ABOUT CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

Given the challenges facing us today, there are few options that can contribute as directly and quickly as Conservation Agriculture (CA). The uncertainty brought about by climate change adds to a farmers vulnerability, and in the case of small landholder farmers goes on to threaten their food security. Let us first understand in a clear and simple manner what CA is about. The Conservation Agriculture (CA) approach focuses on 3 key principles pursued in a collective manner:

1. Minimal tillage
2. Ensuring soil cover through residue cover or growth of cover crops
3. Adoption of spatial and temporal crop sequencing

Confluence of CA principles

It however needs to be understood that CA is neither a panacea nor is entirely free of issues. The key lies in understanding and applying CA as an effective starting point to bring about the needed change to be able to pursue a more sustainable form of agriculture.

Principles of CA are not new to farmers who are well aware as such, but have been compelled to move away due to varying pressures brought upon them. Even though in some locations these practices may have been pursued in isolation, there is a need to internalise the CA concept in its totality by applying them together, backed by an understanding of eco-regional needs. The transition process thus achieved can be best expressed through the diagram below.

Fortunately, the CA approach well recognises the pressure on account of yield expectation from agriculture as a consequence of rising population and reducing land coverage. It is a practice that is able to work within such needs while optimising on resources. This is the reason why CA can be easily mainstreamed more effectively in comparison to any other form of alternative agriculture. PACA believes that by pursuing the CA approach, not only will the process of resource degradation be reversed, but uncertainties and costs associated with agriculture too can be reduced for the benefit of the farmer. In this manner, conservation of resources can not only help preserve the environment but also lead to benefits in the short as well as long term.

To make this happen, efforts directed at research and extension have to assume a more participative role and be driven by needs of the field and its emerging challenges. This thus creates a demand for a “farmer-led, scientist-backed” approach forming part of the discipline of modern day agriculture. Thus, the supporting role of the research, extension, and policy community would be crucial to build the capacity of farmers helping them develop conviction through practice.

While efforts have been made at introduction of Conservation Agriculture within India, they have been largely focused in the well endowed regions such as the Indo-Gangetic Plains. There is a much bigger need for its introduction in the resource stressed rainfed and dryland regions that has a very different farmer profile in terms of their land holding, knowledge, vulnerability, and investment ability. PACA will focus on efforts in rainfed areas considering 60% of India's farming is pursued in such regions. Globally too, CA is practiced in rainfed areas on a majority basis and its popular pursuit in various countries can be seen from the figure below:

Source: Rolf Derpsch (2007)

WHAT ARE EXPECTED BENEFITS & POSSIBLE DOWNSIDES?

BENEFITS

• CA is a sound and practical approach towards achieving sustainable intensification of agriculture through easy mainstreaming of efforts
• The CA approach is able to address concerns of enhancing productivity and resource degradation (land, water, and biodiversity) in an integrated manner
• It provides a way to take on board increasing concerns of climate change by providing adaptive and mitigative strategies
• CA is an approach based on scientific principles to develop practices and techniques to address location specific problems ensuring sound implementation
• It promises reduction in uncertainity and improved returns for farmers

DOWNSIDE

While there seem to be no apparent downsides, to be fair to critics it is said that CA is knowledge intensive and relies strongly on mechanization as a means to delivery.

HOW CAN CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IMPACT FOOD SECURITY?

• As indicated, CA is a sound approach towards sustainable intensification of agriculture in the face of declining resources, limited scope to extend agriculture to new areas, and challenges posed by problems of resource degradation
• By making agriculture more resource friendly and helping save on time and costs, it can be a satisfactory means to address livelihood needs of small farmers.
• CA encourages a fair degree of self-reliance and reduction in vulnerability that too can help improve the lot of the small farmer to meet their needs of food security.

CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

CA provides an integrated approach aimed at adaptive and mitigation strategies to face the challenge of climate change, few important ones being:

ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES

• Improved use efficiency of water and nutrients
• Improved ability to cope with extreme events - drought, excess rain period, soil temperature variation, changed pest/disease scenario
• Opportunity to develop a biologically mediated approach aimed at sustainable productivity enhancement
• Ensuring timely sowing due to saving of time spent on tillage
• Opportunities offered for crop intensification in the face of resource constraint

MITIGATION STRATEGIES

• Enhanced sequestration of carbon through soil and biomass
• Reduced dependence on chemicals contributing to reduction in GHG emissions
• Reduced GHG emissions on account of practices like minimal tillage, crop residue retention, etc.

To organisations supporting the cause of food security and climate change, the agenda of conservation agriculture will offer a way forward, whether it relates to distributed food production, water use efficiency, land degradation, biodiversity, or climate change. Furthermore, considering the number of people involved with agriculture and its scale, it will not be surprising to assume that overall benefits in the short term (lower input costs and additional cropping) and long term (improved environment related benefits) will be of a large magnitude. However sufficient scale needs to be developed to judge its success and PACA hopes to work to achieve this goal in collaboration with other institutions.

Should you be motivated to collaborate with the alliance, we look forward to hear on info@conserveagri.org.