Agroecology-based aggradation-conservation agriculture (ABACO): Targeting innovations to combat soil degradation and food insecurity in semi-arid Africa

Tittonell, Pablo; Scopel, Éric; Andrieu, Nadine; Posthumus, Héléna; Mapfumo, Paul; Corbeels, Marc; Halsema, Gerardo van; Lahmar, Rabah; Lugandu, Simon; Rakotoarisoa, Jacqueline; Mtambanengwe, Florence; Pound, B.; Chikowo, Régis; Naudin, Krishna; Triomphe, Bernard; Mkomwa, Saidi

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2011.12.011

Cited by 138 publications

(75 citation statements)

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“…In biodiversity-based farming systems, agricultural practices (including species and cultivar choices) to provide high levels of input ecosystem services are sitedependent (Caron et al 2014;Duru et al 2015a;Giller et al 2015;Lyon et al 2011;Tittonell et al 2012). Thus, agricultural practices are considered as "situated action" (Crane et al 2011).…”

Section: Biodiversity-based Farming Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

Thérond

Duru

Roger-Estrade

et al. 2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

199

155

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In most current farming system classifications (e.g. "conventional" versus "organic"), each type of farming system encompasses a wide variety of farming practices and performances. Classifying farming systems using concepts such as "ecological", "sustainable intensification" or "agro-ecology" is not satisfactory because the concepts "overlap in…def-initions, principles and practices, thus creating…confusion in their meanings, interpretations and implications". Existing classifications most often focus either on biotechnical functioning or on socio-economic contexts of farming systems. We reviewed the literature to develop an original analytical framework of the diversity of farming systems and agriculture models that deal with these limits. To describe this framework, we first present the main differences between three biotechnical types of farming systems differing in the role of ecosystem services and external inputs: chemical input-, biological inputand biodiversity-based farming systems. Second, we describe four key socio-economic contexts which determine development and functioning of these farming systems: globalised commodity-based food systems, circular economies, alternative food systems and integrated landscape approaches. Third, we present our original analytical framework of agriculture models, defined as biotechnical types of farming systems associated with one or a combination of socio-economic contexts differing in the role of relationships based on global market prices and "territorial embeddedness". We demonstrate the potential of this framework by describing six key agriculture models and reviewing key scientific issues in agronomy associated with each one. We then analyse the added value of our analytical framework and its generic character. Lastly, we discuss transversal research issues of the agriculture models, concerning the technologies required, their function in the bioeconomy, their multi-criteria and multilevel assessments, their co-existence and the transitions between them.

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Section: Biodiversity-based Farming Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

Thérond

Duru

Roger-Estrade

et al. 2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

199

155

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Soil degradation associated with rapid depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks is severely affecting agricultural livelihoods in the developing world (Fleskens & Stringer, ; Stocking, ). Resource‐constrained farmers often cannot afford external inputs to maintain the soil productivity of continuously cultivated fields, whereas the limited amounts of local crop residues and animal manure have several alternative uses (Tittonell et al ., ). Without adequate inputs, organic matter content has been declining incessantly in various agro ecosystems throughout the world (Hueso‐González et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Effect of Water and Soil Conservation (WSC) on the Soil Chemical, Biological, and Physical Quality of a Plinthosol in Niger

