Presentation from the WCCA 2011 conference in Brisbane, Australia.

1. Global Overview of the Spread
of Conservation Agriculture
Theodor Friedrich, Rolf Derpsch, Amir Kassam
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 1/x

2. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
Outline
• Introduction
• CA definition
• CA adoption global
• CA adoption by regions
• Conclusions
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

3. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture is spreading:
• CA is mainly a farmer led process
• It represents a shift in production paradigm
• It is increasingly catching the attention of NGOs
and governments
• There is no official data available – the data are
estimates from local organizations
• The data collected in this recent review try to
closer reflect “good quality CA”
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

4. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
FAO Definition: www.fao.org/ag/ca
Conservation Agriculture (CA)
is an approach to managing agro-
ecosystems for improved and
sustained productivity, increased
profits and food security while
preserving and enhancing the
resource base and the
environment. CA is characterized
by three linked principles, namely:
1. Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance.
2. Permanent organic soil cover.
3. Diversification of crop species grown in sequences or
associations.
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

5. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
This definition translates into following
practices:
• Continuous zero tillage or strip tillage (<15 cm/25%)
• Residue mulch or crop cover (>100, min. 30%)
• Crop rotations (>3 diverse species)
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

6. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
Global Adoption of No-till/CA
160
150 mill. ha
140
124 mill. ha
120
109 mill. ha
million ha
100
80 Global CA area Mill. ha
No-Tillage
60
40
20
0
1974 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 1999 2002 2003 2007 2010 2011
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

7. 100
50
Mill. ha
US Soil Conservation Service
1930
conservation tillage
Dustbowl
First no-till in the US
Faulkner (US) – Fukuoka (Japan)
1950
dustbowl
Siberia/USSR
commercial no-till/US
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011
1970
first no-till demonstration in Brazil
IITA no-till research
Oldrieve/Zimbabwe
1980
adoption Brazil
plantio direto na palha
History and Adoption of CA
1990
Argentina, Paraguay;
experiments in China, Indogangetic Plains
New boost:
2000
Canada, Australia, Kazak
hstan,
Russia, China, Finland...;
Africa
2010
Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
slide 2/x

8. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption
distribution by continent
Europe Sub Saharan Africa
Ukraine and Russia
1% 1%
Asia 4% North Africa & Near East
3% 0%
Australia & New Zealand
14%
South America
45%
(36%)
North America
32%
Total CA about 8% of cropland
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

9. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture globally 124 Million ha
large scale
Russia,
continental, dry Ukraine 5.1
>50% W Canada Kazakhstan > 1
large continental, dry
(30%)
13.5 scale Europe 1 China 3.1
temperate, moist smallholder
USA arid
15%
26.5
irrigated
Africa 1
tropical savannah
large smallholder
scale
Brazil
tropical savannah
25.5
subtropical, dry
79% Paraguay 2.4 smallholder
large scale Australia 17
temperate, moist
other LA 2.4 arid large scale
Argentina 25.5 (10.5)
large 100% West
scale (35%)
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

10. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption in Latin America
Paraguay, 2,400.00 Uruguay, 655.10, 51
Mexico, 41.00 79% %
Venezuela, 300.00
Colombia, 127.00
Chile, 180.00
quality CA
10,500.00
Argentina, 25,553.0
0
76%
Brazil, 25,502.00
43%
Bolivia, 706.00
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

11. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption in North America
Canada >50% in
Canada, 13,48 Western Canada
1.00
30%
United States
of
America, 26,50
0.00
15%
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

12. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption in Europe
United Finland, 160.00 France, 200.00 Germany, 5.00 Hungary, 8.00
Kingdom, 150.00 , 3% 7%
Ukraine, 600.00 Irland, 0.10
Italy, 80.00
Slovakia, Switzerland, 16.30
10.00
4% Portugal, 32.00
Netherlands, 0.50
Spain, 650.00
5%
Russia, 4,500.00
4%
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

13. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption in North Africa and Middle East
Lebanon, 1.20
Morocco, 4.00
Tunesia, 8.00
Syria, 18.00
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

14. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption in Sub Saharan Africa
Kenya, 33.00 Lesotho, 2.00 Malawi, 16.00
Zimbabwe, 139. Ghana, 30.00
30
4% Madagascar, 6.0
0
Namibia, 0.34
Mozambique, 15
2.00
Zambia, 200.00 4%
4%
South
Africa, 368.00
2%
Sudan, 10.00
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

15. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
CA adoption in Australia and New Zealand and Asia
New
Zealand,
Korea, DP
162.00 R, 23.00
11%
Kazakhstan,
1,300.00
6%
Australia China, 3,1
17,000.00 00.00
2%
35%
Australia 100% in Western Australia
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

16. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
% average CA adoption by region based on reporting countries
(and on total arable land of the region)
45 42
40
(37) 34
35
30
25
18
20
15
10
4 3
5 2
(3) 0
0 (0.6) (1)
North Latin Europe * North Africa SubSaharan Asia Australia
America America and Middle Africa and New
East Zealand
* Incl. Russia and Ukraine
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

17. Global Overview of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture
Conclusions
• Conservation Agriculture continues spreading around the world
• Originally a farmer’s driven process only attention is increasing
by governments and development organizations
• CA is getting recognized as tool to Save and Grow
• Some regions still struggle with introduction (Europe, South
Asia)
• Other regions struggle with keeping good quality CA (Latin
America with Soya)
• Further policy support is needed for faster adoption AND for
safeguarding quality of CA to ensure environmental services
5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, 26-29 September 2011 slide 2/x

18. Type here title of the presentation
Calibri 14 normal white
CA, the Agriculture of the Future – the Future of Agriculture
More information:
Theodor.Friedrich@fao.org Join the CA-CoP!
http://www.fao.org/ag/ca
Date and place – Calibri 10 normal white slide 3/x