Brief description of main activities, by objective
Achieving favorable framework conditions through the active support, cooperation and commitment of national authorities.
Introducing into academia adapted curricula covering the concept of CA to mainly four (4)target groups (1)universities with department in agriculture and/or related disciplines, (2) Vocational/Technical students,
(3) Extension staff, and (4) Farmers.
|Capacity building through participatory on the job trainings and on‐farm trials and demonstrations will be undertaken for extension staff and farmers.
|Peer‐to‐Peer exchange to enhance exchange of experiences and highlight success stories and setbacks for analysis and evaluation.
Awareness raising and information campaigns targeting governmental organizations, public institutions, syndicates, cooperatives, and private sector for a better understanding of CA principles and practices.
|Production of information material and their wide dissemination to indirect and ultimate beneficiaries.
|Technical information sheets/fact sheets for extension staff and farmers on various topics developed based on results of implemented projects.
On‐farm demonstrations in strategic locations (agro‐ecological zones) to establish a critical mass of CA applications in selected agro‐ecological zones, which will act as nuclei for even further expansion later on;
|Demonstration and multiplication plots with cover crops/forage crops at the level of the research centers;|Establishment of CA user groups in each country.
Short description and technical specifications of the technology
The application of CA provokes a number of positive environmental, economic and social benefits on global, regional, local and farm level:
It provides a sustainable production system, not only conserving but also enhancing the natural resource base and increasing the variety of soil biota, fauna and flora (including wild life) in the agricultural production systems without sacrificing yields at the high production levels.
No‐till fields act as a sink for CO2 and CA applied on a global scale could provide a major contribution to control air pollution in general and global warming in particular. Farmers applying CA practice could eventually be rewarded with carbon credits.
By not tilling the soil, farmers can save between 30 and 40% of time and labour, and in mechanized agriculture, fossil fuels, as compared to tillage‐based cropping.
Soils under CA have very high water infiltration capacities, reducing surface runoff and thus soil erosion significantly.
CA is not low output agriculture but delivers yields that are comparable or greater than those obtained with modern tillage‐based intensive agriculture, but in a sustainable way.
For the farmer, CA is mostly attractive because it allows a reduction of the production costs, time and labour, particularly at times of peak demand such as land preparation and planting, and in mechanized systems it reduces the costs
CA is not low output agriculture but delivers yields that are comparable or
greater than those obtained with modern tillage‐based intensive
agriculture, but in a sustainable way. Yields tend to increase over the
years with a simultaneous decrease in yield variations.
For the farmer, CA is mostly attractive because it allows a reduction of the
production costs, reduction of time and labour, particularly at times of
peak demand such as land preparation and planting, and in mechanized
systems it reduces the costs
Economical effects
More immediate and crucial to a farmer are the economical benefits. A reduction
in production costs, savings in energy (fuel, labour) and capital (wear and tear), all
goes to translate farming into a more profitable enterprise. The reduction of
production |
