Global CA-CoP CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
for sustainable agriculture and land management
Amir Kassam
Moderator
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca
Conservation Agriculture is an ecosystem approach to sustainable agriculture and land management based on the practical application of locally adapted three interlinked principles of: (i) Continuous no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance (no-till seeding/planting and weeding, and minimum soil disturbance with all other farm operations including harvesting); (ii) permanent maintenance of soil much cover (crop biomass, stubble and cover crops); and (iii) diversification of cropping system (environmentally, environmentally and socially adapted rotations and/or sequences and/or associations involving annuals and perennials, including legumes and cover crops), along with other complementary good agricultural production and land management practices. Conservation Agriculture systems are present in all continents, involving rainfed and irrigated systems including annual cropland systems, perennial systems, orchards and plantation systems, agroforestry systems, crop-livestock systems, organic production systems and rice-based systems (more at: www.fao.org/ag/ca).
To All,
Introduction
There has been growing concern that both intensive agriculture in the developed world and rapid expansion of crop cultivation in developing countries is damaging the health of the soils which are the foundation of farming. At the same time, we are discovering much more about how complex soils are as living biological systems. These issues are addressed in the two volumes of Managing soil health for sustainable agriculture:
- Volume 1: Fundamentals
- Volume 2: Monitoring and management
Volume 2 discusses key methods for monitoring soil health and provides a comprehensive review of techniques to manage soil health, from no-till and conservation tillage techniques to the use of rotations, intercropping and cover crops. The volume also contains detailed case studies of ways of supporting smallholders in maintaining soil health in regions such as Africa, Asia and South America.
Book citations are given below:
Reicosky, D. (ed.). 2018. Managing soil health for sustainable agriculture. Volume 1: Fundamentals, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK 352 pp. (ISBN: 978 1 78676 188 0; www.bdspublishing.com)
Reicosky, D. (ed.). 2018. Managing soil health for sustainable agriculture Volume 2: Monitoring and management, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK 464 pp. (ISBN: 978 1 78676 192 7; www.bdspublishing.com)
See the attached flyer for more detailed information and chapter listings on two recently published books on soil health by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing as part of the BURLEIGH DODDS SERIES IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE.
To unsubscribe from the CA-Cop-L list, click the following link:
&*TICKET_URL(CA-Cop-L,SIGNOFF);