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Conservation Agriculture: A precision farming tool for smallholders
Josef KienzlePlant Production and Protection Division
Amir Kassam, Brian G. Sims, Theodor Friedrich
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Conservation Agriculture
• Background, context and trends• The role of smallholders• Soils and the impact of tillage and machinery• The FAO “Save and Grow” concept• Conservation Agriculture• The use of herbicide and weed management• More efficient N fertilizer application• Conclusions
Outline
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 27 June, 2014
Declining yield growth rates • 1960: 3.2% a year• Current: 1.5%• 2050: 0.8%
UrbanizationToday: 50%2050: 70%
Undernourished people over 900 million75% in rural areas in developing countries
World population > 9 billion in 2050Changing food habits
Trends
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Trends Demand for crops for food, feed and fuel is predicted to rise by 60% over the next 40 years
Rising prices of fuel and fertilizer
Impacts of climate change Reduced resilience of cropping systemsIncreasing competition for land and water
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
The role of smallholder farmers Globally the majority of farmers are
smallholders
They produce 80% of the food in developing
countries
Most of these farmers struggle with little
access to farm power and with basic hand
tools
Application of inputs such as seeds and
rarely available fertilizer is often imprecise
and untimely6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Precision agriculture An approach to better application of inputs at the
right place and rate in the field, and as close as
possible to the optimum crop growth stage
Such practices can reduce the amount of nutrients
and other crop inputs used, whilst boosting yields
Farm power (energy) is the scarcest input for
smallholders
Hence PA for smallholders needs to aim at more
precise technologies in order to save energy
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Farm Power (energy for farming)
Farm power is a
scarce resource often
poorly applied in Africa
Conventional land preparation
Effects:• Loss of organic matter• Loss of structure leading to soil compaction• Destruction of biological life & processes
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Plough pans
Plough-layers / hard pans
Soil compaction at depth of cultivation
Crusting with no mulch
Waterlogging as a result of compaction
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Conservation Agriculture
• Take a holistic approach
• Highest possible production
• Saves use of inputs
• Environmental footprint < recovery capacities
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
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
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
This translates into following practices:• Permanent No-till or Strip-till (disturbance <15cm/25%)• Mulch cover or Cover-crops/crops (soil cover >100%, min. 30%)• Crop rotations, associations (>3 different species)
Conservation Agriculture
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
The jab-planter / matraca
Innovations
Seed
Fertilizer
Rolf Derpsch
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Manual precision planting andfertilizing for smallholders
• The jab-planter has sharpened beaks which close completely to penetrate the soil cover.
• They open in the soil to deposit seed and fertilizer at the desired depth.
• Precise planting and fertilizing at the same time
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
The suppression of tillage / ploughing
reduces power requirements by 50%
allowing the use of smaller machines
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
F. Baudron; CIMMYT
Precision Agriculture
Use of herbicide for weed management
Issues (I) In the context of smallholder
farmers, the use of herbicide for weed management is a hotly debated topic
Hand weeding is the second-most arduous task after hand digging for land preparation, and is mostly carried out by women and children
Timely weed management is absolutely crucial for crop development and production, especially during the early stages of the cropping cycle
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Precision Agriculture
Use of herbicide for weed management
Issues (II) The knapsack sprayer is the most
common tool used by smallholder farmers for applying herbicide
Application requires knowledge and the correct calibration and use of sprayer
Operator should walk at a steady speed with constant spray height and constant pressure
For blanket coverage with a total herbicide, it is especially useful to adapt a spray boom to the knapsack sprayer and use a wheeled chassis for more precise application and operator protection
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Precision Agriculture
Use of herbicide for weed management
It is the precise and timely
application that matters
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Precision Agriculture
Field mapping and precision N application• Crop reflectance
meters with GPS can be used to map field requirements.
• Precision applications result in more efficient fertilizer use.
• Weedseeker technology for selective spot spraying
512050 512100 512150 512200 512250 512300
214300
214350
214400
214450
214500
0.02 to 0.25
0.25 to 0.31
0.31 to 0.37
0.37 to 0.43
0.43 to 0.50
0.50 to 0.71
Vegetative Indices. Showing weed patches
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
Global trends are obliging all stakeholders to combine
forces to find efficient, lean, sustainable solutions to
global challenges of food production and food security
Smallholder farmers are an integral part of the challenge
and the solution
CA shows similar positive results across regions
– increased yields, decreased production cost;
– Higher profits, better livelihoods for farmers;
More secure harvests even in extreme climate
• Agricultural machinery innovations are the driving force
towards achieving more sustainable, energy-efficient,
lean, affordable, precise and cost-effective solutions
Conclusions:
Precision Agriculture / Conservation Agriculture
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014
CA, the Agriculture of the Future – the Future of Agriculture
More information:
http://www.fao.org/ag/ca
http://www.fao.org/ag/save-and-growJoin the CA-CoP!
Precision Agriculture / Conservation Agriculture
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014