Report of the First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture

A worldwide challenge

Madrid, October 1st-5th 2001

Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms

INTRODUCTION

DESCRIPTION OF THE CONGRESS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRESENTATION SESSION

Conservation Agriculture Global Improvements

Farmer Experiences with Conservation Agriculture

International Networks for Conservation Agriculture

Recent Innovations and Adaptation of the Agricultural Industry to CA

The Role of the Private Sector

CA Influence on Environment/Perspectives and Policies for Development

SPECIAL SESSION: Networks for CA in Developing Countries (FAO, CIRAD, CIMMYT)

ROUNDTABLE ON KEY PROBLEMS

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS

FIRST WORLD CONGRESS ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE - DECLARATION

ACTION PLAN

ANNEX 1:

Programme of the First World Conference on Conservation Agriculture

Selected Communications (Posters) for Oral Presentations

Acknowledgements

This report was prepared by Sandrine Vaneph, FAO consultant, and José Benites, Technical Officer, FAO's Land and Plant Nutrition Management Service. The authors would like to acknowledge in particular the following persons who provided useful notes and comments:

P. Koohafkan, B. Basso, Jim Findlay, Theodor Friedrich, Vic Jordan, John Landers, Christian Pieri, Patrick Wall, Luis Garcia Torres, Armando Martinez Vilela, John Ashburner and the vice-chairperson of each session.

The authors would also like to thank all the participants for attending, for their enthusiastic participation, and for their role in the promotion of Conservation Agriculture worldwide.

List of Acronyms

Introduction

The First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture was jointly organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF). It was held in Madrid, Spain, from 1-5 October 2001, with complementary field activities in Cordoba, Aranjuez, Segovia and Burgos.

The objective of the Congress was to bring together farmers, advisers, scientists, private-sector stakeholders and decision-makers to share information and experiences and to encourage further interaction and development. The expected results and outputs of the congress were to:

• Raise awareness of Conservation Agriculture (CA) at the various local, country and international levels, within different public, private, and civil society sectors, and among non-governmental organisations;
• Initiate and strengthen contacts between experienced people or bodies and future adopters of the principles of Conservation Agriculture in order to facilitate further co-operation;
• Share experiences and assess the advances in various aspects of Conservation Agriculture, including policies, research, and technology development, and also at different levels of farm enterprise and in different geographical regions;
• Adopt a common Declaration on Conservation Agriculture, supported by an Action Plan that would incorporate general long-term goals as well as proposals for action in the short term.

This report includes a synthesis of the main outputs of the Congress and the highlights from each session. There is also a list of key issues discussed during a roundtable, the conclusions, and the draft Congress Declaration and Action Plan.

Description of the Congress

Participants from some 70 countries in five different continents participated in the Congress and its special sessions. They represented a wide range of stakeholders in agriculture in general and in Conservation Agriculture in particular. They included farmers' representatives, delegates from various institutions, research centres and governments, NGOs, international organizations, and agribusiness companies. About 2,000 farmers participated in the three days of field activities, and about 600 experts participated in the two days of Congress meetings in Madrid. About 100 participants attended the closing session in Cordoba, and 800 were at the closing session in Burgos.

Some 50 presentations were made - see Annex 1 for the programme - focusing on eight main issues:

1) Global improvements in CA;
2) Farmer experiences with CA in South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Europe - particularly in Spain;
3) International networks for CA;
4) Recent innovations in CA;
5) Adaptation of the agricultural industry to CA;
6) Promotion of CA: the role of the private sector;
7) CA impacts on the environment;
8) Perspectives and policies for development of CA.

Almost 200 contributions, published in two volumes, were distributed to participants.

A poster session was organised and enriched by many contributions. A Special Session was dedicated to a discussion led by FAO, CIRAD and CIMMYT concerning Networks for CA in Developing Countries. A roundtable was held with farmers' representatives to identify and discuss the key problems and limitations for the adoption of CA from the farmers' viewpoint, and a draft of the CA Declaration was presented to participants, many of whom provided comments.

