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transcript
Conservation Agriculture
for Climate Change Adaptation
in East Asia and the Pacific
Theodor FRIEDRICH
Plant Production and Protection Division
(AGP)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Climate Change and Adaptation in Agriculture for East Asia and the Pacific Region:
Issues & Options
FAO-WB Expert Group Meeting, Rome, May 16-17, 2011
outline
• Introduction
• CA globally and regionally
• CA for CC adaptation/mitigation
• Policy and Investment
• Conclusions
introduction
• Challenge to feed the world
• Natural resource base dwindling
• Sustainability: no option but necessity; link/integrateproduction with sustainability
• One new strategic goal of FAO:Sustainable Crop ProductionIntensification (SCPI)
• CA is the core strategy of SCPI = applied sustainable 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 and/or
associations.
CA globally and regionally
CA: more than just no-till: “never till”
• with other best practices (IPM, IPNM, IC-
LS, agroforestry, ...) it is sustainable
agriculture and ecosystem management
• organic matter and carbon recycling
• biodiversity
(rotation, soil life)
• biological
processes
• climate change
adaptation and
mitigation
CA globally and regionally
Advantages for the farmer:
Farmer’s livelihood
• less machinery cost
• 70% fuel saving
• 50% labour saving
• 20-50 % input saving
• less drudgery
• stable yields, food security
= better livelihood/income
CA globally and regionally
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aHistory and Adoption of CA
1970
CA globally and regionally
USA 26.5
Canada 13.5
Australia 17
Europe 1
Kazakhstan 1
Africa 0.5
Brazil 26
Conservation Agriculture worldwide 117 Million ha
Argentina 26
Paraguay 2.5
China 1
tropical savannah
continental, dry
temperate, moist
temperate, moist
continental, dry
irrigated
smallholder
smallholder
smallholder
arid
aridlarge scale
large scale
large scale
large scale
large scale
large scale
subtropical, dry
tropical savannah
other LA 2
>50%
<25%
>70%
up to 90%
CA globally and regionally
Climate Change: Higher variability
= less reliable rainfall
extreme precipitation
extended drought periods
CA for CC adaptation
Response strategy for Adaptation
Increase the resilience through:
• diversity in the cropping
• diversity in the overall production
• higher flexibility/more timely operations
• agronomic practices that work for drought,
rain, heat, cold, wind
CA for CC adaptation
Diversity = rotations = long term profit
• different rooting structures
• pest and desease management
• weed management
• soil cover/residue managment strategy
• higher long term productivity, risk
reduction
CA globally
...a challenge
which needs a
community
solution!
Fodder
Firewood
Livestock is pride
...maintaining soil cover in dry lands
CA globally
no-till tillage
same removal
Adaptation extreme events:
• Erosion:
stubbel, mulch, crops
aggregate stability (OM)
• Heat: mulch
• Frost: mulch
CA for CC adaptation
Adaptation to drought:
• better rooting
• snow catching with residues
• more water in soils
(1 % OM = 150 m3/ha)
• reduced water losses
(evaporation)
• better efficiency
(water/crop -30%)
CA for CC adaptation
Adaptation to heavy rain:
• water recharge (biopores)
• water quality (leaching/erosion)
• better infiltration (flooding)
CA for CC adaptation
CA CC-mitigation options:
• Sequestration:
Maximize soil as carbon sink• reduce soil carbon emissions
• maximise biomass production
• enhance soil carbon input
• Emission reduction:• Rice – methane (no flooding)
• Nitrous oxide (N-, compaction management)
• Fuel emissions
• Emissions from input manufacturing
CA for CC mitigation
Experiences in DPR Korea and China
Policy and Institutional Support
Soya Wheat
Maize
Cabbage
Policy and Institutional Support
RicePotato
Policy and Investment
Policies:
• China: CA mentioned in number 1 party
document
• CA promoted to prevent dust storms around
Beijing before the Olympic games
• Subsidies for mechanization exclude
ploughs; priority to no-till seeding equipment
• DPR Korea: CA promoted by Ministry of
Agriculture and the Academy of Sciences as
approach to sustainable and intensive
agriculture
Policy and Investment
Investments:
Overall CA is profitable for farmers
Initial investment requirements
• Capacity building: depending on extension (5 – 50 $/farmer; 100%?)
• Equipment: 100-200 $/ha for seed-drills(50% based on Chinese equipment; 10 years depreciation, 2 weeks planting window)
• evtl. soil rehabilitation: 50-200 $/ha(lime, herbicide, fertilizer, subsoiling)
• Investment offset: fuel and emission savings/carbon sequestration; disaster risk
• Total: China 500 mill. farmers, 140 mill. ha arbl. landDPRK 3 mill. farmers, 2.5 mill. ha arbl. land
Financial Benefits of Conservation Agriculture
Wheat Production in Northern Kazakhstan (IRR = 28%)
-400
-300
-200
-100
0
100
200
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Years
US
$/h
a
Investment
Tillage saving
Higher yield
Chemical weeding
Benefit
CA globally - impact
conclusions
Conclusions:
CA -
• is universally applicable/location specific
• is really existing on 8% of farmland
• is growing exponentially
• is compatible with MDGs, UN conventions
and FAO’s strategic objectives
• is productive and sustainable (win-win)
• is responding to climatic challenges
• requires supportive policies for
accelerated adoption
Thank you for your attention!
More information:
http://www.fao.org/ag/ca
With CA
Agriculture can be part of the solutions,
not of the problem!