Conservation Agriculture

Introduction The Southern Africa region is facing major development challenges in seeking to attain the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, especially poverty and food insecurity About 45% of the population of 250 million in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) is chronically poor Two-thirds of this population lives in rural areas, and relies on rain-fed subsistence agriculture for their livelihood Rain fed agriculture is at risk of climate change and erratic weather phenomenon such as droughts and floods, making populations that rely on it vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity

Introduction continued... In response, communities are forced to resort to different coping mechanisms, most of which have an adverse impact on the environment Urgent measures must be taken to boost agricultural productivity and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and variability Conservation Agriculture is a promising solution to the problem of low agricultural productivity in Southern Africa When combined with other good agronomic practices, e.g. timely planting and effective weed, pest and disease management, Conservation Agriculture can sustainably increase crop yields and mitigate the impacts of droughts

What is conservation agriculture? Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a proven approach that offers farmers the opportunity to dramatically increase their yields, diversify their production base, and engage in economic activities to improve their livelihoods Conservation Agriculture is a farming concept centered on three basic principles: 1. Minimizing soil disturbance 2. Maintaining a permanent soil cover 3. Practicing crop rotations

Advocating for CA policies in Southern Africa The current policy environment is not favourable due to:  Agricultural policies still failing to create an enabling environment for the adoption of more productive and sustainable farming systems  The policy frameworks being principal barriers to the spread of more sustainable and productive agricultural systems  Existing policies failing to adequately direct agricultural practices towards greater sustainability

Advocating for CA policies in Southern Africa With the low uptake of technology by farmers in Southern Africa, advocacy for Conservation Agriculture policy in the region is inevitable. How can we take the CA agenda forward?

Advocating for CA policies in Southern Africa The following important questions need to put forward in order to take the CA agenda forward:  Is there a national policy on conservation agriculture in your country?  If NO, do you think that one is needed?  If YES, does the policy require improvement to support the expansion of conservation agriculture?  Is conservation agriculture included in your national CAADP compact?  If not, how can it be included, and what support will you require in this regard?

Conclusion Using Conservation Agriculture, we have the opportunity to make a difference