Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield
Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to increase crop productivity and for climate change adaptation. CA is the simultaneous application of the three principles: no-till, mulch cover, and crop diversification. The potential benefits are largely linked to moistu...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
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CAB International
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152276 |
| _version_ | 1855516222694621184 |
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| author | Rusinamhodzi, L. |
| author_browse | Rusinamhodzi, L. |
| author_facet | Rusinamhodzi, L. |
| author_sort | Rusinamhodzi, L. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to increase crop productivity and for climate change adaptation. CA is the simultaneous application of the three principles: no-till, mulch cover, and crop diversification. The potential benefits are largely linked to moisture conservation of crop residues, reduced run-off and erosion, increased infiltration, and reduced evaporative losses. This study uses a review of recent literature in SSA under rain-fed conditions to synthesize evidence of the effect of CA on yield and climate change adaptation. Web of Science and Google Scholar were used for literature searches. Crop productivity results in the literature suggest that CA increases yield in certain circumstances such as well-drained soils and moderate rainfall, and that poorly drained soils in combination with excessive rains lead to depressed yields. The yield benefits reported range from as low as 4% and as high as 16%, with negative effects also reported. Stability analysis used as a proxy for adaptation revealed only a marginal benefit of CA above conventional practices suggesting the significant effect of seasonal rainfall on crop productivity. The results suggest the need to target CA practices to different agroecologies and other pragmatic local agronomic practices that may be required in cases of excessive rainfall and extended mid-season dry spells. The benefits of CA reported are largely plot level, and only a few studies consider the whole farm, especially within the holistic livelihood framework. In addition, adoption of CA remains low among smallholder farmers, and the widespread benefits of the practices cannot be realized at multiple scales. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace152276 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | CAB International |
| publisherStr | CAB International |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1522762025-12-08T10:29:22Z Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield Rusinamhodzi, L. conservation agriculture climate change adaptation farming systems food security smallholder farmers Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to increase crop productivity and for climate change adaptation. CA is the simultaneous application of the three principles: no-till, mulch cover, and crop diversification. The potential benefits are largely linked to moisture conservation of crop residues, reduced run-off and erosion, increased infiltration, and reduced evaporative losses. This study uses a review of recent literature in SSA under rain-fed conditions to synthesize evidence of the effect of CA on yield and climate change adaptation. Web of Science and Google Scholar were used for literature searches. Crop productivity results in the literature suggest that CA increases yield in certain circumstances such as well-drained soils and moderate rainfall, and that poorly drained soils in combination with excessive rains lead to depressed yields. The yield benefits reported range from as low as 4% and as high as 16%, with negative effects also reported. Stability analysis used as a proxy for adaptation revealed only a marginal benefit of CA above conventional practices suggesting the significant effect of seasonal rainfall on crop productivity. The results suggest the need to target CA practices to different agroecologies and other pragmatic local agronomic practices that may be required in cases of excessive rainfall and extended mid-season dry spells. The benefits of CA reported are largely plot level, and only a few studies consider the whole farm, especially within the holistic livelihood framework. In addition, adoption of CA remains low among smallholder farmers, and the widespread benefits of the practices cannot be realized at multiple scales. 2024 2024-09-18T10:34:17Z 2024-09-18T10:34:17Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152276 en Limited Access CAB International Rusinamhodzi, L. (2024). Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield. CABI Reviews, 19(1). |
| spellingShingle | conservation agriculture climate change adaptation farming systems food security smallholder farmers Rusinamhodzi, L. Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield |
| title | Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield |
| title_full | Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield |
| title_fullStr | Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield |
| title_short | Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield |
| title_sort | conservation agriculture practices adaptation and yield |
| topic | conservation agriculture climate change adaptation farming systems food security smallholder farmers |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152276 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rusinamhodzil conservationagriculturepracticesadaptationandyield |