Conservation agriculture toward sustainable and profitable farming
Global agriculture faces major challenges. In large areas, soil erosion and the loss of fertility progressively reduce crop yields and can lead to land being abandoned and turning to desert. Households, industries, and growing urban areas compete with agriculture for increasingly scarce water supplies. Rising fuel and fertilizer prices hike up production costs. Conservation agriculture (CA) provides sustainable ways to address these and other challenges. CA crop management systems are based on three principles: (1) minimum soil movement (for example, no soil inversion by tillage), (2) a soil surface cover of crop residues and/or living plants, and (3) use of crop rotations to avoid build-ups of pests and diseases. The principles of CA appear to have wide adaptation, and CA systems are used for numerous crops in diverse soil types and environments. Nevertheless, the techniques to apply the principles depend heavily on local conditions: climate, soil characteristics, and farmer’s circumstances such as wealth, land size, the availability of labor or a tractor, to name several factors. Expected benefits from CA include: Reduced frequency/intensity of moisture stress: CA increases infiltration; cuts run-off and evaporation from the soil surface. Savings in irrigation water and energy for pumping. Reduced erosion. Higher, more stable crop yields. Reduced labor/tractor use for land preparation, saving fuel, cutting costs. Increased soil organic matter content, resulting in better soil structure, higher cation exchange capacity and nutrient availability, and greater water-holding capacity. Improved biological soil fertility and pest control.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Brochure biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
CIMMYT
2005
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| Subjects: | AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10883/556 |
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