Adapting Conservation Agriculture for Rapid Adoption by Small Holder Farmers in Northern Africa

Agriculture in North Africa is constrained by unfavourable climatic conditions characterized by a dominant Mediterranean environment with low and erratic rainfall, contributing to low and highly variable and unpredictable yields. Most soils are shallow, and nutrient and organic matter deficient, with a low water holding capacity, and are highly vulnerable to erosion. Poor soil and crop management, often associated with excessive tillage practices, has led to increasing erosion and soil degradation that is further aggravated by overgrazing. North Africa is a net importer of staple food, importing 27% of cereal grain sold worldwide. Wheat and barley are the major cereal commodities in North Africa, grown in mono-cropping or non-diversified cropping systems, especially in the lower rainfall (< 350 mm) areas. Agricultural areas are characterized by land fragmentation and dominance (80%) of small sized (≤ 10-20 ha) farms. Agriculture production is primarily based on rainfed cereal-livestock farming systems where sheep and goats feed on cereal stubble for 3-4 months/year. Such practices have further aggravated soil deterioration. Low farmer adoption of Conservation Agriculture technology in in Morocco and in Tunisia due to the high cost of currently available no-till (or ZT) seed drills.

Conservation agriculture (CA) practices offer the opportunity to improve soil fertility through crop diversification, to halt soil degradation through minimal or no disturbance, enhance moisture conservation and retention through stubble or crop residue retention, and improve cereal-livestock integration through more balanced management of crop residues (Mrabet 2011, Nefzaoui et al. 2011). Such practices should improve the sustainable use of natural resources and the stability and reliability of crop productivity, while lowering production costs through reduced tillage. There is also indication of improved crop productivity as a result of CA adoption in dry Mediterranean climate areas (Kassam et al. 2012). Crop diversification has the potential to further enhance incomes and to improve financial robustness of smallholder enterprises (reduces risk and multiplies avenues for more remunerative activities, e.g. food/feed legumes, livestock). Low-cost zero-tillage seeders; constraints to CA adoption; monitoring crop management and risk, weed control under CA; trade-offs crop residue/livestock grazing; crop modelling APSIM

The final aim of the project is to promote adoption of CA practices to reduce natural resource degradation, and to increase productivity, profitability and sustainability of the crop/livestock systems in North Africa. This will result in the increase of households and in the wider adoption of CA among small and medium- scale female and male farmers in North Africa (Outcomes). This will be achieved through: the enhancement the capacity of NARES staff and other stakeholders to practice and promote CA; Identification of CA adoption constraints by small and medium scale farmers and ways of enhancing adoption in three selected major agro-ecological ecosystems; and the development of zero tillage drill (Outputs). In the long term these achievements aim to: minimise and reverse Land, water and forest degradation (including deforestation) and increase livelihood opportunities (IDOs). At a system level which reflects also ICARDA's vision, the project aims to restore natural resources systems and ecosystems services ad reduce poverty (SRFs).