Making Sustainable Agriculture Real in CAP 2020: The Role of Conservation Agriculture

Europe is about to redefine its Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) for the near future. The question is whether this redefinition is more a fine-tuning of the existing CAP or whether thorough changes can be expected. Looking back to the last revision of CAP the most notable change is, undoubtedly, the concern about EU and global food security. The revival of the interest in agricultural production already became evident during the Health Check as a consequence of climbing commodity prices in 2007/08. It is therefore no surprise that “rising concerns regarding both EU and global food security” is the first topic to appear in the list of justifications for the need for a CAP reform. Other challenges mentioned in this list such as sustainable management of natural resources, climate change and its mitigation, improvement of competitiveness to withstand globalization and rising price volatility, etc., while not new are considered worthwhile enough to be maintained and reappraised

Mobilizing Greater Crop and Land Potentials with Conservation Agriculture

Based on worldwide empirical and scientific evidence, it appears generally evident that CA can play a major role in accelerating production output growth to meet future global food needs. The evidence also suggests that it can do so while arresting soil degradation and improving factor productivity (efficiency of input use) and profit margins, as well as add the much needed resilience to cropping systems and ecosystem services. There is growing evidence to show that CA through improved soil quality enables better phenotypic performance from any adapted genotype, traditional or improved. This is because CA enables agricultural soil and landscape to be treated as living biological entities in which soil biota and their symbiotic relationships with root systems are encouraged while maintaining improved and efficient soil-plant-moisture-nutrient relationships (Jat et al., 2014)

Mobilizing greater crop and land potentials: Replacing the faltering engine

Prof Amir Kassam (University of Reading & UN Food & Agriculture Organisation - FAO) and Dr Gottlieb Basch (University of Evora, Portugal, and President of the European Conservation Agriculture Federation, ECAF) then presented their paper on ensuring the supply side of food production: ‘Mobilizing greater crop and land potentials: replacing the faltering engine’. They explained that the engine of the supply side of food security is the way we farm. The current engine of conventional farming method is seen to be faltering and needs to be replaced. The presentation focused on the new paradigm of Conservation Agriculture (CA) (involving no-till farming with mulch soil cover and diversified cropping) that raises productivity sustainably and efficiently, reduces inputs, regenerates degraded land, minimises soil erosion and harnesses the flow of ecosystem services. There is empirical and scientific evidence that future food supplies can be assured sustainably by shifting away from conventional agriculture towards the more sustainable paradigm of CA. They suggested that the supply side of future food security will be determined by how successful we are in facilitating the global up-scaling of this new engine of sustainable agriculture - Conservation Agriculture

The Role of Sustainable Agricultural Soil Management in Enhancing Ecosystem Services

Over many centuries, agricultural soil management has led to wind and water erosion of soil and to degradation of soil physical, chemical, biological, and hydrological qualities. This is because the dominant farming paradigm is based on mechanical tillage of various types to control weeds and to soften the top soil to serve as a seedbed for crop establishment, and to loosen the compacted subsoil layer. Consequently, tillage is still considered to be normal and necessary, and mechanized tillage is considered to be a symbol of ‘modern’ agriculture. However, it is also known to be the major root cause of soil degradation, leading to loss of many of the ecosystem functions and services, including biological production. Over the last few decades, the concept of sustainable production intensification (SPI) has taken shape. SPI methods aim at supporting productive agricultural systems capable of delivering maximum yields and ecosystem services while being resource efficient and resilient. Overall, this translates into producing more from less, and sustainably, primarily with regards to soil and water, but also from other inputs such as fertilizers, plant protection products, energy, labour and capital. It also means that certain ecosystem services that are soil-mediated, such as carbon sequestration, water resource quantity and quality, water regulation, control of erosion, biological nitrogen fixation, control of certain weeds, insect pest and diseases, can be enhanced. The three interlinked principles of Conservation Agriculture: (i) minimal soil disturbance (based on no-till), (ii) permanent soil cover; and (iii) crop diversity, are increasingly being accepted as constituting the core or foundation elements that simultaneously improve the overall soil conditions necessary to enhance its ecosystem functions while allowing for increased levels of productivity with reduced inputs. This communication discusses the evidence on the role of Conservation Agriculture in sustainable soil management for enhancing ecosystem services and production intensification

Purple nustedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) control through climbing legumes such as Mucuna pruriens L. and Lablab purpureus L.

The adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Mozambique poses new challenges for smallholder farmers. One of these challenges is the control of perennial weeds without herbicides which is beyond the reach of this group of farmers in Cabo Delgado due to: a) High prices (low-income farmers), and b) Cabo Delgado is a remote area where aff ordable access to herbicides and other inputs is not yet possible. Looking for sustainable solutions according to local agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions of the region was the aim of the on-farm research carried out. The present study aimed at testing the effi ciency of two cover crops, Mucuna pruriens L. and Lablab purpureus L. in the control of purple nustedge (Cyperus rotundos L.) in Conservation Agriculture systems. The trials were conducted in the village of Nangua, in the province of Cabo Delgado during the rainy seasons of 2014/15 and 2015/16 crop years in a field that was abandoned due to purple nustedge weed infestation. Two cover crops, mucuna and lablab, were established in 12 m² plots, in three replications. Three counts of the quantity of purple nustedge were made in these plots: 1st count, 1 day before sowing; 2nd count, 30 days after germination, and 3rd count, 60 days after germination. Before the cover crops were sown, the purple nustedge counts were made in 1 m² area in 2 sites located in each plot, during two seasons. In the first year, there was a decrease in the number of plants of purple nustedge in the plots where both legumes were grown. Both legumes showed greater efficiency in the control of purple nustedge with increase in their duration in the field mainly between 30 days and 60 days after sowing. Results show that mucuna and lablab can replace each other in the control of purple nustedge because the effect of the application of both cultures is indifferent. Mucuna and lablab usage as cover crop in Conservation Agriculture Systems favors dormancy of the bulbs and creates unfavorable conditions for the viability of purple nustedge seeds and thus decreases their proliferation capacity in field crops

Sustainable Soil Management: Its perception and the need for policy Intervention in the European context

As stated in the strategic objectives of the Global Soil Partnership “healthy soils and sustainable soil management are the precondition for human well-being and economic welfare and therefore play the key role for sustainable development”. Although the functional properties of a healthy soil are well understood, in practice it is easily overlooked what is necessary to achieve and sustain healthy agricultural soils. This contribution intends: to discuss the concept of sustainable soil management in agricultural production with regard to soil health, and to highlight its importance in the achievement of both Sustainable Development Goals and the 4 per mille objectives, as well as for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In Europe, soil and the need for its conservation and stewardship gained visibility at the beginning of this century during the discussions related to the Soil Thematic Strategy. This higher level of awareness concerning the status of Europe’s soils led to the introduction of soil conservation standards into the cross-compliance and recently into the greening mechanisms within the 1st Pillar of CAP. However, the business-as-usual model of tillage based agriculture continues and soil degradation through erosion, soil organic matter and soil biodiversity decline and compaction together with general yields’ stagnation continues. In light of the above, urgent action is needed to extend the timid European efforts of agricultural soil conservation and to include measures that would cover and apply directly to a much larger area under agricultural production while preserving and enhancing the production potential and capacity of the farmland. Crop production and agricultural land management based on the principles of Conservation Agriculture (no-till seeding and weeding, maintaining soil mulch cover, crop diversification) has proven to improve decisively the delivery of all soil-mediated productivity and ecosystem services, including soil carbon sequestration (4 per mille), the efficient use of natural resources and external inputs, and thus improved cost efficiency and profit, while maintaining or increasing productivity. However, especially in Europe, institutional and policy support is needed to mainstream this truly agro-ecological approach of Conservation Agriculture to sustainable farming and land management

Conservation agriculture in the dry Mediterranean climate

The objective of this article is to review: (a) the concepts and principles that underpin Conservation Agriculture (CA) ecologically and operationally; (b) the potential benefits that can be harnessed through CA systems in the dry Mediterranean climates; (c) current status of adoption and spread of CA in the dry Mediterranean climate countries; and (d) opportunities for CA in the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region. CA, comprising minimum mechanical soil disturbance and no-tillage seeding, organic mulch cover, and crop diversification is now practised on some 125 million ha, corresponding to about 9% of the global arable cropped land. Globally, the area under CA is spread across all continents and all agro-ecologies, including the dryland climates in the Mediterranean basin region as well as in the Mediterranean climates elsewhere in the world. Worldwide empirical and scientific evidence is available to show that significant productivity, economic, social and environmental benefits exist that can be harnessed through the adoption of CA principles for sustainable production intensification in the dry Mediterranean climates, including those in the CWANA region. The benefits include: fundamental change for the better in the sustainability of production systems and ecosystem services; higher stable yields and incomes; climate change adaptation and reduced vulnerability to the highly erratic rainfall distribution; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. CA has taken off globally and is now spreading in several Mediterranean climates outside the Mediterranean basin particularly in South America, South Africa and Australia. In the dry Mediterranean climates in the CWANA region, CA is perceived to be a powerful tool of land management but CA has not yet taken off. Research on CA in the CWANA region has shown that there are opportunities for CA adoption in rainfed and irrigated farming systems involving arable and perennial crops as well as livestock

Food Production Potential and Assessment of Population Supporting Capacity - Methodology and Application

