World Nature Conservation Day 2024: International congress convenes to advance sustainable agriculture

26 Jul 2024 --- The upcoming annual World Nature Conservation Day (July 28), highlights the importance of natural resource preservation. To mark the occasion this week, the FAO, South Africa’s Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Conservation Agriculture Western Cape, the African Conservation Tillage Network and the agricultural media company Landbouweekblad hosted the World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Cape Town.

“The hosting partners are intimately involved in the promotion of conservation agriculture, not only in South Africa but across the whole subcontinent,” comments professor Johann Strauss, chair of the steering committee.

To boost food security, the congress held from July 22–25, set out to deliver practical solutions to enhance conservation agriculture adoption and scaling up in Africa. 

The attendees explored practical methods for dealing with challenges within the conservation agriculture system, such as nutrient stratification, integrated soil fertility and acidity management, weeding, livestock integration and integrated pest management.

Conservation agriculture 
The event featured two farmer roundtables on cropping systems (annual and perennial crops) and integrated crop and livestock systems (annual and perennial crops and extensive pastures). 

CIMMYT highlights that Implementing improved grazing systems is key for smallholder farmers (Image Credit: CIMMYT).The panel discussions explored what is next for conservation agriculture, soil health measurements and the challenges smallholders worldwide face in conservation agriculture.

The practice day, held on July 25, took place at the Langgewens experimental research farm, located in Swartland, South Africa, where the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Stellenbosch University and private companies are currently carrying out a number of conservation agriculture trials, providing well-implemented examples of the integration of livestock into cropping systems.

One of the participating organizations, the Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) highlighted the tangible results achieved since introducing a conservation agriculture research program to South Africa more than 20 years ago.

The CIMMYT points out: “The early years of conservation agriculture implementation were marked by simple and low-tech solutions reliant on animal traction. These systems were based on planting strategies that reduced soil disturbance such as the use of a Magoye ripper to open riplines where seed and fertilizer are placed and the use of the Fitareli direct seeder which opened riplines and dropped seed and fertilizer simultaneously. To complete the conservation agriculture package, diversification with locally adapted legume crops and residue retention for soil cover was also included.”

Over the years, CIMMYT’s research has embraced engine-powered mechanized conservation agriculture systems, crop diversification and innovative practices such as strip cropping, the use of improved crop varieties and hedgerow cropping with grasses to increase fodder. 

CIMMYT currently operates strategic conservation agriculture partnerships at the country level with national agricultural research systems, other NGOs and government agencies to enable the dissemination of practices to over 65,000 farmers in Malawi and 50,000 in Zambia.

“This evolution has been driven by farmers who designed solutions to overcome their production challenges, including negative effects of climate change, soil fertility decline and pest and disease pressures,” highlights the organization. 

By Milana Nikolova