The Congress included three field days designed as interactive workshops. These were open to Congress participants and to farmers. The first field day was in Cordoba, (Andalusia), where the participants observed the principles of CA applied to olive plantations and annual crops; three illustrative presentations were made. Another field day was in Aranjuez (Madrid) where CA principles were being applied to olive plantations, vineyards and annual crops. There were demonstrations of direct seeding and techniques for the local application of herbicides among olive trees. The final field day was organised in Segovia and Burgos, (Castilla-Leon), where the participants observed CA principles applied to cereal and sunflower crops. Four presentations were made, and there was a machinery demonstration involving seventeen different direct-drilling seeders.

Highlights from the Presentation Sessions

The programme for the presentation sessions is provided in Annex 1. The main points from those sessions are presented below, but the full contributions are available in Volume 1 of the proceedings.

Conservation Agriculture Global Improvements

The focus of this session was CA in the framework of global needs.

• There are some 800 million malnourished people in 98 developing countries, and the trend is towards less food security, particularly in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
  
• There is an urgent need to increase agricultural production where the demand is located in order to meet the growing requirements for food and other agricultural products.
  
• The agricultural systems to meet these needs must be productive, profitable, and at the same time sustainable. In essence, they must increase production and improve rural livelihood, while also conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.
  
• Set against this backdrop, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is wholly advantageous. The system is based on reduction or elimination of tillage, maintaining a permanent soil cover made up of crop residues or cover crops, and the judicious use of crop rotations to avoid the build up of pests and diseases.
  
• CA consistently provides higher yields with less expenditure on inputs and labour.
  
• CA is sustainable from economic, social and environmental perspectives. It increases carbon sequestration and water infiltration, while reducing runoff, erosion and degradation of soil and water resources. Unfortunately, only 4 percent of the world's cultivated land is presently under CA practices.
  
• There is an urgent need to globalize knowledge of CA through an interdisciplinary approach that involves scientific, social, political and economic inputs. Opportunities to manage and disseminate this knowledge need to be explored. Food labelling could help to spread global knowledge of CA.

Farmer Experiences with Conservation Agriculture

This session dealt principally with CA in the context of the farmers' viewpoints and needs.

• The primary need for agricultural production is the management of soil fertility. Permanent soil cover - through crop residues, mulch applications, and cover crops - protects the soil from erosion and enhances soil fertility in terms of organic matter, nutrients, structure, biology, etc.
• To promote wider adoption, farmers need clear and practical information as well as safe, adapted, performing and affordable technology. To this end, farmers must be involved in participatory research. They also need the full collaboration of private-sector companies. Indigenous knowledge must be taken into account in the adoption process, since it may bring useful solutions to specific problems, such as water shortages.
  
• Strong environmental pressure on their land may be a key factor for pushing farmers to adopt CA. However, farmers cannot afford to assume all the risks involved in the process of transition. They need information, training and support; this can generally be provided through exchanges between farmers. They also need financial assistance to purchase new equipment and necessary inputs.
  
• Full adoption may face resistance because of centuries-old traditions of tillage practices. In Europe for example, farmers may still apply zonal tillage or subsoiling techniques. This does not constitute CA although it may be necessary in very specific conditions, or to overcome initial limitations during the transition phase of introducing CA. However, many of the benefits of Zero Tillage and biological tillage are lost with these practices, or at least not fully developed.
  
• The competition with livestock or other uses - which is a major issue in semi-arid areas and in Africa in particular - may be addressed through emphasizing systems of CA that focus on high biomass and high grain production.
  
• Rural women must be included in training programmes everywhere, as they are in Asia. They very often work in the fields and CA practices can help them to save money for the family, and free time for them to develop other activities or for family care. CA also brings better health, especially to women, thanks to less arduous fieldwork and less exposure to heat.

