Tailoring Conservation Agriculture to the Needs of Small Farmers in Developing Countries

Wall, P. C.

doi:10.1300/j411v19n01_07

Cited by 174 publications

(202 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…Although many efforts initially focussed on the large-scale commercial farms there have also been initiatives to develop machinery for small-scale farmers interested in practicing CA especially in the States of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Currently, there is an estimated 200,000 ha managed by small-scale farmers under CA in Brazil (Wall, 2007). Machinery systems for small-scale farmers were mainly focussed on manual and animal traction seeding systems such as the manual jab-planter and animal traction direct planters.…”

Section: Adjusting Conservation Agriculture For Small Holdersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the biggest impediments for widespread adoption of CA systems in southern Africa is the mind set (Wall, 2007). While farmers tend to accept more easily that crop production is possible without ploughing, it apparently is more difficult for people more removed from actual crop production (i.e.…”

Section: Mind Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If small holder farmers adopted minimum tillage and residue retention then continued reliance on traditional manual weed control measures would be difficult (Wall, 2007 andTwomlow, 2003). Although row sowing may permit inter-row cultivation with manual implements, crop residue would interfere with this process and in any case careful hand weeding would still be required near crop rows.…”

Section: Weed Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional reasons for small holder farmers to practice conventional tillage, by manual, animal powered or mechanized means, include mineralization of nutrients, incorporation of fertilizers, crop residues and soil amendments, temporary alleviation of compaction, and management of some soil-borne diseases and insects (Hobbs et al, 2008 andKassam et al, 2009). However, regular tillage breaks down soil organic matter through mineralization, more so in warmer climates (Kirschbaum, 1995), thus contributing to deteriorating soil physical, chemical and biological properties (Wall, 2007). The physical effects of tillage also adversely affect soil structure, with consequences for water infiltration and soil erosion through runoff, and create hardpans below the plough layer (Thierfelder and Wall, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Small holder farmers primarily reliant on rainfall rather than irrigated systems have generally not adopted CA practices yet, for various reasons-lack of knowledge about CA and how it could potentially improve their own agriculture, the perceived complexity of this new cropping system, unavailability of appropriate minimum tillage implements, limited access to herbicides, and the change of mind set required to shift from the habits of multiple tillage to minimum tillage (Wall, 2007). However, opportunities are opening up to make it easier for small holder farmers to change from excessive tillage to various forms of minimum tillage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Johansen¹,

Haque²,

Bell

et al. 2012

Field Crops Research

170

138

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Small holder farmers in rainfed agriculture believe that soil tillage is needed to maximize crop yields.However, as cropping intensity, and hence tillage intensity, increases there may be a decline in particular physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil which limit crop yield. This is primarily caused by declining soil organic matter, its oxidation being accelerated by tillage, particularly in warmer climates, and exacerbated by the limited return of above-ground biomass to the soil due to its competing use for other purposes. In large-scale commercial agriculture declining soil quality has been effectively addressed by conservation agriculture-cropping systems based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention and appropriate crop rotations and associations, preferably including legumes. This has required development of minimum tillage planting equipment along with herbicide technology to achieve weed control that is traditionally achieved through tillage. However, a shortage of mechanized options suitable for small holder farmers is creating an impediment to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices that would arrest the decline in soil quality in their fields. In South Asia, two-wheel tractors are replacing animal-drawn ploughing in small holder plots.This speeds the tillage operation and hence the turnaround time between crops, which may increase opportunities for crop intensification, but the problems associated with full tillage remain. Over the previous decade planter attachments to two-wheel tractors have been developed which permit seed and fertilizer placement with minimum to zero tillage in a single-pass. Recent tests have demonstrated that use of these implements can produce crop yields equal to or better than conventional tillage involving hand broadcasting of seed and fertilizer. Further, fuel and labour costs, seed and fertilizer inputs and turnaround time between crops can be reduced. In Africa, the introduction of animal-drawn rippers and direct seeders, originally developed for small-scale farmers in Brazil, is considered as a major breakthrough to small-scale farmer mechanization. It significantly reduces labour required for planting and benefits may be even greater if herbicides can be effectively used for weed control.Nevertheless, movement towards minimum tillage with two-wheel tractor mounted planters and animal-drawn direct seeding equipment is constrained by weed management issues. There are problems of availability and of safe and effective use of herbicides by resource-poor farmers and there is a need to develop more integrated weed management strategies that can be combined with smallscale planters. There is also a need to optimize the performance of small-scale planters to suit farmers' needs in different agro-ecological environments. Tools and concepts are now available to implement conservation agriculture for small holders and thereby increase profitability of their cropping practices and at the same time improve soil quality and sustainability of the...

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Section: Adjusting Conservation Agriculture For Small Holdersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mind Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Weed Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%