CA-CoP CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

for sustainable production intensification

Alert No. 28 (6 March 2013)

 

1.      Frontiers in Conservation Agriculture in South Asia and Beyond. International Workshop, March 26-27, 2013, Hotel Himalaya, Kathmandu, Nepal

Sponsored by The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), and the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS). Details available at:

http://libird.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=440&Itemid=2 

Deadline for paper submission - 31 January, 2013
Send your paper to [log in to unmask]


Please see the attached call for papers, for more information about the
proposal requirements, programme, registration, etc. Feel free to contact [log in to unmask] if you have any further questions or
need more information.

 

2.      Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Africa: How can land and water management contribute to enhanced food security and address climate change adaptation and mitigation? Nakuru, Kenya 20-25 October 2013

 

The Soil Science Society of East Africa (SSSEA) in collaboration with African Soil Science Society (ASSS) invite participation at a conference intended to critically analyze Land and Water Management (LWM) technologies, innovative products and services; and strategies benefiting small-scale agriculture in Africa. This will be the 6th ASSS Conference.  A particular focus of this joint conference deals with the contribution of LWM in the Agricultural Production Value Chains, addressing threats and opportunities associated with climate change, and scaling up of proven technologies for transformational impact on the livelihoods of African small-scale farmers. In addition, land use planning and policy will be addressed during this conference. In line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP’s) goal of eliminating hunger and reducing poverty through agriculture, the conference touches on the pillars relating to sustainable land management; market access; increasing food supply and reducing hunger

 

Theme

Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Africa: How can land and water management contribute to enhanced food security and address climate change adaptation and mitigation?

Sub-Themes

a) Enhancing applications of adaptation and mitigation to climate variability and change

b) Enhancing the status of human nutrition and food security in Africa through Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), and small scale irrigation

c) Exploring options for sustainable intensification and diversification of crop soil livestock systems

d) Land use planning for sustainable food security and climate change adaptation in Africa

e) Commercialization aspects in land and water management: Markets and private sector engagement

f) Scaling, socio-economic and policy options in land and water management

g) Capacity building in land and water management within the Agricultural Product Value Chains (APVC)approach

h) Adaption to climate change: Lessons learned and challenges ahead.

 

For further information: Barrack Okoba ([log in to unmask])

Please see the attached for registration,

 

3.      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 ([log in to unmask]) or Enamul Haque ([log in to unmask])

 

4.      6th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture to be held June 22-26, 2014, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

 

The 6th 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: [log in to unmask]

 

5.      Conservation Agriculture: What role in meeting the CGIAR system-level outcomes? A strategic study by the CGIAR Independent Science and Partnership Council. Scientific workshop at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA, 15th and 16th October 2012 The Nebraska Declaration November 2012

 

6.      Agricultural innovations for sustainable crop production intensification. By Michele Pisante, Fabio Stagnari, and  Cynthia A. Grant. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2012; 7:e40: 300-311.

 

7.      Integration of conservation agriculture in smallholder farming systems of southern Africa: identification of key entry points. By Christian Thierfelder, Talkmore Mombeyarara, Nelson Mango and Leonard Rusinamhodzi. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2013.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2013.764222

 

8.      Kentucky celebrates 50 years of no-till agriculture. By Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky (UK)

Fifty years ago, Christian County farmer Harry Young Jr. planted the nation’s first commercial no-till crop — less than an acre of corn.

It changed agriculture forever.

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture celebrated the anniversary of this milestone with a series of events. Young’s son, John, is the featured speaker of the S.H. Phillips Lecture in No-till Agriculture. The late Shirley Phillips was a UK field crops specialist who worked with the late Harry Young to advance the no-till movement.

“No-till is one of the top five agricultural advances of the past century,” said Lloyd Murdock, UK Extension soils specialist.

http://southeastfarmpress.com/grains/kentucky-celebrates-50-years-no-till-agriculture

 

9.      Conservation farming in Kenya set to improve yields from crops. 
Daily Nation, 7 March 2013

 

Farmers in Western Kenya have benefited from conservation agriculture through which growers suppress weeds using an environmentally-friendly chemical instead of traditional weeding. A novel technology being funded in Kenya by the Australian Government and implemented by Kenya Agriculture Research Institute with a focus on the Eastern and Western regions, conservation farming has seen a considerable increase in output per acre and cut production costs. [log in to unmask]&userid=12499182&targetid=&fl=&extra=MultivariateId=&&&2098&&&http://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=512e1021ec34d" target="_blank">MORE

 

10.  Secretary of Agriculture backs CIMMYT’s initiative for sustainable crop intensification in Bangladesh. CIMMYT INFORMA No. 1827, 18-25 January 2013

 

The main limitations to increased cropping intensity are the procurement of irrigation during the dry season, the high cost of agricultural labor, and delays in rice harvesting that set back timely planting of the subsequent dry season wheat, maize, or legume crop.  For these reasons, CIMMYT works closely with public and private sector partners, local agricultural service providers, and farmers to encourage efficient agricultural mechanization, irrigation, and conservation agriculture (CA). CIMMYT also popularizes the use of agricultural machineries with CA such as seeder fertilizer drills, bed planters, and reapers that can be attached to two-wheel hand tractors. These implements enable more efficient planting and irrigation water use, while reducing labor requirements and saving farmers costs.

 

11.  Climate-smart smallholder agriculture: What’s different? IFAD Occasional Paper 3. April 2011.

 

12.  Farming smarter: The uphill push towards Conservation Agriculture. INSIGHTS Vol 2(2) (2012). Magazine of IFPRI, Washington DC.

 

13.  Advancement and impact of conservation agriculture/no-till technology adoption in Kazakhstan. FAO Investment Centre, Information Note, December 2012.

 

14.  Two Wheel Tractor Newsletter February 2013 and March. Produced by R. Jeff Esdaile, Agricultural. Consultant, Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia ([log in to unmask]).

 

15.  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).

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.


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: [log in to unmask]

URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca

Save and Grow

Sustainable Crop Production Intensification

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