International Networks for Conservation Agriculture

During this session participants reviewed the state of advancement of various aspects of CA world-world and identified the need for an exchange of information and knowledge that could help countries and regions draw on the experience of others. Presentations were made by delegates from FAO, GTZ, CIMMYT, CAAPAS, CIRAD, RELACO, ACT, ECAF, WANTFA, Central Asia, Asia, and APDC (See list of acronyms on page 3).

• The negative impacts of conventional agricultural practices are widely acknowledged. However, rather than focussing on problems, it is better to concentrate on solutions.
  
• Conservation Agriculture is based on already-known technologies such as zero tillage (direct seeding). The adoption of CA systems became a question of survival in many areas of countries such as Brazil. They are cost-effective and produce high and stable yields, which is vital for rural communities. They are now developed and adapted to many socio-economic conditions and to various agro-ecological zones (AEZs) in all five continents. They are particularly successful in developing countries and in very degraded areas. (Such areas also exist in industrialized countries).
  
• CA aims to copy natural ecosystems: it is based on a permanent soil cover, crop rotations and minimal soil disturbance, which is usually achieved by direct seeding/drilling through the residues of the previous crop. CA is compatible with all levels of mechanisation, from manual up to precision agriculture, for example using GPS. CA is a concept; and soil fertility management is its final objective.
  
• Many cover crops are already well known and can be adapted to various purposes and AEZs. Implements have also been developed for various farming systems, although they are not always available locally. Suitable approaches and products for weed and pest management exist and need to be promoted. Livestock is often seen as a factor of conflict with CA practises, although it can also provide synergies if it is properly integrated with a CA system. This information and knowledge must be made available to the various stakeholders, according to their needs. It was suggested that a central data bank should be set up through an international organisation. Its objectives would be to collect knowledge about CA and make it available to any interested institution or person.
  
• Farmers need continued support after the termination of a field project, otherwise adoption of CA may decline or be reversed. The most effective support is usually based on farmer-to-farmer exchanges through farmer associations or networks. Thus, the organisation of farmers is the key for adoption, training, information and innovation. It is also the only way for farmers to be heard and to be associated with the development of the technologies they need. It is also important to stress that education starts in school and particular efforts should be done to change the traditional views on agricultural practices among school children - and indeed at all levels of society.
  
• Networks at different levels are necessary to facilitate exchanges between different countries or regions that may face the same problems and are looking for, or have found. solutions. This should also be the means for identifying and stressing the differences in environmental and socio-economic conditions, since these may affect the technology transfer and adoption processes. Furthermore, there is a need for high quality media products to be made available for world-wide distribution.

Recent Innovations and Adaptation of the Agricultural Industry to Conservation Agriculture

The discussion during this session concentrated on the necessary involvement and changes in the agricultural industry to support the expansion of CA.

• CA adoption is closely linked to the availability of appropriate equipment. There is therefore a need for the full co-operation of machinery manufacturers to adapt and develop appropriate implements. This should be done in conjunction with farmers and in accordance with their needs. The machinery should be affordable, available, and reliable.
  
• Some machinery, such as seeders, may need special adaptation to be able, for example, to plant through dense quantities of green or dry biomass. Other tools that have been developed have brought significant improvements to CA practices. One example is the knife roller used for cover crop management and weed control.
  
• Adoption must also be supported by governments, for example through incentives.
  
• Experience shows that, for small farmers, mechanical weed control leads to similar yields as those obtained when chemical weed control is practised. Applying appropriate knowledge about crops, cover crops and crop rotations can also provide good results in biological weed control.
  
• Pest management also benefits from innovations and adaptations in the agricultural industry. Pests may be different, but not necessarily more serious, in low or zero tillage systems than those occurring in conventional tillage systems. CA improves biological activity and diversity, including favouring natural predators and competitors. By adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices within a CA system, it is possible to obtain substantial reductions in pesticide use.

The Role of the Private Sector

This session revolved around the private sector as the supplier of the necessary inputs for CA and the potential of the sector to promote CA.

