Precision-Conservation Agriculture Practices for Small Holder Maize farming

Systems of South Asia

Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP) International Maize & Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)

www.cimmyt.org

ML Jat Y.S. Saharawat, K. Majumdar

Raj Gupta

• Growing nos of smallholders

• Water, labor and energy shortages

• Large management yield gaps

• Resource fatigues

• Climate change

• Weak public-private partnerships

• Policy mismatches

Challenges of South Asian Agriculture

CIMMYT-GCAP Action Corridors in SA

Growing Numbers of Small Holders: Example from India

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1970-71 1981-82 1995-96 2000-01

Marginal Small Semi-Medium Medium Large

Pe

rce

nt

Fa

rme

rs

Source: Agriculture Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI

Source: Scholze et al. (2006)

Blue- tendency to increase Red- tendency to decrease

Availability of irrigation water

Estimated water loss from aquifers : (13.2 – 17.7±4.5 km3/yr)

Source: Mathew Rodell et al (2009)

Fertilizer Nutrient Scenario in Asia, 2008-2012 N

utr

ien

t B

ala

nce

(m

illi

on

to

nn

es)

Source: FAO, 2008

Figure shows balance in demand and supply of major nutrients in Asia

Changes in output and input costs for selected commodities and fertilizer inputs

Change in output prices (%)

Meat Dairy Cereals Oils Sugar Food price Index

2007-08 9 49 80 94 23 52 ( 40)

2006-07 5 35 32 29 -39 12

Change in input costs (%)

Ammonia Urea NPK DAP Crude oil

Input price Index

2007-08 82 31 213 163 70 99 ( 80)

2006-07 4 29 41 33 -3 19

Source: FAO, 2008

Yield Gaps in Maize in Different Ecologies of South Asia

BANGLADESH

10

20

30

40

50

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Pro

du

ctio

n (

mt)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Yie

ld (

t/h

a)

Are

a (

m h

a)

NEPAL

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Pro

du

ctio

n (

mt)

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Yie

ld (

t/h

a)

Are

a (

m h

a)

PAKISTAN

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Pro

du

ctio

n (

mt)

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

Yie

ld (

t/h

a)

Are

a(m

ha)

Production Area Yield

INDIA

40

60

80

100

120

140

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Pro

du

ctio

n (

mt)

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

Yie

ld (

t/h

a)

Are

a(m

ha

)

Source: FAOSTAT (2007), http://faostat.fao.org

Trends in maize productivity and annual growth rate (%) in South Asia

An

nu

al

Gro

wth

Ra

te (

%)

Principal indicators of non-sustainability of agricultural production systems

• Intensive tillage • Soil Organic matter decline

• Soil structural degradation

• Water and wind erosion

• Reduced water infiltration rates

• Surface sealing and crusting

• Soil compaction

• Insufficient return of organic material

• Mono cropping

• Imbalance and inappropriate use of external inputs

We need to stop doing the unsustainable parts of conventional agriculture

Conventional Agriculture Precision-Conservation Agriculture

Ploughing/tilling the soil No-till, strip/minimum tillage

Removing all organic material Recycle organics-surface retention/cover crops

Monoculture Diversified cropping

Imbalance and inappropriate use of external inputs

Balanced application of right inputs at right time and place they are needed

Precision Agriculture Conservation Agriculture

Precision-Conservation Agriculture ?

a management strategy (considering variability) to increase productivity and economic returns with a reduced impact on the environment

• Right input • Right source • Right amount • Right place • Right time

1.Minimum mechanical soil disturbance

2.Permanent organic soil cover

3.Diversified crop rotations

Long-term ecological & economical sustainable farming

a concept for optimizing crop yields, and economic and environmental benefits

Precision-Conservation Agriculture for Resource-Poor Smallholders

• Appropriate management and correct inputs, sources, amounts, placement, time to increase productivity and profitability sustainably while reducing risk

• Focus on between-field vs. within-field variability; temporal variability (between years)

• Basket of options depending on circumstance

– Precision planting, input application...

– How? Tools and machinery, pocket sensor, leaf color charts…

CA systems have worked in all kind of environments/ecologies

• From the Equator, e.g. Kenya, Uganda to 50ºS, e.g. Argentina, to 65º N, e.g. Finland

• From sea level to 3000 m, e.g. Bolivia,

• Soils from 90% Sand, e.g. Australia, Brazil, to 85% clay, e.g. Brazil (Oxisols, Alfisols)

• From 250 mm of rain, e.g. Western Australia to 2000 mm, e.g. Brazil, or 3000 mm Chile

• Farmers having parcel of acres (South Asia, Africa) to several thousand acres (Australia, Brazil, USA)

Source: Derpsch & Friedrich, (2008)

Global Overview of the Spread of Conservation Agriculture

100

Dustbowl

1930 2000 1950

US

So

il C

on

serv

ati

on

Ser

vic

e

con

serv

ati

on

til

lag

e

du

stb

ow

l

Sib

eria

/US

SR

Fa

ulk

ner

(U

S) –

Fu

ku

ok

a (

Ja

pa

n)

com

mer

cia

l n

o-t

ill/

US

firs

t n

o-t

ill d

emo

nst

rati

on

in

Bra

zil

Old

riev

e/Z

imb

ab

we

ad

op

tion

Bra

zil

pla

nti

o d

iret

o n

a p

alh

a

exp

erim

ents

in

Ch

ina, In

dogan

get

ic P

lain

s

New

boo

st:

