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

• DOI: 10.1300/j411v19n01_07
• Publication Date: 2007-04-23T16:01:47Z
• Authors: Patrick C. Wall
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; Crop residues; Conservation agriculture; Local knowledge; Small-scale farming; Agriculture; Soil cover; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; 15. Life on land; Smallholder farmers; Small farm characteristics; Farming systems; 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; Conservation agricultural systems; Field Scale

Abstract Conservation agriculture (CA) is characterized by surface crop residue retention and minimal soil movement. It is a complex technology that involves not only a change in many of the farmer's cultural practices, but also a change in mind-set to overcome the use of the plow. CA is knowledge-intensive, and success with the system may depend more on what the farmer does than the level of inputs applied. However, smallholder farmers are generally characterized by weak links to information systems outside those of the community, while close community linkages tend to reinforce traditional activities. They commonly manage complex crop-livestock systems, where crop residues play an important role in animal nutrition. This, coupled with communal grazing rights, makes the retention of sufficient surface residues a difficult practice for small farmers, especially in rain-fed systems where residue production levels are low. Smallholders often have weak links to input and output markets, as well as limited ac...