Limits of conservation agriculture in Africa

Conservation Agriculture in Development: The Case of Africa

The rising world population is increasing the pressure on agriculture to produce more food (Fig. 1 and 2). This is more so for the African continent, where it is not just about food supply, but also a critical factor in economic development, poverty alleviation and improving living standards especially in rural areas. On the other side agricultural production is one of the factors contributing ...

Agriculture in Africa

The role of conservation agriculture in sustainable agriculture.

The paper focuses on conservation agriculture (CA), defined as minimal soil disturbance (no-till, NT) and permanent soil cover (mulch) combined with rotations, as a more sustainable cultivation system for the future. Cultivation and tillage play an important role in agriculture. The benefits of tillage in agriculture are explored before introducing conservation tillage (CT), a practice that was...

Beyond conservation agriculture

Global support for Conservation Agriculture (CA) as a pathway to Sustainable Intensification is strong. CA revolves around three principles: no-till (or minimal soil disturbance), soil cover, and crop rotation. The benefits arising from the ease of crop management, energy/cost/time savings, and soil and water conservation led to widespread adoption of CA, particularly on large farms in the Amer...

Cultivating Sustainable livelihoods: Socioeconomic Impacts of Conservation Agriculture in Southern Africa

Southern Africa has high levels of food insecurity with stunting levels of more than 20% in several countries. Many countries in the region are net importers of staple food. This is partly due to low staple crop yields, with the average maize yield for the region, excluding South Africa, being around one tonne per hectare (see figure below). More than 70% of the population, and the vast majorit...