• The main role of private companies is to provide appropriate tools for CA practices. However, they may have a partial or limited view of the CA concept. For example, they may consider that the use of any kind of reduced tillage equipment is an appropriate practice, but this is not acceptable within the CA concept.
  
• Manufacturers usually have many working contacts with farmers, farmers groups, technicians and institutions. Thus, they can have a significant impact on the diffusion of information, which is recognised as the main issue for CA development and expansion. Information should therefore be actively shared across the private and public sectors, with close collaboration to ensure that the appropriate information is given to farmers.

Conservation Agriculture Influence on the Environment and Perspectives and Policies for Development

This session examined the negative effects of conventional tillage on the environment and identified the need for investment in CA, but with careful attention to proper adaptation of the system to specific conditions. A new paradigm in thinking, policy, and actions in support of CA was called for.

• The negative impacts of conventional agriculture practices can be seen all over the world. Continuous tillage, burning and incorporation of crop residues, aggressive seedbed preparation with heavy machinery, and overgrazing lead to the loss of soil, soil fertility, grain, biodiversity, and water. And they eventually lead to desertification. Such dramatic phenomena have often motivated the adoption of CA, for example in the USA, Brazil and Australia.
  
• The negative impacts of conventional agriculture include the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere through the misapplied use of tractor fuel, but mainly through the oxidation of soil organic matter following tillage, as well as through the incorporation or burning of crop residues. Monitoring shows that even minimum tillage releases CO2 whereas Zero Tillage is the only way to ensure carbon sequestration in the soil. Measures of the economic and environmental impacts of CA must be analyzed in the long term for comparison with those of conventional agriculture.
  
• CA is not a panacea, but it represents a serious hope for many poor farmers and for agriculture in general. There is an urgent need for investment in CA. However, the technology must be carefully designed for the specific conditions to avoid irreversible failures, such as the transfer of the Australian system to some countries of the Middle East, which didn't take into account the socio-economic specifics of the area.
  
• CA must be seen as a Blue Revolution because of its beneficial effects on water, in particular water infiltration, conservation of soil moisture, and the quality and availability of ground and surface water throughout the year. These savings in water mitigate the effects of drought and increase food and water security.
  
• There is an urgent need for a change of paradigm to support CA systems, for they are sustainable, competitive and profitable. In the ex-Soviet Union countries, where the farm equipment is obsolete and must be changed on a wide scale, there is enormous opportunity for change towards CA. Changes must also take place in mentalities and in policies. For example in Europe, the conventional practices are hardly being reduced - nor are they even being discussed, let alone discouraged.
  
• All stakeholders are responsible for success or failure in the adoption of CA practices. They all have to make efforts to open their minds, change their attitudes and adapt to a new reality. Farmers must benefit from these synergies and must receive technical and financial support to reduce the risks they will take as they change their production systems.

Special Session: Networks for CA in Developing Countries (FAO, CIRAD, CIMMYT)

Even if the terms used are sometimes different, it is generally recognised that Conservation Agriculture includes three main principles - minimum soil disturbance, a permanent soil cover, and crop rotations. It is also recognized that it provides significant benefits for farmers and for communities.

Many networks already exist at local, national and international levels. They provide good support, but many need better interaction. The objectives of any network in CA are to provide support to farmers and to promote CA world-wide. To achieve this, further action is needed:

• The existing networks should be reinforced and receive greater support in terms of personnel, financial resources, etc;
  
• These networks need to improve their interaction with each other and increase the exchange of information.

Roundtable on Implementation of CA: Key Problems

1. Definition and Benefits of CA: There is a need for a clear definition of CA and its principles. It should identify CA as holistic concept that is valid for any agro-ecological zone of the world. The emphasis should be put on the benefits for farmers, particularly the increases in yields and the savings in costs - the primary interests of farmers. The benefits for society and the environment can be a second level of motivation for the adoption of CA, but this is mainly of concern to governments and the international community.

