Browsing by Author "Baudron, Frederic"

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  • Comparative performance of conservation agriculture and current smallholder farming practices in semi-arid Zimbabwe
    Baudron, Frederic; Tittonell, Pablo; Corbeels, Marc; Letourmy, P.; Giller, Ken (Elsevier B.V., 2012)
    Conservation agriculture is promoted in sub-Saharan Africa as a means to improve water use efficiency in an region with variable or poorly distributed rainfall. However, other environmental and social factors may contribute to the success or failure of implementation and practice. The purpose of this study was to compare on-farm conservation agriculture trials of cotton and sorghum with production practices currently in place. Two experiments at multiple locations were executed. The first involved an unfertilized cotton-sorghum rotation (three consecutive seasons), while the second examined cotton production with fertilizer provided on credit (two consecutive seasons). Mulches were produced on site to further emulate conditions present for farmers of the Mid-Zambezi valley. Farmers' perceptions of the technologies involved were also studied. CA was found to have no effect on cotton yields during the first two seasons, which received average or above average rainfall, but was found to be detrimental to yields during a third season of decreased rainfall. Additionally, greater run-off was found in on-farm CA trials in coarser soils than fine-textured soils. Farmers perceived that plowing was necessary to avoid soil crusting and compaction in drier years while CA was beneficial during wetter seasons. The authors site poor mulch coverage as a factor in this result and recommend legume intercropping as part of the solution.
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    Conservation agriculture in Zambia: A case study of Southern Province
    Baudron, Frederic; Mwanza, H.; Triomphe, B.; Bwalya, M. (Nairobi, Kenya: African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT); Centre de Coopération Internationale de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2007)
  • Cotton expansion and biodiversity loss in African savannahs, opportunities and challenges for conservation agriculture: A review paper based on two case studies
    Baudron, Frederic; Corbeels, Marc; Monicat, F.; Giller, Ken (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Springer Netherlands, 2009)
    This article reviews the potential for conservation agriculture to develop productive and environment-friendly cropping systems using the experiences of two African landscapes. Conservation agriculture can potentially benefit biodiversity and turn agriculture from a threat into an opportunity for conservation. The authors also raise a number of challenges inhibiting the growth of conservation agriculture by resource-poor farmers.
  • Understanding the impact and adoption of conservation agriculture in Africa: A multi-scale analysis
    Corbeels, Marc; de Graaff, Jan; Ndah, Tim Hycenth; Penota, Eric; Baudron, Frederic; Naudin, Krishna; Andrieua, Nadine; Chirata, Guillaume; Schuler, Johannes; Nyagumboe, Isaiah; Rusinamhodzi, Leonard; Traoref, Karim; Mzobag, Hamisi Dulla; Adolwah, Ivan Solomon (2014)
    Conservation agriculture (CA) has been lauded as a means for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to increase yields through improving soil fertility and water retention. CA’s principles of minimum tillage, cover cropping, and crop rotations have been promoted in sub-Saharan Africa by many organizations, and significant resources have been invested in research and development initiatives devoted to CA. Despite this, adoption of CA in sub-Saharan Africa remains low. This article seeks to understand why this is true, and to come to a better comprehension of why, where, and for whom CA works best. To do so, the authors analyze several case studies of CA adoption projects in sub-Saharan Africa across four scales: field, farm, village, and region. Yield simulations are used to analyze the field scale, however, the authors point out that yield benefits are multifaceted and may not be well represented by simulations. Analysis of the farm and village scales find that both trade-offs and synergies exist between CA and livestock production systems, varying greatly by the farming context. A constraint identified at the regional level is the absence of input and output markets that are conducive to the adoption of CA. Although projects may provide inputs, farmers are left without access to inputs after the project ends, decreasing the likelihood that they will maintain CA practices. The authors indicate that, in order for CA adoption to move forward, initiatives must reach beyond agronomic research and seek to adapt CA to local conditions.