View
219
Download
1
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
01/03/16&
1&
A golden age for agronomy?
Ken Giller Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University
Three issues
1. Is this a ‘Golden Age’ for agronomy? 2. Contested Agronomy – the case of
Conservation Agriculture
3. Future challenges - Agronomy in context
The development spotlight shifted
1990s – the dark ages? 2003 – Hilary Benn – White Paper – Agriculture and Poverty: Unlocking the Potential
2005 – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation started their Agricultural Development Program
2006 – Rockefeller Foundation & BMGF started AGRA (Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa)
2008 – World Development Report – Agriculture for Development
Grain prices
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
jan-0
2
jan-0
3
jan-0
4
jan-0
5
jan-0
6
jan-0
7
jan-0
8
jan-0
9
jan-1
0
jan-1
1
jan-1
2
jan-1
3
jan-1
4
jan-1
5 $
Mg-
1
Maize (US Gulf) Rice (Thailand) Soybean (Rotterdam) Wheat (US Gulf)
World&Bank&–&Global&Economic&Monitor&(data&un;l&May&2015)&hAp://databank.worldbank.org/data/reports.aspx?source=GlobalLEconomicLMonitorL(GEM)LCommodi;es&l=en#&
01/03/16&
2&
Global impacts
https://libcom.org/
Global impacts
Publications on “food security”
No
of p
ublic
atio
ns
Scopus 05/09/2015
2008
Students studying Plant Sciences
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2000
20
01
2002
20
03
2004
20
05
2006
20
07
2008
20
09
2010
20
11
2012
20
13
2014
20
15
stu
den
t n
um
ber
year
Students starting BSc Plant Sciences
Wageningen University
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
stu
den
t n
um
ber
year
Students starting MSc Plant Sciences
Wageningen University
01/03/16&
3&
Three issues
1. Is this a ‘Golden Age’ for agronomy? Yes!
2. Contested Agronomy – the case of Conservation Agriculture
3. Future challenges - Agronomy in context
The problem of poor soil fertility in Africa
Potential solutions - Nitrogen fixing legumes
Grain legumes
Legume tree fallows
Legume green manures
Legume forages
Green manures on smallholder farms
…there are no silver bullets….
01/03/16&
4&
FAO Workshop 2008 Investment in soil health = Conservation Agriculture
13
Principles of Conservation Agriculture 1. Minimum or no mechanical soil disturbance
2. Permanent organic soil cover – maintain crop residues to achieve >30% soil cover
3. Diversified rotations (with legumes)
The heretics’ view • Conservation agriculture promoted as a panacea • Univocal promotion by international organizations,
NGOs (and churches!) stifled debate e.g. ….“the plough is the enemy of sustainability” See http://www.farming-gods-way.org/
Two main arguments: 1. Scientific evidence to support the claims made for CA
was unclear and inconsistent 2. CA did not ‘fit’ within the majority of smallholder farming
systems in Africa
Giller, K.E., Witter, E., Corbeels, M., Tittonell, P., (2009) Field Crops Research 114, 23-34.
DE-COMPACTION ZONE IN ZERO TILLAGE
hAp://conserva;onag.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/kenLgillersLpaperLonLconserva;onL&&agriculture&&&
Competition for crop residues
01/03/16&
5&
18
…&the&text&clearly&says&“Trials'in'southern'Africa'saw'a'six3fold'increase'in'maize'yields”;&it&does¬&claim&a&6&fold&yield&increase&for&CA&in&general…&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&Theodor&Friedrich,&FAO,&21/3/11
Farm(er)s are not all the same!
Resource-rich farm
Resource-poor farm
CA in Central Kenya on diverse fields
Guto, de Ridder, Pypers Vanlauwe & Giller (2012) Agron. J. 104, 188-198.
01/03/16&
6&
Competition for crop residues Slide from an advisory consultancy for BMGF
Second question
2. Is farming (as we know it) heading for
extinction?
23
Second question
2. Is farming (as we know it) heading for
extinction?
24
01/03/16&
7&
Have you brought me fertilizer? Protracted Relief Programme, 2010 Zimbabwe, inputs provided for 0.25 ha
Evidence for adoption of CA in Madagascar
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
Are
a (h
a) u
nder
CA
Year
Increase in the area (ha) under CA at Lac Alaotra, Madagascar - Projet BV/LAC
CA&in&Malawi '…and'some'fell'by'the'wayside...''''''''''''(Tris;n&Bouwman&/Jens&Andersson,&2016)'&&
&&&
Does the contestation of CA only concern less-developed countries?
! No!
! John Kirkegaard et al. (2014) Sense and nonsense in conservation agriculture: Principles, pragmatism and productivity in Australian mixed farming systems Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 187, 133-145.
! Giller et al. (2015) Beyond Conservation Agriculture. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6, Article 870
01/03/16&
8&
Three issues
1. Is this a ‘Golden Age’ for agronomy? Yes!
2. Contested Agronomy – the case of Conservation Agriculture
…and the beat goes on… 3. Future challenges – agronomy in context
Response to P and inoculation with soybean in western Kenya
Long term trial results in Western Kenya 2010
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
Effect of P-fertilizer and/or Inoculant on soybean grain yield (t ha-1) in Nigeria, 2011 and 2012
Ronner et al. (2016) Field Crops Research, 186, 133-145.
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
Cumulative probability of economic return to use of inputs in soybean (USD ha-1) in Nigeria, 2011 and 2012
Ronner et al. (2016) Field Crops Research, 186, 133-145.
01/03/16&
9&
Potato yields on a high-tech farm in the Netherlands
0
10
20
30
40
50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
# f
ield
s
Tuber yield (ton ha-1)
2013
2014
Van&den&Borne&Aardappelen,&Reusel,&southern&Netherlands&&~&120&fields,&500&ha
A ‘Golden Age’ for agronomy?
Agronomy is in the spotlight
Are we ready for the Great Leap forward?
Recommended