Presentacion de 11th Asian Maize Conference which took place in Beijing, China from November 7 – 11, 2011.

1. Precision-Conservation Agriculture
Practices for Small Holder Maize farming
Systems of South Asia
ML Jat
Y.S. Saharawat, K. Majumdar
Raj Gupta
Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP)
International Maize & Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)
www.cimmyt.org

2. Challenges of South Asian Agriculture
• Growing nos of
smallholders
• Water, labor and
energy shortages
• Large management
yield gaps
• Resource fatigues
• Climate change
• Weak public-private
partnerships CIMMYT-GCAP Action Corridors in SA
• Policy mismatches

3. Growing Numbers of Small Holders:
Example from India
70 Marginal Small Semi-Medium Medium Large
Percent Farmers
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1970-71 1981-82 1995-96 2000-01
Source: Agriculture Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI

4. Availability of irrigation water
Estimated water loss from aquifers
Blue- tendency to increase : (13.2 – 17.7±4.5 km3/yr)
Red- tendency to decrease
Source: Mathew Rodell et al (2009)
Source: Scholze et al. (2006)

5. Fertilizer Nutrient Scenario in Asia, 2008-2012
Nutrient Balance (million tonnes)
Figure shows balance in demand and supply of major nutrients in Asia
Source: FAO, 2008

6. Changes in output and input costs for selected
commodities and fertilizer inputs
Change in output prices (%)
Meat Dairy Cereals Oils Sugar Food price
Index
2007-08 9 49 80 94 23 52 ( 40)
2006-07 5 35 32 29 -39 12
Change in input costs (%)
Ammonia Urea NPK DAP Crude Input price
oil Index
2007-08 82 31 213 163 70 99 ( 80)
2006-07 4 29 41 33 -3 19
Source: FAO, 2008

7. Yield Gaps in Maize in Different Ecologies of
South Asia

8. Trends in maize productivity and annual growth
rate (%) in South Asia
BANGLADESH
50 12
10
40
Production (mt)
8
Area (m ha)
Yield (t/ha)
30 6
4
Annual Growth Rate (%)
20
2
10 0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
INDIA
50
140
40
Production (mt)
120
30
Area(m ha)
Yield (t/ha)
100
20
80 10
60 0
40 -10
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
NEPAL
3.0
4.5
4.0 2.5
Production (mt)
Area (m ha)
Yield (t/ha)
3.5
3.0 2.0
2.5
1.5
2.0
1.5 1.0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
PAKISTAN Source: FAOSTAT (2007), http://faostat.fao.org
9 3.5
8
3.0
Production (mt)
7
Area(m ha)
Yield (t/ha)
6 2.5
5
2.0
4
Production Area Yield
3 1.5
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

9. Principal indicators of non-sustainability of
agricultural production systems
• Intensive tillage
• Soil Organic matter decline
• Soil structural degradation
• Water and wind erosion
• Reduced water infiltration rates
• Surface sealing and crusting
• Soil compaction
• Insufficient return of organic
material
• Mono cropping
• Imbalance and inappropriate
use of external inputs

10. We need to stop doing the unsustainable parts
of conventional agriculture
Conventional Agriculture Precision-Conservation Agriculture
Ploughing/tilling the soil No-till, strip/minimum tillage
Removing all organic material Recycle organics-surface
retention/cover crops
Monoculture Diversified cropping
Imbalance and inappropriate use Balanced application of right
of external inputs inputs at right time and place they
are needed

11. Precision-Conservation Agriculture ?
Precision Agriculture Conservation Agriculture
a management strategy
(considering variability) to increase a concept for optimizing crop
productivity and economic returns yields, and economic and
with a reduced impact on the environmental benefits
environment
• Right input 1.Minimum mechanical
• Right source soil disturbance
• Right amount 2.Permanent organic
• Right place soil cover
3.Diversified crop
• Right time
rotations
Long-term ecological &
economical sustainable farming

12. Precision-Conservation Agriculture for
Resource-Poor Smallholders
• Appropriate management and correct inputs,
sources, amounts, placement, time to increase
productivity and profitability sustainably while
reducing risk
• Focus on between-field vs. within-field variability;
temporal variability (between years)
• Basket of options depending on circumstance
– Precision planting, input application...
– How? Tools and machinery, pocket sensor, leaf
color charts…

13. CA systems have worked in all kind of
environments/ecologies
• From the Equator, e.g. Kenya, Uganda to 50ºS,
e.g. Argentina, to 65º N, e.g. Finland
• From sea level to 3000 m, e.g. Bolivia,
• Soils from 90% Sand, e.g. Australia, Brazil, to
85% clay, e.g. Brazil (Oxisols, Alfisols)
• From 250 mm of rain, e.g. Western Australia to
2000 mm, e.g. Brazil, or 3000 mm Chile
• Farmers having parcel of acres (South Asia,
Africa) to several thousand acres (Australia,
Brazil, USA)
Source: Derpsch & Friedrich, (2008)

14. 50
100
Mill. ha
US Soil Conservation Service
1930
conservation tillage
Dustbowl
First no-till in the US
Faulkner (US) – Fukuoka (Japan)
1950
dustbowl
Siberia/USSR
Source: Friedrich et al (2011)
commercial no-till/US
1970
first no-till demonstration in Brazil
IITA no-till research
1980
Oldrieve/Zimbabwe
adoption Brazil
plantio direto na palha
CIMMYT, Mexico
1990
Argentina, Paraguay;
experiments in China, Indogangetic Plains
New boost: Canada, Australia,
2000
Global Overview
Kazakhstan,
Russia, China, Finland...;
Africa
2010
History and Adoption of CA of the Spread of
Conservation Agriculture

