Adoption of Conservation Agriculture
- To facilitate change in production system towards CA, it is important to understand why farmers think that soil tillage is such an important part of their system.
- Soil is being tilled in order to break-up the soil after harvest of the previous crop, to eliminate weeds and to prepare the seedbed for the next crop.
- Farmers perceive it as being important and besides that they feel comfortable with the technology, they know how to manage the technology and they know that tillage activities render good crop yields.
What is required to start CA?
- A change in crop management system
- An implement or tool that can manage the crop residues or cover crops
- To consider the soil as a biological and self-sustaining productive system
- To adopt a new way of thinking as far as weed management and crop production are concerned
- Improve the capacity to tackle new challenges and find a solution
How does a farmer start conservation agriculture?
- Start with composure and concentrate on achievable objectives in order to gain experience,
- Start on a small part of the farm
- Start in an area where there is enough cover and use a tool or implement that can easily do the job .
- In the case of using herbicides, take time to learn to identify and use herbicides in a correct way and the right equipment
- Learn to identify and manage different problems
- Talk to other farmers who are practicing conservation agriculture and learn from their experiences and mistakes
For more information email: info@act-africa.org