Assessing the contributions of conservation agriculture to building resilience to drought, Conservation Agriculture Literature Review
2019
k mazvimavi
K Mazvimavi, 'Assessing the contributions of conservation agriculture to building resilience to drought, Conservation Agriculture Literature Review', p.14, Vuna Research Report, 2019
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]This literature review summarises theory and evidence ofthe contribution of conservation agriculture (CA) to resilience in the event of drought. A resilient agricultural system is able to continue to function and provide essentialecosystem services, such as food provisioning, followingan external shock. If drought occurs, a more resilient system should offer higher productivity and food security.The review asks whether CA improves productivity andfood security when rainfall is poor, and what aspectsof CA contribute most to these benefits. The review willguide the design of a field study on the impacts of CA after the 2015/16 El Nino drought in southern Africa.Conservation agriculture combines three basic sets oftechnologies or practices: i) minimum or reduced tillage,ii) maintenance of soil surface cover using crop residues,and iii) crop diversification using rotations. CA has beenidentified as a climate smart agricultural practice becauseit improves crop productivity, improves resilience ofcropping systems to climate change, and mitigatesgreenhouse gases. In Southern Africa two forms of CAhave recently been promoted: a manual version basedon digging planting basins, and a mechanised practicebased on the use of soil rippers and direct seeders or jabplanters. Due, in part, to inaccessibility of CA equipment,most smallholder farmers in the region are practisingmanual CA techniques
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