Land Husbandry Press Releases & News

Conservation Agriculture cartoon booklet.

This new booklet was edited by Li Hongwen in China, Amir Kassam was one of the reviewers. The booklet is downloadable from the FAO website, click here.

Recent Articles

Check this link. Every farmer, scientist, politician, environmentalist and consumer should be required to view this video!!!!!

Click here for presentation by Brian Sims to the Cambridge Conservation Forum symposium, January 2013, "Conservation Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers in Developing Countries"

CA-CoP CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE for sustainable production intensification

View all up-dates and alerts for the CA-COP on the FAO website, click here

12 November 2012

1. 6^th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture to be held June 22-26, 2014, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The 6^th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture will be held June 22-26, 2014, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. See the flyer and learn more at www.ctic.org/WCCA

Direct your inquiries to:

Karen A. Scanlon

Conservation Technology Information Center

3495 Kent Avenue, Suite J100

West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA

Tel: 765-494-2238

Fax: 765-463-4106

Email: scanlon@ctic.org

2. International Conference to mark 20 years of work on CA in China, 19-21 November 2012 at Beijing

2012 is the 20th year of work on Conservation Agriculture in the People’s Republic of China. Conservation Tillage Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture (CTRC), China Agricultural University (CAU), the Shanxi Agricultural Mechanization Bureau (SAMB), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering (CSAE) will organize an international conference from 19-21 November 2012 at Beijing, China, to mark 20 years of work on CA in China. The announcement for the Conference and Call for Papers is attached and more details can be found at: http://www.cn-ct.net/donet/english/En_index.aspx (or http://www.cn-ct.net/)

3. Third International Agronomy Congress on "Agriculture Diversification, Climate Change Management and Livelihoods” at New Delhi during November 26–30, 2012

The Indian Society of Agronomy in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), New Delhi shall be organizing the Third International Agronomy Congress on "Agriculture Diversification, Climate Change Management and Livelihoods”, at New Delhi during November 26–30, 2012. The first & Second circular of the Congress are available on Indian Society of Agronomy (ISA) website: www.isa-india.in. (Copy of the second circular is attached for ready reference). The theme of the Congress will be addressed through 10 symposia, of which one pertains to "Best management practices with conservation agriculture” 

4. Third International Conference on Conservation Agriculture in South East Asia, Hanoi, 10-15 December 2012.

CIRAD and NOMAFSI as part of the Conservation Agriculture Network for Southeast Asia (CANSEA) and the University of Queensland are delighted to invite scientists, development and extension workers, policy-makers, and graduate / post-graduate students to attend and contribute to the 3rd International Conference on Conservation Agriculture in Southeast Asia which will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 10th-15th December 2012. Conference title is: "Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Upland Livelihood: Innovations for, with and by Farmers to Adapt to Local and Global Changes". Attached is the Call for Papers, with more information is available at www.conservation-agriculture2012.org

5. The next Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association (ACTFA) conference will be in Toowoomba, Queensland on 25-27 February 2013.

To express your interest and to be kept informed please click here and complete the brief Expression of Interest form.

Contact: Sally Brown (Email sally.brown@sallybcc.com.au)

On behalf of the ACTFA 2013 Organising Committee

www.conferenceconnections.com.au 

6. Conference on Conservation Agriculture for Smallholders in Asia and Africa, Bangladesh, 8-13 December 2013

Themes for the conference are – i) Machinery: Design and development of CA-based crop establishment and herbicide spraying machinery, implements, tools for smallholders,; ii) Weed management: Suitable weed management options (chemical, mechanical, crop rotation and biological); iii) Soil, water and agronomy; iv) Commercialization: adoption and continuous improvement of CA-based technologies; and v) Policy and institutional framework for the adoption of CA.

For further information and expression of interests: Richard Bell (r.bell@murdoch.edu.au) or Enamul Haque (enamul.haque@ide.bangladesh.org)

7. Overview of the global spread of Conservation Agriculture. By T. Friedrich, R, Derpsch and A.Kassam. Field Actions Science reports Special Issue 6: 1-7, 2012: reconciling Poverty Alleviation and Protection of the Environment.

