Technical guidelines - ture global food security relies not only on high production and access to food but also on the need to address the destructive effects of current agricultural production systems on ecosystem services (Foresight, 2011) and increase the resilience of production systems to the effects of climate change. CA enables the sustainable intensification of agriculture by conserving and enhancing the quality of the soil, leading to higher yields and the protection of the local environment and ecosystem services. The present publication describes the experiences of introducing Conservation Agriculture as a concept for sustainable crop production intensification in farming communities of Karatu District, Tanzania. The case study explains the adoption processnad shows the...

Publications - This publication is an account of the technical developments in no tillage systems that took place in southern Brazil from the viewpoint of the principal actors in the process. Special emphasis is given to the mechanization of conservation agriculture, as it is in this area that the domestic agriculture machinery industry has played a key role adapting and developing indigenous technologies suited to different soil and climatic conditions as well as to the soil conservation management strategies preciced in the country. The ability to generate diverse, flexible and innovative technical solutions for different categories of farmers has put the agricultura...

Papers - The sustainability of agricultural production is regaining importance, particularly in view of the predicted population increase. Terms such as “sustainable production intensification” are widely discussed within the global development agenda. In the area of agricultural crop production one term – no-till – is leading to increased polemic and polarization of the parties. No-till or no-tillage describes a form of cropping which does not use mechanical tillage of the soil for crop establishment. Mechanical tillage, a standard operation in agriculture since ancient times, is mostly symbolized by the use of the plough. Where ever it has been practiced, it has led...

Technical guidelines - Future food security relies not only on higher production and access to food but also on the need to address the destructive effects of current agricultural production systems on ecosystem services and increase the resilience of production systems to the effects of climate change. CA addresses the problem of low and erratic rainfall through the use of practices that reduce water losses and increase infiltration, and low soil nutrient status by increasing soil carbon and nitrogen through the use of organic soil cover and legumes in rotations and interactions. CA enables the sustainable intensification of agriculture by conserving and enhancing the quality of the soil, leading to higher yields and...

Publications - With the publication of Save and Grow in 2011, FAO proposed a new paradigm of intensive crop production, one that is both highly productive and environmentally sustainable. FAO recognized that, over the past half-century, agriculture based on the intensive use of inputs has increased global food production and average per capita food consumption. In the process, however, it has depleted the natural resources of many agro-ecosystems, jeopardizing future productivity, and added to the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. Moreover, it has not significantly reduced the number of chronically hungry, which is currently estimated at 870 million people. The challenge is to place food production and consumption on a truly sustainable...