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dc.contributor.authorRusinamhodzi, L .
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-18T09:54:19Z
dc.date.available2024-09-18T09:54:19Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.identifier.citationRusinamhodzi, L. (2024). Conservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield. CABI Reviews, 19(1).
dc.identifier.issn1749-8848
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/8540
dc.description.abstractConservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to increase crop productivity and for climate change adaptation. CA is the simultaneous application of the three principles: no-till, mulch cover, and crop diversification. The potential benefits are largely linked to moisture conservation of crop residues, reduced run-off and erosion, increased infiltration, and reduced evaporative losses. This study uses a review of recent literature in SSA under rain-fed conditions to synthesize evidence of the effect of CA on yield and climate change adaptation. Web of Science and Google Scholar were used for literature searches. Crop productivity results in the literature suggest that CA increases yield in certain circumstances such as well-drained soils and moderate rainfall, and that poorly drained soils in combination with excessive rains lead to depressed yields. The yield benefits reported range from as low as 4% and as high as 16%, with negative effects also reported. Stability analysis used as a proxy for adaptation revealed only a marginal benefit of CA above conventional practices suggesting the significant effect of seasonal rainfall on crop productivity. The results suggest the need to target CA practices to different agroecologies and other pragmatic local agronomic practices that may be required in cases of excessive rainfall and extended mid-season dry spells. The benefits of CA reported are largely plot level, and only a few studies consider the whole farm, especially within the holistic livelihood framework. In addition, adoption of CA remains low among smallholder farmers, and the widespread benefits of the practices cannot be realized at multiple scales.
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectConservation Agriculture
dc.subjectClimate Change Adaptation
dc.subjectFarming Systems
dc.subjectFood Security
dc.subjectSmallholder Farmers
dc.titleConservation agriculture practices: adaptation and yield
dc.typeJournal Article
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionAfrica South of Sahara
cg.coverage.regionWest Africa
cg.coverage.hubHeadquarters and Western Africa Hub
cg.identifier.bibtexciteidRUSINAMHODZI:2024
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR Single Centre
cg.iitasubjectAgribusiness
cg.iitasubjectAgronomy
cg.iitasubjectClimate Change
cg.iitasubjectFarming Systems
cg.iitasubjectFood Security
cg.iitasubjectSmallholder Farmers
cg.journalCABI Reviews
cg.accessibilitystatusLimited Access
cg.reviewstatusPeer Review
cg.usagerightslicenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
cg.targetaudienceScientists
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1079/cabireviews.2024.0034
cg.futureupdate.descriptionUpload the article PDF
cg.futureupdate.requiredYes
cg.futureupdate.duration3 Months
cg.identifier.issue1
cg.identifier.volume19


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