Competition for crop residues between livestock feeding and soil mulching is a major cause of the low and slow adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) in sub-Saharan Africa. Retaining crop residues in the field is not only a prerequisite for CA but …
Due to the scarcity of alternative organic amendments, the retention of crop residue in fields can be considered key in promoting physical, chemical, and biological attributes of soil health in agricultural systems of developing countries. However, …
Cereal residues represent a major resource for livestock feeding during the dry season in southern Africa. When kept on the soil surface instead of feeding them to livestock, crop residues can contribute to increasing soil fertility and maintaining …
Conservation agriculture (CA) is increasingly promoted in Africa as analternative for coping with the need to increase food production on the basis of more sustainable farming practices. Success with adopting CA on farms in Africa has been limited, …
This chapter describes the history and current status of conservation agriculture (CA) in East and South Africa. It examines research results from East and South Africa in an effort to develop a clearer picture of the future of CA systems in the …
Conservation agriculture (CA) is currently promoted in sub-humid and semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa as a means to increase crop water use efficiency and stabilize yields. In this study, conducted during three consecutive seasons in a semi-arid …
Agricultural intensification, or increasing yield, has been a persistent theme in policy interventions in African smallholder agriculture. This article focuses on two hegemonic policy models of such intensification; (1) the 'Alvord model' of …
Increasing agricultural production and preventing further losses in biodiversity are both legitimate objectives, but they compete strongly in the developing world.In this study, current tensions between agricultural production and environmental …
We review agricultural impacts on biodiversity and the potential of conservation agriculture in developing productive and environment-friendly cropping systems.We then analyse experiences from two African landscapes of global importance for …
It is our intent this series will be a source of information on conservation agriculture in Africa. It throws light on controversial issues such as the challenges farmers face in keeping the soil covered, in gaining access to adequate no-tillage …