2. Access to Appropriate Knowledge, Implements and Inputs: Access to appropriate knowledge, implements and inputs, such as high quality seed for cover and other crops and farm chemicals, is another key issue for successful adoption of CA. Safe use of chemicals is also critical, especially for small farmers. The public sector and NGOs should favour access to knowledge through specific and practical training of farmers and extensionists. High-level capacity building is also needed to support CA in the long-term. The private sector has a role to play in developing appropriate implements and inputs - working together with farmers, NGOs and institutions to do so - and in making them affordable for farmers. Farmers' organisations and NGOs may need to lobby to overcome possible resistance to CA among manufacturers of tillage implements and tractors.

3. Support to Farmers: At the beginning of the adoption and during the transition to CA, farmers may lack financial resources to purchase new equipment and inputs. They may also face a temporary decrease in income. Policies and government programmes should support farmers' efforts during this transitional period through incentives and access to credit, and through active support to farmers' organisations and networks. This is urgently needed in Africa where farmers are poorly organised and therefore have no voice. Another type of support urgently needed for farmers is technical training. The training methodology should take into account illiteracy and gender issues.

4. Impact of Policies: Possible constraints to adoption of CA include pro-urban policies, inadequate rural infrastructure, a lack of access to markets, and subsidies on external inputs or practices that are not compatible with CA systems. The design of appropriate supporting policies is therefore another key factor that requires attention. Particular efforts should be made in Europe, where policies are not clear enough in support of CA practices, and where the negative impacts of conventional agriculture - and the benefits of CA - are scarcely recognized and largely ignored.

5. Social Factors: CA adoption may be constrained by social factors such as customary rights, insecure access to land, communal grazing rights, widespread burning from field to field, centuries-old traditions of tillage, etc. The introduction of CA practices should take these factors into account and first focus on areas where these constraints are not the first limiting factors, or where solutions can be easily found over the long term. Catchment area or livelihood approaches are probably the most suitable context for the design and implementation of CA. There is also a need to create a critical mass of farmers together to speed the diffusion process.

6. Competition with Livestock: CA systems can be difficult to introduce when there is heavy livestock grazing pressure on crop residues. This is of particular importance in semi-arid areas where subsistence relies on livestock and grain production. In these areas especially, improvement and management of grazing lands must be considered and integrated into the CA practices.

7. Irrigated Lands: CA on irrigated land has specific constraints and resources. The adoption of CA practices in this context needs further adaptation and research. Such work could be focused, for example, on water resources, particularly in terms of quality, quantity and availability, and also on salinity problems.

8. Semi-Arid Areas: No experience has shown reliable results as yet, and thus there is a need for further experimentation in these areas. In Africa, experiences with minimum tillage or traditional water harvesting technologies (Zaï or Tassa) show good results. These experiences might be integrated into the concept of CA. Water shortage is a problem, but it should also be an incentive to adopt CA.

9. Local Experiences, Research and Trials: Unforeseen solutions to practical problems, such as adapted cover crops, water harvesting, livestock management, etc., may exist in various regions of the world but be unknown because of poor information management. For example, it appears that many farmers in Africa have developed practices that could be used within the CA framework. Particular efforts are needed to collect such experiences and make them available at the appropriate level. There is also a need for research and trials, especially regarding CA competition with livestock, irrigated areas, semi-arid areas, cover crops, and weed management. To achieve this, a change of mentality and increased awareness within institutions and research centres is needed to support the development and dissemination of CA practices.

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS

When 800 million people still suffer from hunger and malnutrition, the only way to increase agricultural production is to support agricultural systems that are productive, profitable, and sustainable.

Typically, the farmer's objective is to continue living on agricultural resources. The painful alternative is to change activity or to migrate in search of an income, and thereby survive. Experience shows that conventional practices usually lead to land degradation and decreases in yields and incomes. The major concern of governments, NGOs and international organisations is to improve livelihoods while conserving the natural resource base. The main role of scientists and the private sector is to develop appropriate and accessible technologies to meet these objectives.