et al. 2015

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The hazard for recurring food insecurity in the Sahel is largely affected by insufficient biomass productivity of degraded, marginal lands. In general, water and soil conservation (WSC) techniques are believed to tackle the deterioration of soil quality by enhancing soil hydraulic properties, soil life, and soil organic carbon (SOC) content, but this beneficial effect on soil quality is hardly ever quantified in WSC research. This study therefore evaluates the effect of WSC on soil chemical, physical, and biological quality indicators by means of an in situ experiment, which was installed in 2011 nearby Sadoré, Niger. The treatments include the following: zaï + manure (Z), demi‐lunes + manure, scarification + manure, control + manure, and control. WSC increases grain yields up to 0·7 ± 0·2 Mg ha−1 on degraded, marginal lands, which is similar to yields produced on fertile lands in the area. Nevertheless, a trade‐off between biomass production and SOC accumulation was observed. After three growing seasons, SOC was found to rise significantly for the treatments provided with manure, from ±2·5 to ±5 g kg−1, but the increase was lowest for Z, which produced the highest yields. WSC also showed significantly elevated nematode counts but did not considerably affect other soil chemical and soil physical properties. Hence, on the short term, WSC does not improve soil quality, as was widely proclaimed. Therefore, future research should include the assessment of long‐term WSC effects and the evaluation of integrated management combining WSC with alternative, yield‐enhancing strategies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…ubsistence farmers in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa struggle with the challenges of drought, low organic matter in soils, and encroaching desertification (1). Resolving these issues is critical for improving crop yields in this region.…”

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confidence: 99%

Association of Shifting Populations in the Root Zone Microbiome of Millet with Enhanced Crop Productivity in the Sahel Region (Africa)

Debenport

Assigbétsé

Bayala

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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dThis study characterized specific changes in the millet root zone microbiome stimulated by long-term woody-shrub intercropping at different sites in Senegal. At the two study sites, intercropping with woody shrubs and shrub residue resulted in a significant increase in millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] yield (P < 0.05) and associated patterns of increased diversity in both bacterial and fungal communities in the root zone of the crop. Across four experiments, operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to Chitinophaga were consistently significantly (P < 0.001) enriched in the intercropped samples, and "Candidatus Koribacter" was consistently significantly enriched in samples where millet was grown alone. Those OTUs belonging to Chitinophaga were enriched more than 30-fold in residue-amended samples and formed a distinct subgroup from all OTUs detected in the genus. Additionally, OTUs belonging to 8 fungal genera (Aspergillus, Coniella, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Gibberella, Lasiodiplodia, Penicillium, and Phoma) were significantly (P < 0.005) enriched in all experiments at all sites in intercropped samples. The OTUs of four genera (Epicoccum, Fusarium, Gibberella, and Haematonectria) were consistently enriched at sites where millet was grown alone. Those enriched OTUs in intercropped samples showed consistently large-magnitude differences, ranging from 30-to 1,000-fold increases in abundance. Consistently enriched OTUs in intercropped samples in the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium also formed phylogenetically distinct subgroups. These results suggest that the intercropping system used here can influence the recruitment of potentially beneficial microorganisms to the root zone of millet and aid subsistence farmers in producing higher-yielding crops. Subsistence farmers in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa struggle with the challenges of drought, low organic matter in soils, and encroaching desertification (1). Resolving these issues is critical for improving crop yields in this region. Woody shrubs that occur naturally in farmers' fields might be used as part of an intercropping production system to improve crop yields. Two woody shrubs, Guiera senegalensis and Piliostigma reticulatum, are distributed throughout the Sahel region (2, 3). Currently, most farmers manage these shrubs by coppicing, collecting, and burning above-ground residue prior to planting crops. However, agricultural practices in the Sahel region can be adjusted to utilize shrub biomass as a natural source of fertilizer (4). Shrub residue can be added to the soil as a nutrient-rich organic amendment and decompose within an 8-month time period (5). Rhizosphere soils around amended shrubs show increased nutrient content (6), improved soil moisture profiles due to hydraulic lift (7), and a more diverse and complex microfauna soil food web (8). Intercropping with G. senegalensis (9) and P. reticulatum (10), with the incorporation of shrub residue, has also been shown to improve crop yields at two long-term field sites in Senegal...

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Agroecology-based aggradation-conservation agriculture (ABACO): Targeting innovations to combat soil degradation and food insecurity in semi-arid Africa

Cited by 138 publications

References 10 publications

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

The Effect of Water and Soil Conservation (WSC) on the Soil Chemical, Biological, and Physical Quality of a Plinthosol in Niger

Association of Shifting Populations in the Root Zone Microbiome of Millet with Enhanced Crop Productivity in the Sahel Region (Africa)

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