Conservation Agriculture & Sustainable Intensification of African Farming Systems.

The principles of conservation agriculture (CA) have improved soil and water management on farms around the world. Adoption of CA in some regions and on some types of farms, however, remains problematic. In some cases, other types of soil management practices produce better results in terms of meeting farmer needs and conserving soil and water within the particular farm context. Many farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, use crop residues for feed, fuel, or construction materials rather than leaving them on the soil where they are vulnerable to rapid decomposition or theft. Increased fertilizer needs and weed problems, particularly in years following adoption of CA, are obstacles for farmers with insufficient capital or labor. In some cases the necessity to produce  a particular crop important for food security every year makes crop rotation impractical. Some practices such as using fertilizer trees intercropped with staple food crops results in similar or better benefits without meeting the technical definition of CA. Given the remaining challenges to adoption and continued use of CA on many farms in Sub-Saharan Africa, USAID is investing in Africa RISING (Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation) to better enable farmers to improve soil and water management by adopting different approaches to CA or other strategies that do not meet the technical description of CA but that result in similar outcomes. This presentation covers a range of strategies addressed by Africa RISING and the role of CA in the program's research agenda.