduced or zero tillage, conservation tillage operation, precise nutrient and water management, crop residues management, crop diversification improves resource use efficiency by decreasing losses of inputs to the surrounding environment. It indicates that the adoption of better soil, water, nutrient management practices, and technologies has enormous potential to reduce environmental foot print, such as GHG emissions from agriculture cereal systems, thereby contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

Factors Affecting Conservation Agriculture Technologies at Farm Level in Bangladesh

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a win-win approach that reduces operational costs, including machinery, labour, and fuel, while increasing yields, profit and better utilization of natural resources. Data and information on farm level CA technology adoption are scarce in Bangladesh.Therefore, the study was conducted at three Upazilas of Rajshahi and Thakurgaon districts to assess adoption and farmers perceptions on CA technology, and to determine the factors of CA technology adoption at farm level in 2017. A total of 405 farmers taking 135 adopters and 270 non-adopters were selected randomly for this study. The study revealed that CA technology adoption is still going on in the study areas. However,the rates of adoptions of crop residue retention (67%) and crop rotations (38.9%) were much higher compared to minimum tillage (14.9%). Residue retention (68.9%) and suitable crop rotations (34.4%) were also practiced by the non-adopters. The age, innovativeness, and extension contact of the farmers and availability of VMP had significant positive influence on the adoption of CA technologies. The major problems of adoption were non-availability of minimum tillage planter, lack of knowledge and awareness of the farmer, and no/little subsidy provision on planter.Increasing the availability of VMP, providing training on CA methods,and providing subsidy on planter are important to increase CA technology adoption at farm level.

Evaluation of DSSAT model to predict sorghum yields under Conservation Agriculture in the Pandamatenga vertisols of Northern Botswana

This study was conducted at Pandamatenga of Chobe District in northern Botswana. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model in the prediction of sorghum yields under Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies. A field experiment was conducted at the Pandamatenga Agricultural Research station during the 2015-2017 growing seasons. A randomized complete block design was used for the on-station field experimentation. The design had trial plots with four treatments, namely No Tillage (NT), No Tillage + Mulch (NT+M), Minimum Tillage (MT), and Broad Bed and Furrow (BBF), with four replicates rotated between sorghum cowpea. Sorghum grain yield results were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS version 9.2). Analysis of variance and means were separated using Duncan’s multiple range test at 5% confidence level. The DSSAT model was evaluated using the experimental data and weather data for the growing periods. The model was further used to test these CA technologies in terms of sorghum grain yield in the future. The DSSAT crop model provided reasonable predictions of sorghum grain yield under NT, MT, NT+M, and BBF on vertisols of Pandamatenga. The model furthermore predicted that sustained NT+M practice by smallholder rainfed farmers in Pandamatenga would increase sorghum grain yield production in the future.

How Does Part-Time Farming Affect Farmers’ Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Jianghan Plain, China?

Part-time farming has been suggested by scholars to play an important part in farmers’ decision making, but seldom empirical evidence has been done on the field of conservation agriculture (CA) technology adoption worldwide. Based on the field survey data of 433 farmers in Jianghan Plain, China, this paper estimate the impact of part-time farming on farmers’ adoption of CA technology by applying the multivariate logistic model. The results show that 91.92% of the farmers adopted CA technology. Part-time farming had a highly significant positive influence on the likelihood of adoption. Moreover, the impact degree increased along with the deepening of part-time farming. In addition, farmers’ adoption behaviors were affected by gender, contracted land area, economic welfare cognition and social welfare cognition. Our results help to understand farmers’ complex decision-making on farmland and to promote the sustainable development of agriculture in Jianghan Plain. A somewhat targeted approach to design policies to support technological, policy and institutional interventions to encourage farmers to engage in part-time farming are recommended, especially in areas that share similar edaphic and climatic characteristics with Jianghan Plain.