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How climate-smart is conservation agriculture (CA)? – its potential to deliver on adaptation, mitigation and productivity on smallholder farms in southern Africa

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Abstract

Climate resilient cropping systems are required to adapt to the increasing threats of climate change projected for Southern Africa and to better manage current climate variability. Conservation agriculture (CA) has been proposed among technologies that are climate-smart. For a cropping system to be labelled “climate-smart” it has to deliver three benefits: a) adapt to the effects of climate and be of increased resilience; b) mitigate climate effects by sequestering carbon (C) and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG); and c) sustainably increase productivity and income. Research on smallholder farms from Southern Africa was analysed to assess if CA can deliver on the three principles of climate-smart agriculture. Results from Southern Africa showed that CA systems have a positive effect on adaptation and productivity, but its mitigation potential lags far behind expectations. CA systems maintain higher infiltration rates and conserve soil moisture, which helps to overcome seasonal dry-spells. Increased productivity and profitability were recorded although a lag period of 2–5 cropping seasons is common until yield benefits become significant. Immediate economic benefits such as reduced labour requirements in some systems will make CA more attractive in the short term to farmers who cannot afford to wait for several seasons until yield benefits accrue. The available data summarizing the effects of CA on soil organic C (SOC) and reductions in greenhouse gases, are often contradictory and depend a great deal on the agro-ecological environment and the available biomass for surface residue retention. There is an urgent need for more research to better quantify the mitigation effects, as the current data are scanty. Possible co-interventions such as improved intercropping/relay cropping systems, agroforestry and other tree-based systems may improve delivery of mitigation benefits and need further exploration.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the logistical support of CIMMYT, ICRISAT, ICRAF and QUAAFI who have supported this study at various stages. Funding is gratefully acknowledged from the CGIAR Research Programs CCAFS and MAIZE. We thank the farmers, extension officers, field coordinators and researchers from the national programs of Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Special thanks go the Total LandCare for supporting CIMMYT’s research on CA systems in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique for more than a decade.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Christian Thierfelder & Walter Mupangwa

  2. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), P.O. Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

    Pauline Chivenge

  3. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), UN Avenue, P. O. Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Todd S. Rosenstock & Christine Lamanna

  4. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, CIMMYT, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Joseph X. Eyre

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  1. Christian Thierfelder
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  2. Pauline Chivenge
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  3. Walter Mupangwa
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  4. Todd S. Rosenstock
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Correspondence to Christian Thierfelder.

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Thierfelder, C., Chivenge, P., Mupangwa, W. et al. How climate-smart is conservation agriculture (CA)? – its potential to deliver on adaptation, mitigation and productivity on smallholder farms in southern Africa. Food Sec. 9, 537–560 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-017-0665-3

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