Understanding the nature and dimension of the food problem and the policies available to alleviate it has been the focal point of the Food and Agriculture Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) since the program began in 1977. In the program we are not only concerned with policies over a 5-15 year time horizon, but also with a long term perspective to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the food problems of the world. As we anticipate over the coming decades a technological transformation of agriculture which will be constrained by resource limitations and which could have serious environmental consequences, a number of important questions arise. (a) What is the stable, sustainable production potential of the world? of regions? of nations? (b) Can mankind be fed adequately by this stable, sustainable production potential? (c) What alternative transition paths are available to reach desirable levels of this production potential? (d) What are sustainable, efficient combinations of techniques of food production? (e) What are the resource requirements of such techniques? (f) What are the policy implications at national, regional global levels of sustainability? Stability and sustainability are both desirable properties from the considerations of inter-generational equity as well as of political stability and peace. We hold environmental considerations to be of critical importance in answering the questions posed. This report presents the results of a case study of Kenya carried out as a part of the FAO/UNFPA Project INT/513, Land Resources for Populations of the Future, being carried out in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Program, IIASA. The results are preliminary and should be regarded as the first approximation. At the present time a detailed case study of Kenya (Phase 2, FAO/Kenya/IIASA Study) is being carried out. As understanding of the ecological and technological limits of food production is a critical part of agricultural development planning, this report highlights the results for Kenya and the methodology of evaluating agricultural production potential, population supporting capacity and soil degradation hazards. Policy relevance and implications for Kenya are briefly discussed. This preliminary report in collaboration with the Land and Water Division of the FAO is the first of a series on the potential and limits of food production in developing countries

Land Resources and Productivity Potential - Agro-Ecological Methodology for Agriculture Development Planning

Understanding the nature and dimension of the land and water resources for food and agriculture development and the policies available to develop them have been the focal point of the work of the Land and Water Division of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. As we anticipate over the coming decades a technological transformation of agriculture which will be constrained by resource limitations and which could have serious environmental consequences, a number of important questions arise: (a) What is the stable, sustainable production potential of the world? of regions? of nations? (b) How does this production potential in specific areas (within countries as well as groups of countries) compare to the food requirements of the future populations of these areas? potential? (c) What alternative transition paths are available to reach desirable levels of this production potential? (d) What are the sustainable and efficient combinations of techniques of food production? (e) What are the resource requirements of such techniques? (f) What are the policy implications at national, regional and global levels of sustainability? Stability and sustainability are both desirable properties of agricultural land resources development, inter-generational equity as well as of political stability and peace. We hold ecological considerations to be of critical importance in answering the questions posed above. Limits to food production are set by soil and climatic conditions and by the use, and management, of the land. In the long term, any "mining" of land beyond these limits will result in degradation and decreased productivity. Accordingly, there are critical levels of production obtainable, in perpetuity, from any given land area and hence critical levels of populations that can be supported from this area. It is crucial to take account of the physical resource base for potential production as well as the socio-economic aspects that will influence the actual production. The population and land resources study, carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, with funding from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is concerned with the quantitative evaluation of the land resources' food productive capacity on the basis of soil, climate and crop data under specified technological conditions. The methodology and resource data base developed within this study provides a first approximation of the food production potentials and the population supporting potentials for 117 countries in five regions of the developing world. The most fruitful and promising avenue for further work and application of the methodology is in relation to detailed country case studies. The aim of this report is to describe the agro-ecological methodology and specify the data needs, with special emphasis on methodological and data refinements for detailed country agricultural planning studies. The report should be of particular interest and use to institutions in countries considering an ecological--technological--economic approach to the planning of agricultural development

Mobilizing Greater Crop and Land Potentials with Conservation Agriculture

The engine that supplies food and agricultural products is the way we farm. The current dominant engine of conventional tillage farming based on the Green Revolution agriculture mind-set is faltering and needs to be replaced to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the future food and agricultural demands by consumers and society. This chapter elaborates on the alternate no-till Conservation Agriculture (CA) paradigm (involving no-till seeding in soils with mulch cover and in diversified cropping systems). This new paradigm of CA is able to raise productivity sustainably and efficiently, reduce inputs, regenerate degraded land, minimize soil erosion, and harness the flow of ecosystem services. CA is an ecosystems approach to regenerative farming which is capable of enhancing the economic and environmental performance of crop production and land management that can contribute to achieving several SDGs. The new CA paradigm also promotes a mind-set change of producing ‘more from less’ inputs, the key attitude needed to move towards sustainable production based on agro-ecological intensification of output. CA is spreading globally in all continents at an annual rate of around 10 M ha of cropland. The current (in 2015/16) spread of CA is approximately 180 M ha, of which 48% is located in the Global South. CA not only provides the possibility of increased crop yields and profit for the low input smallholder farmer, it also provides a pro-poor rural and agricultural development model to support sustainable agricultural intensification in low income countries in an affordable manner for poverty alleviation, food security and economic development. However, for SDGs to contribute real lasting value to the quality of human life and to nature, the current and future human and ethical consequences of the uncontrolled consumer demands and pressures placed upon agricultural production by the food and agriculture system as a whole must be addressed