Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi
The Conservation Agriculture (CA) system promoted by Total LandCare (TLC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is based on 14 years of experience grounded on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, good soil cover and crop associations. The platform to promote CA in...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Capítulo de libro |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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CAB International
2022
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130282 |
| _version_ | 1855517167829647360 |
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| author | Bunderson, W. Trent Thierfelder, Christian L. Jere, Zwide D. Museka, R.G.K. |
| author_browse | Bunderson, W. Trent Jere, Zwide D. Museka, R.G.K. Thierfelder, Christian L. |
| author_facet | Bunderson, W. Trent Thierfelder, Christian L. Jere, Zwide D. Museka, R.G.K. |
| author_sort | Bunderson, W. Trent |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The Conservation Agriculture (CA) system promoted by Total LandCare (TLC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is based on 14 years of experience grounded on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, good soil cover and crop associations. The platform to promote CA in Malawi was to build a strong base of knowledge about best practices through an innovative non-linear research–extension approach. Long-term on-farm trials were conducted in multiple sites across Malawi to compare yields and labour inputs of CA with conventional ridge tillage on the same footing. Results showed the superiority of CA in terms of maize and legume yields with significant savings in labour and resilience to climate change. The results provided the basis to upscale CA although adoption was lower than expected. Key challenges included: (i) lack of exposure and training; (ii) conflicting extension messages; (iii) misconceptions about inputs and tools for CA; (iv) resistance to change unless CA is clearly seen to be a better practice; (v) fears about controlling weeds, pests and diseases under CA; and (vi) perceptions that increased termites and earthworms are harmful to soils and crops. |
| format | Book Chapter |
| id | CGSpace130282 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | CAB International |
| publisherStr | CAB International |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1302822024-11-07T09:39:20Z Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi Bunderson, W. Trent Thierfelder, Christian L. Jere, Zwide D. Museka, R.G.K. on-farm research crop yield labour saving technologies conservation agriculture The Conservation Agriculture (CA) system promoted by Total LandCare (TLC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is based on 14 years of experience grounded on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, good soil cover and crop associations. The platform to promote CA in Malawi was to build a strong base of knowledge about best practices through an innovative non-linear research–extension approach. Long-term on-farm trials were conducted in multiple sites across Malawi to compare yields and labour inputs of CA with conventional ridge tillage on the same footing. Results showed the superiority of CA in terms of maize and legume yields with significant savings in labour and resilience to climate change. The results provided the basis to upscale CA although adoption was lower than expected. Key challenges included: (i) lack of exposure and training; (ii) conflicting extension messages; (iii) misconceptions about inputs and tools for CA; (iv) resistance to change unless CA is clearly seen to be a better practice; (v) fears about controlling weeds, pests and diseases under CA; and (vi) perceptions that increased termites and earthworms are harmful to soils and crops. 2022 2023-05-08T20:09:30Z 2023-05-08T20:09:30Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130282 en Limited Access CAB International Bunderson, W. T., Thierfelder, C. L., Jere, Z. D., & Museka, R. G. K. (2022). Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi. In S. Mkomwa & A. Kassam (Eds.), Conservation agriculture in Africa: Climate smart agricultural development (pp. 151–175). CABI. |
| spellingShingle | on-farm research crop yield labour saving technologies conservation agriculture Bunderson, W. Trent Thierfelder, Christian L. Jere, Zwide D. Museka, R.G.K. Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi |
| title | Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi |
| title_full | Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi |
| title_fullStr | Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi |
| title_short | Chapter 8. Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi |
| title_sort | chapter 8 assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in malawi |
| topic | on-farm research crop yield labour saving technologies conservation agriculture |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130282 |
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