TY  - RPRT
N2  - This literature review summarises theory and evidence of
the contribution of conservation agriculture (CA) to resilience in the event of drought. A resilient agricultural system is able to continue to function and provide essential
ecosystem services, such as food provisioning, following
an external shock. If drought occurs, a more resilient system should offer higher productivity and food security.
The review asks whether CA improves productivity and
food security when rainfall is poor, and what aspects
of CA contribute most to these benefits. The review will
guide the design of a field study on the impacts of CA after the 2015/16 El Nino drought in southern Africa.
Conservation agriculture combines three basic sets of
technologies or practices: i) minimum or reduced tillage,
ii) maintenance of soil surface cover using crop residues,
and iii) crop diversification using rotations. CA has been
identified as a climate smart agricultural practice because
it improves crop productivity, improves resilience of
cropping systems to climate change, and mitigates
greenhouse gases. In Southern Africa two forms of CA
have recently been promoted: a manual version based
on digging planting basins, and a mechanised practice
based on the use of soil rippers and direct seeders or jab
planters. Due, in part, to inaccessibility of CA equipment,
most smallholder farmers in the region are practising
manual CA techniques...
N1  - Vuna is a DFID-funded regional Climate Smart Agriculture Programme.
The British Government?s Department for International Development
(DFID) financed this work as part of the United Kingdom?s aid
programme. However, the views and recommendations contained in
this report are those of the consultant, and DFID is not responsible
for, or bound by the recommendations made. This material is not
to be reproduced, altered, contents deleted or modified in any way
without written permission from Vuna.
AV  - public
KW  - Sub-Saharan Africa
KW  -  SSA
KW  -  Africa
KW  -  literature review
KW  -  Crop Resilience
KW  -  Conservation agriculture
KW  -  CA
A1  - Mazvimavi, K
TI  - Assessing the contributions of conservation agriculture to building resilience to drought, Conservation Agriculture Literature Review
UR  - http://oar.icrisat.org/11077/
Y1  - 2016/09//
ID  - icrisat11077
M1  - technical_report
PB  - Vuna Research Report
CY  - Pretoria, SA
ER  -