8. Conservation agriculture in eastern and southern provinces of Zambia: Long-term effects on soil quality and maize productivity. By Christian Thierfelder, Mulundu Mwila and Leonard Rusinamhodzi. Soil & Tillage Research 126 (2013) 246–258.

9. Assessing the impact of adaptive agricultural research on accelerating

technology deployment: The case of zero tillage wheat in India. By Olaf Erenstein and Vijay Laxmi. Outlook on AGRICULTURE Vol 39, No 2, 2010, pp 121–126.

10. To till or not to till? The diffusion of conservation agriculture in Xieng Khouang province, Lao PDR: Opportunities and constraints. By Guillaume Lestrelin, Khamla Nanthavong, Etienne Jobard, Anousith Keophoxay, Pascal, Lienhard, Chanxay Khambanseuang and Jean-Christophe Castella. Outlook on AGRICULTURE Vol 41, No 1, 2012, pp 41–49 doi: 10.5367/oa.2012.0075

11. A monitoring and evaluation report of the Conservation Agriculture project (CAP1) in Zambia. By Jens B. Aune, Progress Nyanga and Fred H. Johnsen. Noragric Report No. 68 (October 2012) Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB).

12. Specific enumeration and analysis of the community structure of culturable pseudomonads in agricultural soils under no-till management in Argentina. By Betina Agaras, Luis G. Wall, Claudio Valverde. Applied Soil Ecology 61 (2012) 305– 319.

13. Conservation agriculture in Central Asia—What do we know and where do we go from here? By K.M. Kienzler, J.P.A. Lamers, A. McDonald, A. Mirzabaev, N. Ibragimov, O. Egamberdiev, E. Ruzibaev and A. Akramkhanov. Field Crops Research 132 (2012) 95–105

14. Weed seed bank response to tillage and residue management in semi-arid Zimbabwe. By R. Mandumbu, S.J. Twomlow, P. Jowah, N. Mashingaidze, L. Hove and C. Karavina. Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection iFirst article 2012, 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03235408.2012.722842

15. A comparative analysis of conservation agriculture systems: Benefits and challenges of rotations and intercropping in Zimbabwe. By Christian Thierfelder, Stephanie Cheesman, and Leonard Rusinamhodzi. Field Crops Research 137 (2012) 237–250.

16. Harnessing Ecosystem Services from Agriculture in Brazil and Canada. By T. Goddard, A.Kassam, I. Mello, H. Bartz, T. Freidrich and F. Laurent. Poster presented at the Growing the Bioeconomy: Social, Environmental and Economic Implications October 2-5, 2012, Banff, Alberta, Canada

17. About the necessity of standardizing No-tillage research. By Derpsch, R., Duiker, S., Franzluebbers, A., Gall, C., Köller, K., and Reicosky, D.C., 2012. Proceedings on CD, 19th ISTRO Conference, IV SUCS Meeting. Striving for Sustainable High Productivity, 24 – 28 September , Montevideo, Uruguay

18. Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Foundation of Food Security through Sustainable Food Systems. A UNEP Synthesis Report. UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya.

19. An Assessment of the Multi-Functionality of Agroecological Intensification. By Jeffrey C. Milder, Kelly Garbach, Fabrice A.J. DeClerck, Laura Driscoll and Maywa Montenegro. 2012. Report prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation under contract #20885 with EcoAgriculture Partners, Washington DC.

20. Reducing Disaster Risks to Food Security in Southern Africa: Towards Integration and Co-operation. REOSA Policy Brief No. 4. July 2012. Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for Southern Africa, FAO.

21. Reaping the benefits of no-tillage farming. By Howard Buffet. Nature, Vol. 484, page 455, 26 APRIL 2012.

22. No silver bullets for African soil problems. By Ken Giller. Nature, Vol 485, page 41, 3 M AY 2 0 1 2.

23. Two Wheel Tractor Newsletter November 2012. Produced by R. Jeff Esdaile, Agricultural. Consultant, Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia.

24. Up-dated Conservation Agriculture Data Base in AquaStat, FAO  

The CA land area data base has been updated based on the feedback received from our regular sources of information and has been posted in AquaStat. The latest figures can be seen at the FAO CA-Website at (http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/6c.html).

