"This book focuses on the latest research in conservation agriculture (CA), with an emphasis on the applicability of results worldwide. Using South Asia as a case study, it examines the history and current state of CA regionally and globally, and explores the long-term impacts the adoption of CA practices has on the livelihoods, agricultural production, gender equity, and regional economic development of rural societies. This inclusive framework is achieved via interdisciplinary analysis at scales ranging from the household level to regional and national levels, and contributions by multidisciplinary and multinational CA researchers and experts. The book, consisting of 12 chapters, provides a comprehensive analysis of the social, environmental, and economic factors that impact CA practice, and estimates the magnitude of such impacts, over the long term."--Abstract.

• Conservation Agriculture in Subsistence Farming: Case Studies from South Asia and Beyond
• Copyright
• Contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• 1: A Brief History of Conservation Agriculture
  • 1.1 Introduction
    • 1.1.1 Reduced tillage
    • 1.1.2 Crop rotation and diversification
    • 1.1.3 Organic soil cover
    • 1.1.4 Integration of practices in CA systems
  • 1.2 Development of CA Around the World
    • 1.2.1 USA
    • 1.2.2 South America
    • 1.2.3 Africa
    • 1.2.4 South and Southeast Asia
  • 1.3 Lessons from History
  • References
• 2: Global Perspectives on Conservation Agriculture for Small Households
  • 2.1 Introduction
    • 2.1.1 Potential benefits of conservation agriculture
  • 2.2 Constraints for Scaling Up Conservation Agriculture
  • 2.3 Sustainable Intensification
  • 2.4 Resilience
  • 2.5 Regional Perspectives
    • 2.5.1 Conservation agriculture in southern Africa
      • Benefits of CA in southern Africa
      • Constraints to the adoption of CA in southern Africa
      • A case of successful promotion of CA in southern Africa
      • Evolution of conservation agriculture in Monze, Zambia
    • 2.5.2 Conservation agriculture in Southeast Asia
      • Benefits of CA in Southeast Asia
      • Conservation agriculture adoption constraints in Southeast Asia
      • Conservation agriculture case studies in Southeast Asia
  • 2.6 Conclusions
  • References
• 3: Potential of Conservation Agriculture Production Systems (CAPS) for Improving Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security in the Hill Region of Nepal
  • 3.1 Introduction
    • 3.1.1 Food and nutritional security in Nepal
    • 3.1.2 Nepal’s agroecological condition
    • 3.1.3 Agriculture and food security
    • 3.1.4 Historical trends of crop yields and food balance in Nepal
    • 3.1.5 Intensification of hill agriculture and concerns for sustainability
    • 3.1.6 Soil degradation status in the hill region of Nepal
    • 3.1.7 Conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) as a method to increase productivity and enhance sustainability
  • 3.2 On-farm Evaluation of CAPS
    • 3.2.1 Study villages
    • 3.2.2 Identification of suitable CAPS
    • 3.2.3 On-farm trial
  • 3.3 Results and Discussion
    • 3.3.1 Results of farm trials: crop yields under different CAPS
    • 3.3.2 Relating CAPS performances to food and nutritional security
    • 3.3.3 CAPS and stability of food security
  • 3.4 Conclusion
  • References
• 4: Effect of Tillage, Intercropping and Residue Cover on Crop Productivity, Profitability, and Soil Fertility under Tribal Farming Situations in Odisha, India
  • 4.1 Introduction
    • 4.1.1 The need for resource-conserving agriculture
    • 4.1.2 Tribal farming situations in Odisha, India
    • 4.1.3 Definition and description of conservation agriculture
  • 4.2 Methodology
    • 4.2.1 Background
    • 4.2.2 Experimental design
    • 4.2.3 Soil sampling and analysis
  • 4.3 Results and Discussion
    • 4.3.1 Maize and cowpea yield response
    • 4.3.2 Mustard yield response
    • 4.3.3 Labor and profitability
    • 4.3.4 Soil fertility
  • 4.4 Conclusions and Future Outlook
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 5: Assessment of Maize-based Conservation Agriculture Production Systems (CAPS) in Rainfed Uplands of Odisha, India
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Methodology
    • 5.2.1 Description of site and experimental design
    • 5.2.2 Measurements and data analysis
  • 5.3 Results and Discussion
    • 5.3.1 Effect of CAPS on maize yield and system productivity
    • 5.3.2 Effect of CAPS on total cost of production
    • 5.3.3 Effect of CAPS on soil properties
      • Soil bulk density
      • Water-stable aggregates
      • Soil organic carbon
  • 5.4 Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 6: Risk as a Determinant of Adoption of Conservation Agriculture by Smallholder Farmers in Malawi
  • 6.1 Introduction
    • 6.1.1 Constraints on technology adoption: An overview
    • 6.1.2 Constraints on the adoption of conservation agriculture: An overview
    • 6.1.3 Risk as a technology adoption constraint
  • 6.2 Methodology
  • 6.3 Results and Discussion
    • 6.3.1 Characteristics of non-adopters and adopters
    • 6.3.2 Income diversification and conservation agriculture
    • 6.3.3 Risks and conservation agriculture
    • 6.3.4 Ex ante risk-mitigation techniques – is CA one of them?
