|
Trouble viewing this email? View in Browser |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In this issue:Featuring theme four
Early submissions for condensed papers and workshops have attracted more than 100 papers covering the four main themes of the congress. As an indication of how informative and dynamic this congress will be, featured below are three of the accepted papers under Theme 4. Ensure you are part of the program submit and a condensed paper by 15 June or sooner. Theme 4
"Soil Organic Carbon accumulation in Conservation Agriculture: A review of evidence"Sandra Corsi, Food and Agriculture Organization Of The UN, Plant Production And Protection Division, Italy Concerns about rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and climate change mitigation efforts have prompted considerable interest in recent years on world’s soil carbon content: world’s soils are estimated to have a high sink potential for carbon sequestration, not only in terms of their large carbon content, but also because soil organic carbon (SOC) is particularly responsive to modification through agricultural land use. However, the likely negative environmental impacts of the current tillage-based agriculture should not be assumed to be the same as the actual environmental effects that would occur under alternative agricultural systems. Much of the dominant traditional tillage agriculture (TA) in industrialised as well as developing countries is based on mechanical soil tillage with no organic matter mulch cover. This kind of agriculture is considered to decrease soil organic matter, increase soil compaction, flooding and erosion, especially in regions of higher or erratic rainfall, thus depleting soil quality and accentuating the cost of soil restoration. Further, tillage is highly energy-consuming operation that uses large amounts of fossil fuel per hectare (ha) in mechanised systems. In manual small scale systems, tillage requires high amount of human energy input and adds to the drudgery of farming. On the other hand, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an agro-ecological approach to resource-conserving agricultural production that aims to achieve production intensification and high yields while enhancing the natural resource base. CA comprises the simultaneous application of three principles: i) minimum mechanical soil disturbance (with no-till or strip till and direct seeding); ii) permanent organic matter soil cover (with cover crops and/or crop residues); and iii) species diversification through crop associations and rotations (involving annual and/or perennial crops including trees). 
"Mainstreaming Conservation Agriculture: Challenges to Adoption, Institutions and Policy"Professor Amir Kassam, University of Reading, United Kingdom Conservation Agriculture (CA) is underpinned by a set of core agro-ecological principles that enable producers to intensify production sustainably while minimizing or avoiding negative externalities. CA is able to support and maintain ecosystem functions, and services derived from it, while limiting interventions required for intensifying the production to levels which do not disrupt these functions. Thus intensification with CA allows harnessing efficiency (productivity) gains as well as ecosystem benefits. CA offers benefits to all producers, whether they operate on small or large scale of farm size, and to all types of soil-based systems of agricultural production, and to society at large (Pretty, 2008; Friedrich et al., 2009; Kassam et al., 2009; Pretty et al., 2011):
CA translates into a number of locally-devised and applied practices that are work simultaneously through contextualised crop-soil-water-nutrient-pest-ecosystem management at a variety of scales. According to FAO (2008), the adoption of CA has resulted in savings in machinery, energy use and carbon emissions, a rise in soil organic matter content and biotic activity, less erosion, increased crop-water availability and thus resilience to drought, improved recharge of aquifers and reduced impact of the variability in weather associated with climate change. It can also result in cut production costs, leading to more reliable harvests and reduced risks. However, CA represents a fundamental operational change to agricultural production systems and the producers, requiring a wider awareness of ecosystems and the services they offer so that these are least disrupted when altered or used for agricultural production. The benefits of CA provide an indication why many farmers are adopting CA systems and why CA deserves greater attention from the development and research community as well as from government, corporate and civil sectors. However, not all synergistic interactions in the CA system are fully understood. In general, scientific research on CA lags behind farmers’ own discoveries. This is partly because CA is a knowledge-intensive, comprising interlinked set of practices that does not lend itself to easy scientific scrutiny through short-term research and reductionist approaches. Similarly, knowledge and service institutions in the public and private sectors tend to be aligned to supporting conventional tillage-based production systems. Further, there is limited policy experience and expertise to assist in the transformation of conventional tillage systems to CA systems for small and large farmers in different ecologies and national contexts. Consequently, more enabling policy and institutional environments are needed to promote and sustain development and adoption of CA. The principles of sustainable production intensification based on an ecosystem approach form the basis for good agricultural land use which includes the realisation that erosion of soil is a consequence and not a prime cause of land degradation. It indicates the need to respect and make best and careful use of agro-ecosystem processes, rather than simply replacing them with synthetic inputs and artificial interventions. Submit a paperSee the conference website www.wcca2011.org/condensed to register and submit your paper.
Notification to AuthorsDue to an overwhelming number of condensed paper submission notification to authors has been slightly delayed. Notifications for early bird submissions has been extended until 15 April, 2011. RegistrationRegistrations are now open for the 5th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture incorporating 3rd Farming Systems Design Conference. Click here to register.
Financial Assistance
Some funds are available to assist with travel and attendance costs for this meeting, and these will normally be provided only to applicants who will present a paper. Applications for financial assistance can be made prior to confirmation of the acceptance of the paper. Program Committee assessment of the quality of that paper will be an important criterion in deciding which applicants will be supported and the extent of funding. Foundation Sponsors
Thomas Howden Contact UsGeneral Enquiries5th WCCA 5 & 3rd FSD Secretariat PO Box 3599 Ph: +61 (0) 7 3255 1002 SpamIf you do not wish to receive any further email information about 5th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture incorporating 3rd Farming Systems Design Conference, click here and let us know. Send to a friendIf you know of a colleague who will benefit from receiving WCCA2011 updates, please forward this newsletter to them. |
|
You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates |