conservation agriculture in bangladesh

CATALYSThelps to Unlock Your Potential

An Institution for Training ,Research and Teaching

Principle and major practices in brief of Conservation Agriculture [CA] for sustainable agriculture

production.

PresenterMd. Nazim Uddin Mondal

CATALYSThelps to Unlock Your

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WELCOME


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Definition:Conservation agriculture [CA] can be defined by a statement given by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations as “a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while concurrently conserving the environment” (FAO 2007)


PotentialWhat can Conservation Agriculture Achieve?▪ Increased organic matter of soil▪ 80% fuel saving ▪ 30% labor saving ▪ 30% reduction in irrigation requirement ▪ 50% reduction in operational costs ▪ Reduced pollution of waterways (Ref: Dr. M. Enamul Haque, iDE, Bangladesh)


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How?▪ No or minimum till▪ Stubble on field▪ Crop rotation

Leads to:Sustainable agriculture


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1. No-till or minimum tillage:

The first key principle in CA is practicing minimum mechanical soil disturbance which is essential to maintaining minerals within the soil, stopping erosion, and preventing water loss from occurring within the soil.

Key Principles Conservation Agriculture


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What happens due to no-till practice?


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Key Principles Conservation Agriculture (cont).

2. Retention of crop residue:

The second key principle in CA is much like the first principle in dealing with protecting the soil. The principle of managing the top soil to create a permanent organic soil cover can allow for growth of organisms within the soil structure.


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Key Principles Conservation Agriculture (cont).

3. Crop Rotation:

The third and final principle that is exercised by the FAO is the practice of crop rotation with more than two crop species.


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Conservation Agriculture Practices:

Zero-tillage Practice:Zero tillage is a fundamental management practice that promotes crop stubble retention under longer unplanned fallows when crops cannot be planted. Such management practices that succeed in retaining suitable soil cover in areas under fallow will ultimately reduce soil loss.


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No-till crop planter No-till crop planter in the field


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No-till planted crop


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Strip Tillage:

How do farmers produce a profitable crop with hardly any irrigation at all? Farmers in Bangladesh are showing the way by planting into mulch, and using simple machines that plow only a small line in their fields, into which seed and fertilizer are dropped at the same time. These easy-to-implement practices conserve precious soil moisture and improve their investment in fertilizer.


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Versatile Multiple Crop Planter VMP

iDE, Bangladesh


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Bed Planting:

Farmers across Bangladesh are putting the problem of high irrigation costs and water scarcity to bed—literally. Using the simple and effective technique of planting their rice, wheat, maize and legume crops on raised beds, farmers are getting more crop per drop and reducing irrigation requirements by up to 40 percent.(Ref.Dr. Timthy Krupnik)


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Power Tiller Seeder

Bed former

Bed planted crop


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Retention of crop residue:

▪ Do not burn crop residue▪ Harvest only Panicles where possible▪ Incorporate crop residues in where necessary▪ Plant crop in the field without removing stables.


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Crop residue in field

Crop planted with crop residue

Crop with residue


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Crop Rotation:

▪ Crop rotation can be used best as a “disease control” against other preferred crops.▪ Not allowing insects or weeds to establish a pattern within fields will help to eliminate problems with yield reduction and infestations within fields ▪ Establishing crops in a rotation allows for an extensive build up of rooting zones which will allow for better water infiltration.


PotentialA field with different crop rotation


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Overcoming Salinity with Conservation Agriculture:Despite increasing fuel and irrigation costs, as well as crop-damaging soil salinity, innovative farmers in Bangladesh are conserving soil moisture and overcoming salinity with conservation agriculture. By not fully plowing their fields, using appropriate machinery to sow their crops in lines under a layer of water-conserving mulch, and rotating between profitable crops, farmers are beating the odds to achieve profitable maize, wheat and legume yields. (Ref:Timthy Kupnik, CIMMYT)


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PotentialProblems:● The first reason why CA still has some problems is because there are not enough people that can financially turn from a conventional farmer to a conservationist.

● The reasons for this is because there is not enough pressure for producers in places such as North America to change their way of living to a more conservative outlook.

● With cutting back in fertilizer, not tilling of ground and among other processes comes the responsibility to feed the world. With CA problems arise in the fact that if farms do not produce as much as conventional ways, then in this case leaves the world with less food for more people.


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Acknowledgement to

Dr. Timthy Krupnik USAID,CIMMYT(Int), Bangladesh


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Thank You


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conservation agriculture in bangladesh

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