Conservation agriculture in Africa opens new opportunities

Conservation agriculture is gaining global adoption as an ecofriendly approach that enhances soil quality and maintains crop production.

Since 2008-2009, the area of cropland under conservation agriculture has been expanding at an annual rate of more than ten million hectares. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in the 2015-2016 season, conservation agriculture was practiced on 180.4 million hectares, which was about 12.5 percent of global cropland area. By the 2018-2019 season, this figure had increased to 205.4 million hectares, representing 14.7% of global cropland area.

Conservation agriculture is an advanced approach to farming that seeks to work harmoniously with natural ecosystems. It involves minimal soil disturbance, maintaining a permanent soil cover with crop residues or cover crops, and practicing crop rotation or diversification.

These methods help to preserve soil structure, enhance organic matter content, and foster biodiversity. By reducing erosion, conserving moisture, and improving soil fertility, conservation agriculture promotes sustainable and resilient agricultural systems that are both productive and environmentally friendly. It’s all about creating a balanced relationship between farming practices and the natural world.

The adoption of conservation agriculture has been particularly notable in Asia, Africa, and Europe in recent years, as farmers increasingly organize and network with one another.

In Africa, stakeholders are directing more attention and resources toward helping farmers implement conservation agriculture practices and developing new knowledge to enhance their effectiveness. The growth of conservation agriculture is primarily driven by farmers, women, and youth, and has evolved into a multi-stakeholder movement, encompassing both formal and informal networks at national and international levels, involving individuals and organizations across public, private, and civil sectors.

Israel is a world leader in using conservation agriculture and agro systems from its hands-on experience under diverse conditions. Israel can offer practical experiences to Africa to optimize natural resources management to increase crop production levels. So, for example this could be used for agro forestry, including grain, legumes, root crops, vegetables, and moisture and advanced irrigation management systems. The knowhow and holistic integrated approaches available can attend to all the three conservation agriculture principles and expand operations in partnership in Africa.