Ca

na

da

, A

ust

rali

a,

Kaza

kh

sta

n,

Ru

ssia

, C

hin

a, F

inla

nd

...;

Afr

ica

Arg

en

tin

a, P

ara

gu

ay

;

1980 1990

Fir

st n

o-t

ill

in t

he

US

IIT

A n

o-t

ill re

searc

h

50

Mil

l. h

a

History and Adoption of CA

1970 2010

Source: Friedrich et al (2011)

CIM

MY

T, M

exic

o

Large Farm

PA (Individual Field Focus)

Terrain

Soils

Yield

Potassium

CIR Image

Small v/s large farm Precision Agriculture

Isolated Perspective 2-dimensional

Small Farm PA (Farm, Watershed,… Focus)

Wind Erosion

Runoff

Leaching Leaching

Leaching

Soil

Erosion

Chemicals

Interconnected Perspective

3-dimensional

(From Berry, 2008)

What do we need for Precision-Conservation Agriculture?

• System information/characterization- • Crop varieties, inputs • Field features (biophysical and biological)

• Technologies and machinery • Environmentally, economically, locally adapted • Apply working solutions across regions

• Partnerships, linkages, backstopping • Build bidirectional capacity (technicians and farmers) • Outreach (ICTs, demos, other dissemination tools) • Improve affordability of tools through linkages?

• Infrastructure • Accessibility, Markets, input providers...

Precision land leveling system for 2 WTs: Reality for small holders

Developed under CSISA, India

Technologies and machinery: do we need sophisticated machines ?

• Indigenous precision planters

Planter cost: USD 15K Planters cost: <USD 2K

Technologies and machinery Farmer Innovation for Precision Planting

Small-Scale CA-based Seeders with Precision Seed Metering

Tillage

Rice-maize system

(Av of 03 yr)

Maize-wheat system

(Av of 02 yr)

Rice Maize RMCS Maize Wheat MWCS

Productivity (t ha-1)

NT 4.6a 7.1b 11.7b 4.4a 4.4a 8.8a

PB 4.7a 7.7a 12.4a 4.2a 3.9b 8.1b

CT 4.7a 5.3c 10.0c 3.7b 3.9b 7.6c

Carbon Sustainability Index (CSI)

NT 4.9 27.3 16.1 22.2 10.3 16.2

PB 5.2 31.5 18.4 22.2 9.7 16.0

CT 2.5 20.4 11.4 13.4 10.0 11.7

Crop & System productivity and CSI of different maize systems under contrasting TCE

Source: Jat et al (2011)

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Year

kg/ha

Soya

Maize

30% less fert.

50% less fert.

4 t/ha

8 t/ha

2,2 t/ha

3,6 t/ha

Growth in Yield under No-Till

(Dijkstra, 1997)

Outreach through partnerships: Precision nutrient management

• Small tools for PNM

Nutrient Experts for Maize: Decision Support Tools for SSNM based Precision Application

Source: IPNI

NE based DSS : Precision nutrient management in maize for small holders of EGP

Source: IPNI-CIMMYT Collaborative research

under CSISA (Unpublished data, 2011)

By locations

Across locations

Low-cost high clearance sprayer for smallholders Relative precision in chemical molecule application

Small holder precision water application

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Str

aw

yie

ld (

t/h

a)

Conventional CA Aditional

CIMMYT Long-term trial, Bihar India

CA and Livestock: Is there conflict for straw? Both can have their share-an example

CA and Pest Dynamics??

Seed production with innovation systems & small holder groups: Success Story of QPM

0

50

100

150

200

250

Pre Kharif 2006 Rabi 2006- 2007 Rabi 2007 - 2008 Rabi 2008 - 2009 Rabi 2009 - 2010

18

48

108

190

236

2 10

25

75 85

1.1 13.5

43

125 110

0.55 6.7

23.65

68.75 60.5

No of Particpating Farmers Area(ha) Seed Produced(MT) Income (lakh)

DMR (ICAR)-Govt of WB-CIMMYT Collaborative work

Innovation Systems, small holder Cooperatives & Single Window Services: Product & Knowledge together for Last Mile Delivery

Local ICAR

Institutes

CCSHAU

State Deptt

of Agri

KVKs

Media

CSISA Hub

(CIMMYT/IRRI)

Private Sector

Young Farmers Forum

Cooperative Society(Participatory adaption

of CA technologies, Service windows,

Farmer meets, travelling seminars,

field days)

CA modules farmers

CA adopters

CA modules farmers

CA adopters

CA modules farmers

CA adopters

Innovative Pathways for Technology Adaptation and Dissemination

Source: CSISA

Precision in access to information/real time access using ICTs: CIMMYT Agriplex

• CIMMYT India has developed a centralized

database management system for decentralized operations (KVKs, CSISA Hubs, PACS and NGOs) for sharing information through mobile phone no-cost SMS service.

• The service has as of now a database of more than 30000 farmers.

• It is an interactive service for the farmers with experts through helpline.

Country

Mobile cellular subscriptions (number)

Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

India 81,15,90,000 67.98

Pakistan 10,88,97,387 65.40

Bangladesh 6,86,50,000 46.17

Nepal 91,95,562 30.69

“There are a lot of changes necessary to adopt conservation agriculture, but the biggest change is in the mind”

Franke Dijkstra

Pioneer Brazilian zero tillage farmer. Started 30 years ago

PCA, the Agriculture of the Future – the Future

of Agriculture