Conservation Agriculture is based on a permanent soil cover, crop rotations and the reduction or elimination of tillage. Implementation of these principles for specific situations occurred firstly in the Americas, where it has been adapted by farmers, scientists, NGOs and the private sector. Many different ways of implementing the principles are now being developed all over the world: in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe.

Conservation Agriculture is recognised as a wholly advantageous system by the participants, as well as by many around the world including farmers, institutions, scientists, politicians, private sector and international organisations. It provides higher yields with less expense for inputs and labour. It is sustainable from economic, social and environmental perspectives.

However, adoption of CA may be constrained by unfavourable circumstances. These could be a lack of farmers' groups, competition with livestock for the use of crop residues, poor access to appropriate and quality inputs and implements, lack of knowledge, and poor access to appropriate cover crops. There may also be poor support from institutions uninformed about CA. Furthermore, hurdles can be created by customary rights and practices, insecure access to land, inappropriate policies that favour conventional practices or urban areas as opposed to CA practices and rural areas, inadequate rural infrastructure, and a lack of access to markets.

There is an urgent need to globalise the knowledge of CA through an interdisciplinary approach that includes scientific, social, political and economic inputs, and to explore the opportunities to manage and disseminate this knowledge. In this process, farmers' access to information and practical training for them are major issues, together with helping them to organize into farmers' groups. Support to them through appropriate government policies and funding is of critical importance, especially during the transition period. Food labelling may also help to spread global knowledge of CA and generate recognition and support to farmers who practise it.

A Declaration and Action Plan were drafted and submitted to the participants at the end of the Congress. The Brazilian delegation proposed hosting the Second World Congress in 2003 at Iguazù Falls. The date and programme is to be decided in the near future. This Second Congress should be the occasion to present advances in the adoption of CA and new solutions to the key problems highlighted during this First Congress.

The First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture

DECLARATION

The First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture was held in Madrid from October 1-5, 2001 and brought together international organisations, farmers' associations, scientific institutions, private sector, non-governmental and other organisations from more than 70 countries, located in both the developing and industrialized world. The main objective of the Congress was to consider and promote the world-wide adoption of the principles of Conservation Agriculture and its locally adapted practices.

Accumulated positive experiences with Conservation Agriculture are leading to its rapid adoption world-wide, in diverse agro-ecological zones that range from the humid tropics to the steppes of Central Asia. Its acceptance and adoption enhance agricultural production and also reduce the costs, while at the same time conserving and enhancing the natural resources of land, water and climate. These benefits are the basis for ensuring stable incomes for commercial and small-scale farmers and for the continuing production of sufficient food, fibre and domestic energy for a growing world population, also demonstrating significant potential as a tool for poverty alleviation.

Conventional agriculture includes practices such as burning of crop residues or deep soil inversion to control weeds and prepare the seedbed. These practices are often unsustainable since they considerably increase land degradation by soil compaction and by erosion, which in turn results in the contamination of water bodies by sediments. Thus, land productivity, the environment and human health are threatened. In addition, conventional agriculture produces greater carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere and decreases soil organic matter content, so contributing to global warming. The adverse impacts of such agricultural practices are manifested world-wide through an accelerated degradation of many natural ecosystems, decreased biodiversity, and increased risks of desertification in the more vulnerable areas.

The adoption of Conservation Agriculture principles can avoid these damaging effects. Conservation Agriculture aims to replicate natural processes through the maintenance of a permanent soil cover consisting of cover crops and/or crop residues through which crops are seeded or planted. Agroforestry may also contribute towards this objective under specific circumstances. To ensure minimal soil disturbance, the establishment of crops and cover crops is done by direct seeding/planting - this technique being covered by the terms direct drilling, zero tillage, no-tillage, and no-till - or even by surface seeding or broadcasting. However, when appropriate, minimum/non-inversion tillage can be an alternative best management practice. Crop rotations, if judiciously selected, enhance the soil's rooting environment, its structure, nutrients and moisture retention, while avoiding the build-up of pests and diseases.

Conservationist techniques aim to alter as little as possible the soil's natural composition, structure and biodiversity, while also enhancing water infiltration and moisture conservation, thus combating erosion and soil and water degradation.

Conservation Agriculture is more than just a range of farming practices: it embraces a holistic concept of agriculture, combining the basic elements of production with those of conservation. It is best implemented at watershed level in order to capture all potential benefits.

Conservation Agriculture makes sustainable and rural development practicable through its integration of crop bio-diversity, mixed crop/livestock farming, and other activities, all characterized by efficient use of resources. This results in a more productive agriculture, which improves food security and rural livelihoods. Women's welfare benefits especially because labour inputs for soil preparation and weeding are reduced, with positive effects in freeing time for attending to family and household responsibilities. The many economic, social and environmental benefits of Conservation Agriculture justify a fundamental re-appraisal of conventional farming methods. And Conservation Agriculture should be considered as a theme which cuts across various disciplines, organisations and ministries.

This Congress calls upon politicians, international institutions, environmentalists, farmers, private industry, and society as a whole, to recognise that the conservation of natural resources is the co-responsibility - past, present and future - of all sectors of society in the proportion that they consume products resulting from the exploitation of these resources. Furthermore, it calls upon society, through these stakeholders, to conceive and enact appropriate long-term strategies for Conservation Agriculture, and to support, further develop and embrace its concepts. They are the most appropriate means of ensuring the continuity of the land's ongoing capacities to yield food, other agricultural products, water, and environmental benefits in perpetuity. It follows that those environmental benefits provided by farmers practising Conservation Agriculture should be recognised and recompensed by society.

ACTION PLAN

With respect to the conclusions of this Congress, and in order to exploit fully the potential benefits to be gained from the adoption of Conservation Agriculture, the Congress participants urge that the following strategies and measures be put into effect:

I. National governments and international organisations should encourage, at all levels, the mindset changes required, as well as fostering co-operation and exchanges to create synergies for Conservation Agriculture and to avoid duplication of efforts. Farmers' associations such as CAAPAS and networks such as RELACO for Latin America, ACT for Africa, SACAN for Asia and ECAN for Eurasia, should be encouraged and reinforced at national and international levels, since they are the most effective bottom-up means of developing and disseminating Conservation Agriculture technology. The progress of activities and the outputs of these networks and working groups could be presented at the Second World Congress in 2003.

II. Promotion of Conservation Agriculture should emphasize its increased land productivity, diversification prospects, and increased profits for small-scale and commercial farmers. These benefits, as well as the global benefits to land resources, health, and the environment, should be drawn to the attention of national and international communities

III. International organisations should collaborate in developing common definitions and guidelines for achieving the benefits to be obtained from the adoption of Conservation Agriculture and develop compensatory support mechanisms for the environmental benefits that CA provides.

IV. International organisations should encourage South-South and South-North co-operation, for important information resources, experience, capacities and equipment designs relating to Conservation Agriculture are now available in Latin America, and they are quickly developing in Africa and Asia.

V. The private and the public sectors, together with NGOs, should actively collaborate in the development with farmers of the technologies needed to achieve effectiveness in Conservation Agriculture. This includes collaboration in the areas of access to information and the local adaptation of farming practices, tools, equipment, seeds and agricultural chemicals. Particular attention should be given to the safe use of the latter by small farmers.

