Overview
This short research activity (SRA) will define research needs, to inform the design of a research project to progress with the practical adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) by addressing the mechanisation and crop-livestock integration challenges.
Multiple past projects—most notably ACIAR SIMLESA—have shown the potential multidimensional benefits of the adoption of CA practices in East Africa. Yet adoption remains complex for smallholder farmers, with challenges associated with mechanisation and the management of livestock.
In labour-limited systems, mechanisation is a requirement for efficient crop planting with no till or minimum tillage. Preserving soil cover by conserving crop residues on the ground conflicts with farmers need for fodder where livestock is a key component of the farming system.
The lack of adoption of CA may reflect other unrecognised constraints for smallholder farmers or reflect specific requirements for benefits to accrue to the adopters. There has been a great deal of work looking at the potential productivity benefits of CA in East Africa but the integration of CA into existing farming systems remains challenging.
There are constraints identified in relation to farmers financial and labour resources, and broader institutional constraints associated with facilitating the adoption process (which can take some time, Brown et al. 2017). The SRA will explore these constraints and requirements and will describe and establish a research agenda to help overcome obstacles to CA adoption.