    • 6.3.5 Ex post risk-mitigation techniques
    • 6.3.6 Individuals and entities farmers trust most
  • 6.4 Conclusions
    • 6.4.1 Targeting more vulnerable farmers
    • 6.4.2 Targeting all farmers
    • 6.4.3 Building trust
  • References
• 7: Economic Potential of Conservation Agriculture Production Systems (CAPS) for Tribal Farmers in the Hill Region of Nepal
  • 7.1 Introduction
    • 7.1.1 Background
    • 7.1.2 Overview of agriculture in Nepal
    • 7.1.3 Causes of soil fertility decline in the hill region of Nepal
    • 7.1.4 History of sustainable agricultural development in the hill region
    • 7.1.5 Economic factors and adoption of CAPS
  • 7.2 Methods
    • 7.2.1 Data and sources
    • 7.2.2 Research methods
  • 7.3 Results and Discussion
    • 7.3.1 Existing socio-economic status and agricultural systems of the Chepang farmers
      • Demography
      • Agricultural system
    • 7.3.2 Yield, cost of production, and labor requirement for CAPS treatments
      • Crop yields under different CAPS treatments
      • Labor requirement for different CAPS treatments
      • Labor requirements of CAPS treatments by months
      • Production costs, total revenue and profit for CAPS treatments
    • 7.3.3 Profit maximization with CAPS
  • 7.4 Conclusion
  • References
• 8: Evaluation of Tillage and Farmyard Manure on Soil Properties and Maize Yield in the Mid-hills of Nepal
  • 8.1 Introduction
    • 8.1.1 Conservation agriculture
      • Tillage
      • Farmyard manure (FYM)
  • 8.2 Methods
    • 8.2.1 Effect of tillage and FYM on maize productivity and soil properties
  • 8.3 Results
    • 8.3.1 Grain and stover yield
    • 8.3.2 Nutrient uptake
    • 8.3.3 Soil properties
    • 8.3.4 Net returns
  • 8.4 Conclusion and Implications
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 9: Soil Quality in Conservation Agriculture Production Systems (CAPS) of Rainfed, Sloping Land Farming in the Central Mid-hills Region of Nepal
  • 9.1 Introduction
    • 9.1.1 Nepal
    • 9.1.2 Middle-hills region
    • 9.1.3 Soil fertility
    • 9.1.4 Sustainable intensification of agriculture
  • 9.2 Case Study Background
    • 9.2.1 Site description
    • 9.2.2 On-farm evaluation of CAPS
    • 9.2.3 Research methods
      • Environmental data
      • Soil collection
      • Soil analysis
      • CAP treatments
      • Statistical analysis
  • 9.3 Results and Discussion
    • 9.3.1 Environmental variables
    • 9.3.2 Baseline soil quality conditions
      • Physical, chemical, and biological measures
      • Plant mineral nutrients and organic matter
      • Productivity and soil quality
    • 9.3.3 CAPS treatments
    • 9.3.4 Village differences
    • 9.3.5 Qualitative comparisons among villages, treatments, and sampling dates
      • Intersampling variability of organic matter and nutrients
      • Water-stable aggregates (WSA)
  • 9.4 Implications and Future Study
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 10: Preferences for Conservation Agriculture in Developing Countries: a Case Study on the Tribal Societies of India and Nepal
  • 10.1 Introduction
    • 10.1.1 Understanding the farmers’ context: case studies from India and Nepal
      • Nepal
      • Influences of farmer CA preferences on decision making
  • 10.2 Methods
    • 10.2.1 Introduction of conservation agriculture
      • India
      • Nepal
    • 10.2.2 Farmer preferences for CA practices
      • India
      • Nepal
    • 10.2.3 Farmers’ preferences: analytic hierarchy process approach
  • 10.3 Results
    • 10.3.1 Farmers’ preferences: CA criteria and treatments
    • 10.3.2 Interpreting and understanding farmer versus professional preferences
  • 10.4 Conclusion
  • References
• 11: Empowering Women through Conservation Agriculture: Rhetoric or Reality? Evidence from Malawi
  • 11.1 Introduction
    • 11.1.1 Women and agriculture in Malawi
    • 11.1.2 Conservation agriculture in Malawi
    • 11.1.3 Women and CA
  • 11.2 Methodology
  • 11.3 Results and Discussion
    • 11.3.1 Time and labor
    • 11.3.2 Returns on agricultural production
    • 11.3.3 Household food security
    • 11.3.4 Decision making within the household
    • 11.3.5 Social capital
  • 11.4 Conclusion
  • References
• 12: Gendered Implications of Introducing Conservation Agriculture (CA): A Case Study in the Hill Region of Nepal
  • 12.1 Introduction
  • 12.2 Methodology
    • 12.2.1 Profile of study sites
    • 12.2.2 Research methods
      • Baseline socio-economic study
      • Gender-based labor analysis
      • Determining farmer preferences of CA
      • Information network analysis
  • 12.3 Results and Discussion
    • 12.3.1 Socio-economic profile of project sites
    • 12.3.2 Distribution of agricultural labor by gender and changes required by the adoption of conservation agriculture interventions
    • 12.3.3 Male versus female preference for conservation agriculture interventions
    • 12.3.4 Gender-based CA information networks
  • 12.4 Conclusions and Implications
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• Index