October 2012

CA in Zambia - Video

"How has Zambia scaled it up".... a new release from World Bank Institute, in collaboration with TerrAfrica program and partners".

(1) English short version
(2) French short version

The short version (9 min) is less detailed than the long version (15 min), but essential messages are there.

Amir Kassam

Moderator, Plant Production and Protection Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy

Tel: +39-06-5705-6375; e-mail: amirkassam786@gmail.com

URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca

Save and Grow

July 2012

Up-dated Conservation Agriculture Data Base in AquaStat, FAO

However, updating of the data base is an ongoing process, and anyone who would like to provide information on the land area under CA systems at the national level is most welcome to do anytime. Ideally, we would appreciate receiving the CA area information at the sub-national level, together with any relevant historical information on adoption, cropping pattern, farm size, agro-ecology, constraints, etc.

For the recording of area under CA, please adhere to the quantification of the CA definition on the FAO-CA website:http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/6c.html

1. Minimum Soil Disturbance: Minimum soil disturbance refers to low disturbance no-tillage and direct seeding. The disturbed area must be less than 15 cm wide or less than 25% of the cropped area (whichever is lower). There should be no periodic tillage that disturbs a greater area than the aforementioned limits. Strip tillage is allowed if the disturbed area is less than the set limits.

2. Organic soil cover: Three categories are distinguished: 30-60%, >60-90% and >90% ground cover, measured immediately after the direct seeding operation. Area with less than 30% cover is not considered as CA.

3. Crop rotation/association: Rotations/associations should involve at least 3 different crops. However, repetitive wheat or maize cropping is not an exclusion factor for the purpose of this data collection, but rotation/association is recorded where practiced.

We would further like to stress that the database counts actual land area under annual crops with CA (permanent no-till). Area under perennial crops will be recorded separately. No-till area by crop will not be recorded to avoid double recording of the same land area.

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13 April 2012

1. Regional Dialogue on Conservation Agriculture in South Asia. Proceedings and Recommendations. The Dialogue was organized jointly by APAARI, CIMMYT and ICAR, 1-2 November 2011, New Delhi, India. The proceedings are available as PDF.

2. Aapresid Congress 20th, 8-10 August 2011, Rosario, Argentina. The next Aapresid Congress (20th) will be held from the 8th to 10th august 2012 in Rosario, Argentina.

The videos of workshops at the 19th Aapresid Congress held from 17 to 19 August 2011 can be seen at: http://www.cq.org.ar/videos.asp The videos of the conference at the 2011 Congress can be seen at:

http://www.agrositio.com/videoconferencias/aapresid2011/diferido.asp

3. Third International Conference in South East Asia, Hanoi, 10-15 December 2012. Attached is the Call for Papers, with more information is available at www.conservation-agriculture2012.org

4. Conservation agriculture in the dry Mediterranean climate. By Amir Kassam, Theodor Friedrich, Rolf Derpsch, Rabah Lahmar, Rachid Mrabet, Gottlieb Basch, Emilio J. González-Sánchez, Rachid Serraj. Field Crops Res. (2012), doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2012.02.023.

5. No-till in northern, western and south-western Europe: A review of problems and opportunities for crop production and the environment. By B.D. Soane, B.C. Ball, J. Arvidsson, G. Basch, F. Moreno, J. Roger-Estrade, Soil & Tillage Research 118 (2012) 66–87. doi:10.1016/j.still.2011.10.015.

6. Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems. By C. Johansen, M.E. Haque, R.W. Bell, C. Thierfelder, R.J. Esdaile. Field Crops Research (2012), doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2011.11.026.

7. Mulch type affects soil biological functioning and crop yield of conservation agriculture systems in a long-term experiment in Madagascar. By Djibril Djigal, Stéphane Saj, Bodovololona Rabary, Eric Blanchart, Cécile Villenave. Soil & Tillage Research 118: 11–21 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.still.2011.10.008.

