1. CA and Climate Change
By
Peter Kuria
Presented at
The Technoserve CA Induction Workshop
held at BONTANA HOTEL, NAKURU
on 26th – 28th January 2015
2. Climate change strikes at the core of FOOD
SECURITY
.
Climate change
=
Less food
Less water for
food & livestock
production
Land degradation
Higher
Disease and
Pest
Outbreaks
Less livestock fodder
and yield
03/03/2016
3. Scaling Up CA in Africa
Climate change adaptation/coping
Typical farm-level adaptation is adjustments in:
Crop management practices
Diversification – mixed/inter cropping
Timely planting
Improved water & soil management
Water harvesting & supp irrigation
Planting in the stubble, crop rotations,
Agroforestry and organic fertilizers
Improving climate and agric information and early
warning: drought tolerant varieties
4. CA is needed now, in …
Adapting to climate change
Tillage accelerates
decomposition of soil and soil
surface organic matter into
CO2. No till reduces CO2.
emissions
CA fosters: carbon
sequestration, maintenance of
hydrological cycle and
biological pest control
Although smaller amounts of
carbon can be sequestered per
hectare ( 0.05 – 0.2 metric
tons ha-1yr-1), with millions of
farmers practising, benefits are
huge.
BURNING = PLOUGHING
5. CA is needed now, because …
Farmers who practice zero/reduced tillage can:
Prepare up to 3 times the area than farmers
who plough
Be ready to plant with the first/optimal rains
Gains from precision agriculture at the
smallholder level by - concentrating early
rainfall, fertilisers and manure in rip lines or
planting basins
Minimise soil erosion – through soil cover
and reduced tillage
Reduce soil compaction and plough pans
Lower mechanisation/machinery costs
6. CA is needed now, because …
It enhances sustainable soil improvements –
biodiversity, organic matter – which are
building blocks for non-extractive use of the
natural resource base
CA enhances an increase in soil organic
matter (SOM) – which is core for more
efficient use of water.
With 1.5 to 2% OM, soil can hold 16-20 kg of
water.
The water capacity increases to 87 kg when OM
increases to 4-5%. (Jill Clapperton, 2009).
“Water credits” are likely to overshadow
“carbon credits” soon. Efficient use of water
7. CA is needed now, …
To integrate and increase
crop and livestock
productivity using CA.
By establishing grass
pastures underneath the
crop, the Brazilians in
Cerrados have shown, it
sustainably increases crop
yields and doubles
livestock carrying
capacity. The massive root
systems of grasses
sequester carbon, increase
OM and reduce erosion.
Brachiaria spp. Intersown
in maize 20 days after
planting
Brachiaria intersown in maize; note height of
grass
shortly before maize harvesting
8. Conclusion
It is possible to increase land productivity without too much
emphasis on yields.
Innovative synchronization of cropping systems (intercrops,
relays, crop spacing) to raise 2-3 crops simultaneously instead
of 1, reducing weeding labour.
Innovative introduction of “cover crops” valued by the community
as crops (e.g. pigeon peas, dolichos) helps deter livestock and
maintenance of soil cover.
The demand for CA in Africa – continues to rise.
The world must move from polluting and degrading technologies
to sustainable technologies.
Soil Carbon is a Critical Component for Environmental Quality and
agricultural sustainability
Tillage is incompatible with sustainable agriculture!
CA with external inputs is MORE PROFITABLE but also MORE
RISKY
9. 03/03/2016
Concluding remarks
If solutions depend on resources of which we do not have
enough, then they are not real solutions
1. Making agricultural inputs more accessible to smallholders may be a
necessary – in some cases – but not sufficient condition to close yield
gaps;
2. Agricultural inputs do not work on degraded soils; soil rehabilitation is a
prerequisite for any form of agricultural intensification;
3. Replacing the natural vegetation of tropical landscapes with annual crops
and frequent tillage disrupts their basic ecological infrastructure and leads
to degradation and/or inefficient capture and use of energy, water and
nutrients;
4. Smallholder farmers do not reason in terms of crops or cropping systems,
they make decisions that concern their whole livelihood system;
