Conservation Agriculture - SCCC Conservation Agric… · Conservation Agriculture: A precision farming tool for smallholders Josef Kienzle Plant Production and Protection Division

Conservation Agriculture: A precision farming tool for smallholders

Josef KienzlePlant Production and Protection Division

Amir Kassam, Brian G. Sims, Theodor Friedrich

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Conservation Agriculture

• Background, context and trends• The role of smallholders• Soils and the impact of tillage and machinery• The FAO “Save and Grow” concept• Conservation Agriculture• The use of herbicide and weed management• More efficient N fertilizer application• Conclusions

Outline

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 27 June, 2014

Declining yield growth rates • 1960: 3.2% a year• Current: 1.5%• 2050: 0.8%

UrbanizationToday: 50%2050: 70%

Undernourished people over 900 million75% in rural areas in developing countries

World population > 9 billion in 2050Changing food habits

Trends

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Trends Demand for crops for food, feed and fuel is predicted to rise by 60% over the next 40 years

Rising prices of fuel and fertilizer

Impacts of climate change Reduced resilience of cropping systemsIncreasing competition for land and water

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

The role of smallholder farmers Globally the majority of farmers are

smallholders

They produce 80% of the food in developing

countries

Most of these farmers struggle with little

access to farm power and with basic hand

tools

Application of inputs such as seeds and

rarely available fertilizer is often imprecise

and untimely6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Precision agriculture An approach to better application of inputs at the

right place and rate in the field, and as close as

possible to the optimum crop growth stage

Such practices can reduce the amount of nutrients

and other crop inputs used, whilst boosting yields

Farm power (energy) is the scarcest input for

smallholders

Hence PA for smallholders needs to aim at more

precise technologies in order to save energy

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Farm Power (energy for farming)

Farm power is a

scarce resource often

poorly applied in Africa

Conventional land preparation

Effects:• Loss of organic matter• Loss of structure leading to soil compaction• Destruction of biological life & processes

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Plough pans

Plough-layers / hard pans

Soil compaction at depth of cultivation

Crusting with no mulch

Waterlogging as a result of compaction

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Conservation Agriculture

• Take a holistic approach

• Highest possible production

• Saves use of inputs

• Environmental footprint < recovery capacities

Sustainable Crop Production Intensification

Sustainable Crop Production Intensification

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Conservation Agriculture

The Concept:CA involves core components, which

are necessary, to make “no-till” sustainable. CA in practice is characterized by three linked principles, namely: 1. Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance. 2. Permanent organic soil cover. 3. Diversification of crop species grown in sequences

or associations.

Conservation Agriculture

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

This translates into following practices:• Permanent No-till or Strip-till (disturbance <15cm/25%)• Mulch cover or Cover-crops/crops (soil cover >100%, min. 30%)• Crop rotations, associations (>3 different species)

Conservation Agriculture

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

The jab-planter / matraca

Innovations

Seed

Fertilizer

Rolf Derpsch

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Manual precision planting andfertilizing for smallholders

• The jab-planter has sharpened beaks which close completely to penetrate the soil cover.

• They open in the soil to deposit seed and fertilizer at the desired depth.

• Precise planting and fertilizing at the same time

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

The suppression of tillage / ploughing

reduces power requirements by 50%

allowing the use of smaller machines

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

F. Baudron; CIMMYT

Precision Agriculture

Use of herbicide for weed management

Issues (I) In the context of smallholder

farmers, the use of herbicide for weed management is a hotly debated topic

Hand weeding is the second-most arduous task after hand digging for land preparation, and is mostly carried out by women and children

Timely weed management is absolutely crucial for crop development and production, especially during the early stages of the cropping cycle

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Precision Agriculture

Use of herbicide for weed management

Issues (II) The knapsack sprayer is the most

common tool used by smallholder farmers for applying herbicide

Application requires knowledge and the correct calibration and use of sprayer

Operator should walk at a steady speed with constant spray height and constant pressure

For blanket coverage with a total herbicide, it is especially useful to adapt a spray boom to the knapsack sprayer and use a wheeled chassis for more precise application and operator protection

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Precision Agriculture

Use of herbicide for weed management

It is the precise and timely

application that matters

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Precision Agriculture

Field mapping and precision N application• Crop reflectance

meters with GPS can be used to map field requirements.

• Precision applications result in more efficient fertilizer use.

• Weedseeker technology for selective spot spraying

512050 512100 512150 512200 512250 512300

214300

214350

214400

214450

214500

0.02 to 0.25

0.25 to 0.31

0.31 to 0.37

0.37 to 0.43

0.43 to 0.50

0.50 to 0.71

Vegetative Indices. Showing weed patches

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

Global trends are obliging all stakeholders to combine

forces to find efficient, lean, sustainable solutions to

global challenges of food production and food security

Smallholder farmers are an integral part of the challenge

and the solution

CA shows similar positive results across regions

– increased yields, decreased production cost;

– Higher profits, better livelihoods for farmers;

More secure harvests even in extreme climate

• Agricultural machinery innovations are the driving force

towards achieving more sustainable, energy-efficient,

lean, affordable, precise and cost-effective solutions

Conclusions:

Precision Agriculture / Conservation Agriculture

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014

CA, the Agriculture of the Future – the Future of Agriculture

More information:

[email protected]

http://www.fao.org/ag/ca

http://www.fao.org/ag/save-and-growJoin the CA-CoP!

Precision Agriculture / Conservation Agriculture

6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; Winnipeg, Canada, 22 – 25 June, 2014