8. Trade-offs between biomass use and soil cover. The case of rice-based cropping system in the Lake Alaotra region of Madagascar. By K. Naudin, E. Scopel, A. L. H. Andriamandroso, M. Rakotosolofo, N. R. S. Andriamarosoa Ratsimbazafy, J. N. Rakotozandriny, P. Salgado and K. E. Giller. Expl Agric. (2011), doi:10.1017/S001447971100113x.

9. The adoption of conservation tillage in China. By Jin He, Hong-Wen Li, Qing-Jie Wang, Huang-Wen Gao, Wen-Ying Li, Xue-Min Zhang, and Milt McGiffen. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1195 (2010) E96–E106, doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05402.x

10. Direct Seeding reduces wheat stress and improves yields. By Wang, H., Lemke, R., Goddard, T. and Sprout, C. 2007. Tillage and root heat stress in wheat in central Alberta. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 87:3-10.

11. Tillage and root heat stress in wheat in central Alberta. By H. Wang, R. Lemke, T. Goddard, and C. Sprout, Can. J. Soil Sci. 87: 3–10 (2006)

12. Conservation practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change. By Jorge A. Delgado, Peter M. Groffman, Mark A. Nearing, Tom Goddard, Don Reicosky, Rattan Lal, Newell R. Kitchen, Charles W. Rice, Dan Towery, and Paul Salon. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, VOL. 66 (4) (2011) 118A-129A.

13. Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Crop Intensification in Karatu District, Tanzania. By Marietha Owenya, Wilfred Mariki, Alastair Stewart, Theodor Friedrich, Josef Kienzle, Amir Kassam, Richard Shetto and Saidi Mkomwa. Integrated Crop Management Vol. 15 (2012). FAO, Rome.

This is a case study describing the introduction and pilot scaling of Conservation Agriculture in Northern Tanzania and showing the impacts on production, environment and farmers’ livelihoods.

14. Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation and Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions from Conservation Agriculture: A Literature Review. By Sandra Corsi, Theodore Friedrich, Amir Kassam, Michele Pisante and Joao de Morães Sà. Integrated Crops Management Vol. 16 (2012). FAO, Rome.

This review is a detailed meta analysis of literature on carbon sequestration with the objective to provide greater clarity on the question: Under which conditions agricultural land management systems can sequester carbon? It also provides answers to the reasons for the confusion in understanding that exists regarding the question whether no-till systems can sequester carbon?

15. Making Sustainable Agriculture Real in CAP 2020: The Role of Conservation Agriculture. By Gottleib Basch, Amir Kassam, Emilio J. González-Sánchez and Bernhard Streit. European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF). Brussels, Belgium.

This is a guideline for policy-makers involved in the process of reforming the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

16. Conservation Agriculture Research Study 2011. Irish Aid and Concern Universal.

A study was jointly commissioned by Concern Universal and the Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security to assess the appropriateness and viability of Conservation Agriculture as a technological approach to increasing the agricultural production of smallholder vulnerable households in Malawi. The aim of the study is to inform policy and practice and stimulate discussions and critical thinking amongst government, donors and development practitioners.

17. Conservation Agriculture to Boost Food Security. The Zimbabwe Herald, 2 March 2012. – Conservation Agriculture in the News.

Governmnet of Zimbabwe with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa has launched the Conservation Agriculture Up-scaling Framework for Zimbabwe. The framework seeks to map the most effective way of promoting the technology to boost food security and well being of local farmers.

18. Two wheel tractor newsletter March 2012. By R J. (Jeff) Esdaile, Australia

The Newsletter highlights new developments on small direct seed drills and planters for single axle tractors.

19. Up-dated CA Data Base in AquaStat. FAO.

ICARDA Conservation Agriculture – strategies and policy options for optimal food production in the dry areas

Conservation agriculture in dry areas, Field Crops Research. Volume 132, Pages 1-214, 14 June 2012. Edited by Rachid Serraj and Kadambot H.M. Siddique

Conservation agriculture in the dry Mediterranean climate. Original Research Article by Amir Kassam, Theodor Friedrich, Rolf Derpsch, Rabah Lahmar, Rachid Mrabet, Gottlieb Basch, Emilio J. González-Sánchez, Rachid Serraj