Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - March 2026

This paper looks at access to animal drawn CA planting machinery to reduce the burden farmers complain about digging basins for CA in Zimbabwe. They used a 5A's framework of access: acceptability, accessibility, affordability, awareness and availability. Data was collected from households using focus group discussions, key informant interviews and personal observations. They recommended monetary incentives to farmers practicing conservation agriculture. Such incentives have to be based on amount of carbon sequestered and should solely be used for the purchase of conservation agriculture equipment.

This interesting and relevant study mentions that herbicide use is increasing in Africa despite health and environmental risks. They do improve weed control, save labour and reduce land degradation when CA is used and they are applied properly. This study surveyed 275 households in Malawi. They find that CA promotion incentivized herbicide use and reduced weeding jobs for ganyu (local hired labor) resulting in problems finding work and affecting food security for poor people. They recommend that where alternative labour are limited, projects need to assess the impacts on social groups in terms of hunger and poverty.

This is a chapter in the book "Sustainable Solutions for Food Security". Climate change has emerged as a major threat to India's food security with the livelihoods of millions of people at risk. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, extreme weather conditions, changing soil fertility, and new pest infestations are major factors contributing to stagnant agricultural growth. The chapter describes how climate-smart agriculture can counter the impacts of climate change, such as the promotion of conservation agriculture, the sustainable management of natural resources and the promotion of climate-smart crops.