1) Conservation agriculture involves three principles - minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotations. It can increase water infiltration and yields while reducing soil erosion, environmental costs, and lifting people out of poverty.
2) The presentation discusses various techniques for implementing conservation agriculture, including no-till planting, use of mulch and cover crops, animal-drawn and mechanical weed control equipment, and soil amendments.
3) Conservation agriculture provides benefits like 50-70% labor savings, stable yields, reduced costs, and improved livelihoods for farmers through opportunities like diversification and livestock.
2. Why do we plough?
A destroyed land – the wonderful plough!
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Increased water infiltration!
Loose soil after continuous tilling becomes prone to water erosion
3. Ploughing up of the virgin lands led to the “Dust Bowls”
in the United States in the 1930
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4. How many tons of soil do we loose if 1mm of soil per
hectare is lost - 1 mm/hectare = 15 Tons
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5. Gullies are formed every year and not
sufficient efforts are done to arrest them
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6. Increase cereal yields by one ton/ha in Africa –
low external inputs and intensification.
Doubling of current cereal production with less
environmental and economic costs is
achievable!
It will lift millions of people out of poverty – at
least the 1 out of the 4.
Transformation based on agroecological low-
external input resource conserving CA systems
For Kenya to feed itself and others
change anchored on soil health is imperative!
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7. What is Conservation Agriculture?
Three principles
Minimum soil
disturbance
Permanent soil
cover
Crop & cover
crop rotations
and associations
Maximum and
sustainable
benefits derived
when the 3
principles
overlap
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14. CA for challenging situations
Ameliorate plough pans and soil
compaction
Support developing physical structures for
erosion control
Consider Agroforestry
Amend soil degradation
Others?
Pre-conditions to implementation of CA
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15. Rippers or
chisels
●Poor weed control
● Clogging
● Needs proper soil
moisture (crumbling
or dryer)
● Lifting stones/clods
● Needs lots of power
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16. Chemical weed control equipment
options
Pedestrian-pulled4-nozzle sprayerZamwipe herbicide applicator
Draft animal pulled sprayer with
an 80 litre tank and a 5 m boom
Zamwipe
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17. Ameliorate plough pans and soil
compaction
Sub-soiling
Planting basins
Biological tillage
using cover
crops with tap
roots: Cajanus
cajan, Dolichos
lablab,
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18. Complimentary CA enhancers …
Good agronomic practices
Timely planting
Proper plant spacing
Effective weed control (with and without herbicides)
Use of improved external inputs
improved seeds
Judicious use of Fertilisers
Judicious use of pesticides
Agro-forestry – Fertiliser trees, fodder, live fences,
wind breakers. Faidherbia Albida; Baobab; Grevillea;
shrubs (e.g. Pillostigma)
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25. Potato growing under no till cover
condition at Yaksu farm - Korea
2m wide ridge
Put potato seed
under rice stubble
covered with no-till
Harvesting potato
Left rice and potato
stubble evenly on field
Rice transplanting
on mid of June
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27. Benefits of CA
50-70% labour saving
Less drudgery
Stable yields, food security
Reduced production costs
Less wear and tear on machinery
BETTER LIVELIHOOD AND INCOMES
To farmers
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28. Another opportunity ... ...
Diversification to livestock
and other income
generating activities
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