15. Small v/s large farm Precision Agriculture
Small Farm PA Large Farm
(Farm, Watershed,… Focus)
Wind Erosion
PA
(Individual Field Focus)
Chemicals
Soil
Erosion
Runoff
Terrain
Leaching
Leaching Leaching
Soils
Yield
Potassium
3-dimensional
CIR Image
2-dimensional
Interconnected Perspective Isolated Perspective
(From Berry, 2008)

16. What do we need for Precision-
Conservation Agriculture?
• System information/characterization-
• Crop varieties, inputs
• Field features (biophysical and biological)
• Technologies and machinery
• Environmentally, economically, locally adapted
• Apply working solutions across regions
• Partnerships, linkages, backstopping
• Build bidirectional capacity (technicians and farmers)
• Outreach (ICTs, demos, other dissemination tools)
• Improve affordability of tools through linkages?
• Infrastructure
• Accessibility, Markets, input providers...

17. Precision land leveling system for 2 WTs:
Reality for small holders
Developed under CSISA, India

18. Technologies and machinery: do we need
sophisticated machines ?
• Indigenous precision planters
Planter cost: USD 15K Planters cost: <USD 2K

19. Technologies and machinery
Farmer Innovation for Precision Planting

20. Small-Scale CA-based Seeders with
Precision Seed Metering

21. Crop & System productivity and CSI of different
maize systems under contrasting TCE
Tillage Rice-maize system Maize-wheat system
(Av of 03 yr) (Av of 02 yr)
Rice Maize RMCS Maize Wheat MWCS
Productivity (t ha-1)
NT 4.6a 7.1b 11.7b 4.4a 4.4a 8.8a
PB 4.7a 7.7a 12.4a 4.2a 3.9b 8.1b
CT 4.7a 5.3c 10.0c 3.7b 3.9b 7.6c
Carbon Sustainability Index (CSI)
NT 4.9 27.3 16.1 22.2 10.3 16.2
PB 5.2 31.5 18.4 22.2 9.7 16.0
CT 2.5 20.4 11.4 13.4 10.0 11.7
Source: Jat et al (2011)

22. Growth in Yield under No-Till
kg/ha
8 t/ha
#
!
#
!
Maize #
!
#
!
#
!
#
!
#
! #
! #
! #
! #
!
#
!
#
! #
! #
!
30% less fert.
#
!
4 t/ha
#
!
#
!
3,6 t/ha
#
! #
!
$
" $
" $
" $
" $
"
#
! $
" $
" $
" $
"
$
" $
" $
"
$
"
2,2 t/ha $
" $
" $
" Soya 50% less fert.
$
" $
" $
" $
"
$
"
Year (Dijkstra, 1997)

23. Outreach through partnerships: Precision
nutrient management
• Small tools for PNM

24. Nutrient Experts for Maize: Decision Support
Tools for SSNM based Precision Application
Source: IPNI

25. NE based DSS : Precision nutrient management in
maize for small holders of EGP
By locations
Across locations
Source: IPNI-CIMMYT Collaborative research
under CSISA (Unpublished data, 2011)

26. Low-cost high clearance sprayer for smallholders
Relative precision in chemical molecule application

27. Small holder precision water application

28. CA and Livestock: Is there conflict for straw?
Both can have their share-an example
16.0
Conventional CA Aditional
14.0
12.0
Straw yield (t/ha)
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
CIMMYT Long-term trial, Bihar India

29. CA and Pest Dynamics??

30. Seed production with innovation systems &
small holder groups: Success Story of QPM
250 No of Particpating Farmers Area(ha) Seed Produced(MT) 236
Income (lakh)
190
200
150 125
108 110
100 68.75
85 60.5
48 43 75
50 18 13.5 23.65
1.1 6.7 25
2 0.55 10
0
Pre Kharif 2006 Rabi 2006- 2007 Rabi 2007 - 2008 Rabi 2008 - 2009 Rabi 2009 - 2010
DMR (ICAR)-Govt of WB-
CIMMYT Collaborative
work

31. Innovation Systems, small holder Cooperatives & Single Window
Services: Product & Knowledge together for Last Mile Delivery
Innovative Pathways for Technology Adaptation and Dissemination
Local CSISA
ICAR Hub
KVKs (CIMMYT/
Institutes
IRRI)
CA
CA
CA modules
adopters
modules farmers
farmers
Cooperative Society
State (Participatory adaption
of CA technologies, Young
Deptt Service windows, Farmers
Farmer meets, Forum
of Agri travelling seminars,
field days)
CA
modules
CA
farmers adopters CA
adopters
Private
CCSHAU
Sector Media
Source: CSISA

32. Precision in access to information/real time
access using ICTs: CIMMYT Agriplex
• CIMMYT India has developed a centralized
database management system for
decentralized operations (KVKs, CSISA Hubs,
PACS and NGOs) for sharing information
through mobile phone no-cost SMS service.
• The service has as of now a database of more
than 30000 farmers.
• It is an interactive service for the farmers with
experts through helpline.
Mobile cellular Mobile cellular
Country subscriptions subscriptions per
(number) 100 inhabitants
India 81,15,90,000 67.98
Pakistan 10,88,97,387 65.40
Bangladesh 6,86,50,000 46.17
Nepal 91,95,562 30.69

33. “There are a lot of changes necessary to
adopt conservation agriculture, but the
biggest change is in the mind”
Franke Dijkstra
Pioneer Brazilian zero
tillage farmer. Started 30
years ago

34. PCA, the Agriculture of
the Future – the Future
of Agriculture