Aligning Conservation Agriculture among various disciplines in South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, the term Conservation Agriculture (CA) is often used to describe any soil conservation action rather than a combination of the three management principles that CA encompasses, namely minimum soil disturbance, using a diversity of crops in rotation or association, and protecting the soil with an organic soil cover. A workshop was held with delegates from tertiary institutions, research institutions, government and private companies, in January 2019, to share and exchange CA research experiences and lessons, and to identify research gaps in the field of CA in South Africa. By collating the information from the workshop, this article aims to align CA approaches among various disciplines in South Africa and to identify the inevitable challenges with CA and (mis-)perceptions of CA in South Africa. It was clear that CA is applicable to most farming systems, but is context specific. No specific CA practice can be recommended as a panacea to solve issues experienced in all systems. Adaptation and application of CA within different South African farming systems needs to be dealt with sensibly and realistically, in ways that are based on practical rather than purely theoretical considerations. It is important that CA is not advocated without taking sustainable intensification into account. Dealing with CA sensibly requires a multidisciplinary approach.