VI. The role of the public sector should be to promote Conservation Agriculture in an institutional policy framework, with inter-ministerial working agreements to provide appropriate support from public sources to promote its adoption by farmers. Support is needed:

• To recognise the public benefits of Conservation Agriculture that result from initiatives taken by private farmers, including among others, conservation of natural resources - especially of water, soil, and biodiversity - protection of the environment, and reduction of flooding and damage to civil infrastructure;
  
• To compensate farmers for these services and assist them to face the costs necessary for the transition to Conservation Agriculture, especially for the purchase of implements, which farmers initially may not be able to afford;
  
• To fund key research and advisory services jointly with the private sector, but demand-led by farmers;
  
• To support the acquisition of appropriate knowledge through the development of training and capacity-building for farmers, advisors, institutions, etc.;
  
• To implement information campaigns, policies and activities that encourage Conservation Agriculture and to promote appropriate private investment in this area, as well as to discourage inappropriate practices,
  
• To provide appropriate infrastructure to facilitate the transport, processing, distribution and, if necessary, the export of any surplus production;
  
• To support adoption and continuity of Conservation Agriculture managed at local level through legislation, incentives and credit;
  
• These measures should be linked with existing legislation and other appropriate instruments such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Kyoto Protocol.
  

VII. Before attempting widespread promotion of Conservation Agriculture within a particular area, small-scale initiatives should be launched within the community or watershed, and within an environment that is favourable for addressing local constraints. The activities should take into account local traditions, knowledge, and experiences, and they should provide information, education, practical training and capacity building in order to develop local practices best adapted to the concepts of CA. These activities should be directed towards farmers, farm workers, field leaders, technicians, and agronomists, and should involve both men and women.

VIII. The promotion of Conservation Agriculture must be associated with significant efforts to address the problem of competition with livestock, especially in semi-arid areas. Systems designed to reduce overgrazing, such as rotations with high quality pastures, should be included in project plans for Conservation Agriculture.

IX. The representatives of the various stakeholders attending the First World Congress should develop partnerships and undertake joint commitments to design, plan and implement actions. They should monitor procedures and be able to present their activities and some early results during the Second World Congress. (The Brazilian delegation proposed hosting this Congress in some two years' time).

X. In the short term, the following actions should be initiated:

• To facilitate and strengthen international exchanges, FAO - and more specifically its Conservation Agriculture Working Group - should quickly assume the role of a focal point for such exchanges, in effect becoming the host for a discussion forum.
  
• Presentations and papers on Conservation Agriculture should be prepared for international conferences and events, such as those falling under Agenda 21 and its various conventions, i.e CSD, UNCCD, UNCBD, UNFCCC. Similar action should be taken for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) to be held 2-11 September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and for any other global environmental meetings. Work on this should begin immediately.
  
• A special synergy with the Kyoto Protocol should be explored so that carbon sequestration via Conservation Agriculture could become a substantial incentive for its adoption.

ANNEX 1

Programme of the First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture

- a Worldwide Challenge -

Selected Communications (Posters) for Oral Presentations

IFEMA, October 3rd. Rooms F + G + H, from 14:30 to 16:30 h

• 14:30 - The Development and Transfer of a New No-tillage Technology. Ritchie, W. R. et al
  
• 14:45 - ICARDA's Network on Conservation Agriculture in Central Asia. Suleimenov M. et al.
  
• 15:00 - Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from Arable Soils as Affected by Temperature and Moisture. Lopes de Gerenyu V.O., Kurganova, I. & Sapronov D.V.
  
• 15:15 - The Role of Draft Animal Power in Soil and Water Conservation. Sims B.G. & O´Neill D.H.
  
• 15:30 - Development of Biological Activity in Different Tillage Systems. Epperlein J.
  
• 15:45 - Development of an Animal Drawn Zero Tillage Seeder for Small Grains. Wall P.C., Zambrana L., Gamez P., Sims B. & Calissaya A.
  
• 16:00 - Conservation Tillage Options for the Poor, Small Landholders in South Asia. Meisner C.A., Bodruzzaman M., Amin M.R., Baksh E., Hossain A.B.S., Ahmed M. & Sadat M.A.
  
• 16:15 - Economic Valuation of the Environmental Effects of Agriculture. Schou J.S., Andreasen C., Bodil Hald A., Hasler B., Kaltoft P. & Vetter H.