http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11564 2020-08-23T14:18:21Z info:eu-repo/semantics/descriptiveMetadata http://oar.icrisat.org/11564/ Limits of conservation agriculture to overcome low crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa Corbeels, M Naudin, K Whitbread, A M Kühne, R Letourmy, P Smallholder Farmers Crop Yield Sub-Saharan Africa Conservation agriculture (CA) has become a dominant paradigm in scientific and policy thinking about the sustainable intensification of food production in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet claims that CA leads to increasing crop yields in African smallholder farming systems remain controversial. Through a meta-analysis of 933 observations from 16 different countries in sub-Saharan African studies, we show that average yields under CA are only slightly higher than those of conventional tillage systems (3.7% for six major crop species and 4.0% for maize). Larger yield responses for maize result from mulching and crop rotations/intercropping. When CA principles are implemented concomitantly, maize yield increases by 8.4%. The largest yield benefits from CA occur in combination with low rainfall and herbicides. We conclude that although CA may bring soil conservation benefits, it is not a technology for African smallholder farmers to overcome low crop productivity and food insecurity in the short term. Nature Research 2020-07 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://oar.icrisat.org/11564/1/Corbeels_etal_CA_SSA_NatureFood_2020.pdf Corbeels, M and Naudin, K and Whitbread, A M and Kühne, R and Letourmy, P (2020) Limits of conservation agriculture to overcome low crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa. Nature Food (TSI), 1 (7). pp. 447-454. ISSN 2662-1355 https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-0114-x doi:10.1038/s43016-020-0114-x info:eu-repo/semantics/objectFile info:eu-repo/semantics/humanStartPage