CA-CoP CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
for sustainable
production intensification
Alert No. 31 (19 September 2013)
1. 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?
For further information: Barrack Okoba ([log in to unmask])
Please see the attached for registration,
2. Conservation Agriculture Equipment Manufacturers and Inputs Suppliers Workshop; Diamond Jubilee Hall; Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania; 28-29 November 2013.
“Enhancing Farmers’ access to Conservation Agriculture Equipment Services”
The workshop intends to bring together stakeholders from within the Eastern and Southern Africa countries (Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda) to establish the CA equipment supply chain players, the services they provide, challenges faced and opportunities to unlock them to foster growth in the sector through formation of a CoP. Specific emphasis will be on the CA equipment manufacturers based in the sub-regions.
The workshop objectives include: (i) To facilitate formation and networking of a CoP for CA equipment manufacturers, suppliers and service providers comprising CA equipment manufacturers, repair workshops, importers, hire service providers, and financial institutions from East and Southern Africa; (ii) To guide manufacturers on compliance to the standards, principles and guidelines of clients (with reference to those of FAO) for prequalifying to quality assurance by peers and international tenders; (iii) To develop a practical roadmap for expanding the development, manufacturing, supply, spare and repair servicing of CA equipment and (iv) To Participate and create business opportunities through the Tanzania Trade Fair.
For more information, contact:
[log in to unmask]
3. Africa Congress on Conservation Agriculture (ACCA-1), 18-21 March 2014, Lusaka Zambia. Registration now open
Purpose of the First African Congress for Conservation Agriculture (1st ACCA) is to bring together key CA stakeholders, including farmers and their organizations, from the continent to interact and co-own a permanent CA knowledge and information sharing platform that takes into account the needs of farmers and for increased benefits from CA technologies.
Themes:
i. Growing more with less – the future of sustainable intensification
ii. Weather proofing agriculture - the adaption of farming practices to address climate variability
iii. Increasing Conservation Agriculture adoption - how innovative technology and approaches can drive greater adoption of conservation systems around the world
Register at:
http://act-africa.org/events.php?com=68&com2=67&item=109#.Ud0UPaxp0xF
For more information: Contact: [log in to unmask]
4. Green Carbon Conference, 1-3 April 2014, Brussels, Belgium
The Conference is jointly organized by the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF), and the French Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAD) and promoted by the Life + AGRICARBON project.
Please find attached the Conference announcement where you can find the relevant information regarding this event. The Conference website with further details is: www.greencarbon-ca.eu
5. 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. Learn more at www.ctic.org/WCCA
The 6th WCCA
announces registration is now open at:
https://www.ctic.org/registration/22/step/0/
Concurrent session tracks will explore the following areas of conservation agriculture:
Track 1: Growing with less – the future of sustainable intensification
Track 2: Weatherproofing agriculture – the adaptation of farming practices to address climate variability
Track 3: Increasing conservation adoption – how innovative technology and approaches can drive greater adoption of conservation systems around the world.
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
6. Feeding The Soil or Feeding The Cow. A documentary video about Conservation Agriculture in Africa. Where and how can it work? Produced by Greendocs (www.greendocs.nl). Made by Melchert Meijer zu Schlochtern and Simone de Hek. Commissioned by The African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT).
http://act-africa.org/videos.php?com=60&vid=12
7. Sustainable soil management is more than what and how crops are grown. By Amir Kassam, Gottlieb Basch, Theodor Friedrich, Francis Shaxson, Tom Goddard, Telmo J. C. Amado, Bill Crabtree, Li Hongwen, Ivo Mello, Michele Pisante, and Saidi Mkomwa. In: Lal, R. and Stewart, B. A. Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems. 2013. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
8. Weed control in conservation agriculture systems of Zimbabwe: Identifying economical best strategies. By Tarirai Muoni, Leonard Rusinamhodzi, Christian Thierfelder. Crop Protection 53 (2013): 23-28 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2013.06.002).
9. Profitability and opportunity of Conservation Agriculture in acid savannah grasslands of Laos. By Pascal Lienhard, Khamkéo Panyasiri, Sengphanh Sayphoummie, Bounma Leudphanane, Guillaume Lestrelin, Lucien Séguy & Florent Tivet. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2013. DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2013.806419 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2013.806419)
10. Soil organic carbon fraction losses upon continuous plow-based tillage and its restoration by diverse biomass-C inputs under no-till in sub-tropical and tropical regions of Brazil. By Florent Tivet, João Carlos de Moraes Sá, Rattan Lal, Paulo Rogério Borszowskei, Clever Briedis, Josiane Bürkner dos Santos, Márcia Freire Machado Sá, Daiani da Cruz Hartman, Guilherme Eurich, Anderson Farias, Serge Bouzinac, Lucien Séguy. Geoderma 209–210 (2013) 214–225.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.06.008)
12. Restoring the soil: A Guide for Using Green Manure/Cover Crops to improve the food security of smallholder farmers. By Roland Bunch. Canadia Foodgrains Bank. Winnipeg, Canada.
14. Partners in Research for Development: The Dryland Agriculture Revolution. Partners Newsletter, Winter 2013. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
15. Advance Course on Conservation Agriculture: Gateway for Productive and Sustainable Cropping Systems. Borlaug Institute for South Asia, Punjab Agricultural University and CIMMYT.
16. SANREM (Sustainable Agriculture and Natural resource Management) Newsletter August 2013.
17. ACT Conservation Agriculture News Alert for August 2013 produced by African Conservation Tillage (ACT) Network. Contact Saidi Mkomwa ([log in to unmask]), Executive Secretary, ACT.
18. Two Wheel Tractor Newsletter July 2013 produced by R. Jeff Esdaile, Agricultural. Consultant, Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia ([log in to unmask]).
19. Up-dating Conservation Agriculture Data Base in
AquaStat, FAO
The CA land area data base is updated periodically based on the feedback received from our regular sources of information and is posted in AquaStat. The latest figures can be seen at the FAO CA-Website at (http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/6c.html).
We are updating the CA land area data base displayed in AquaStat (www.fao.org/ag/ca), and are contacting our regular sources of information in the next few weeks. However, anyone else who would like to provide information on the land area under CA systems at the national level would be most welcome.
Ideally, we would appreciate receiving from you the CA area information at the sub-national level (by state, province or region), together with any relevant historical information on adoption (such as when was CA introduced; duration under CA – x ha under 3 yrs, y ha between 3 and 6 yrs, z ha more than 6 yrs), cropping pattern, farm size, agro-ecology, constraints, etc.
For the recording purpose please adhere to the reference 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 for seeding 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. Area under strip tillage can be included only if the disturbed area is less than the above set limits.
2. Maintenance of organic soil cover: Three categories are distinguished: 30-60%, >60-90% and >90% ground cover, measured immediately after the direct seeding/planting operation. For this data base, area with less than 30% cover is not considered as being under CA.
3. Crop rotation/association: Rotation/association should involve at least 3 different crops. However, repetitive wheat or maize or rice cropping that meets requirements 1 and 2 above 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). No-till area by crop will not be recorded to avoid double recording of the same land area.
Area under perennial crop systems including orchards and permanent pastures will be recorded separately. If there is CA land area under perennial crop systems in the country, please include the information as separate categories at the sub-national level (by state, province or region), together with any relevant historical information on adoption (such as when was CA introduced; duration under CA – x ha under 3 yrs, y ha between 3 to 6 yrs, z ha more than 6 yrs), cropping pattern, farm size, agro-ecology, constraints, etc.
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
URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca
Save and Grow
Sustainable Crop Production Intensification
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