1 / 35

No-till Farmer Groups in South America How & why they work?

No-till Farmer Groups in South America How & why they work?. BASE-UK AGM Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire 28 th February 2013 John Geraghty. Climate Change. Fertilisers & Fossil Fuel Inputs. Good Yields. Greenhouse Gases. N 2 O Emissions. Flooding and Drought. CO 2 Emissions. Oxygen

keenan
Download Presentation

No-till Farmer Groups in South America How & why they work?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. No-till Farmer Groups in South AmericaHow & why they work? BASE-UK AGM Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire 28th February 2013 John Geraghty

  2. Climate Change Fertilisers & Fossil Fuel Inputs Good Yields Greenhouse Gases N2O Emissions Flooding and Drought CO2 Emissions Oxygen O2 Irrigation Organic Matter START Extra Costs

  3. C N P K Ca Mg S Zn Mn Cl Bo Soil Carbon for Nutrient Cycling Carbon is crucial for all Soil Physical, Chemical, & Biological processes climate, soil type, production system, rotations, cover crops, fertility, organic manures, variety, inputs, irrigation etc. Credit:Reicosky 2005

  4. Oct sown min till Ploughed and sown Oct sown min till Ploughed and sown

  5. Reduced soil exposure Increasingsoil disturbance Minimal Soil Disturbance Much international confusion over terms used • Mouldboard ploughing, disc ploughing • Non-inversion tillage, chisel ploughing • Reduced tillage • Conservation, minimum and mulch tillage • Direct drilling, direct seeding, strip tillage • No tillage, no-till, Zero tillage, zero-till

  6. Total: 127.9 Million Ha Source: FAO, 2013

  7. Energy Consumption in Agriculture Source: UNEP, 2012

  8. Rate of no-till adoption in Brazil 1990 - 1 Million ha

  9. Brazil - Grain Production 1991-2004 Source: COOPLANTIO-CONAB (2005)

  10. Clubes Amigos da Terra (CATs) • First farmer club ~ ‘The Earthworm Club’ ~ started in 1979 in Paraná state • Pioneering NT farmers main stakeholders • Became model for future CATs in Brazil e.g. in Rio Grande du Sul • Very effective in promoting CA systems • Raising level of NT achievements among farmer members

  11. Critical factors for success of CATs • Finding the right leadership is crucial • Officer roles – 2 to 4 years maximum • CAT President needs spare time • CAT Secretary – not a farmer ~ extension officer, consultant (… payment ??) • More regular meetings with group evolution • Equal emphasis on mistakes, successes and problems

  12. Critical factors for failure of CATs • Weak or poor leadership • Some CATs set up buying pools … often led to group collapse • Commercial interests/slant developing in groups was detrimental • No group evolution – development of focus areas - technology adoption & adjustment - advanced management methods

  13. Essential Characteristics of CATs • Non-profit; Non commercial; Non political • Promotion & development of Zero-tillage !! • Sustainable farming/focus on environment • No commercial involvement • Commercial support – no strings attached! • Affiliation to NGOs such as: Association for Zero-till Farmers in the Cerrado (APDC) National Federation for Zero Tillage into Crop Residues (FEBRAPDP)

  14. NB – Technical Reference Guides 1993 – Herbicides - Field Manual Included farmer practice & company recommendations Not updated after initial publication – big mistake 1996 – Quarterly Technical Newsletter Circulation of 6,000 sent to farmer group members 1997 – The Environment and Zero Tillage Great resource to promote Zero tillage among farmers and agri-industry; 10,000 copies printed

  15. Financial Analysis – Plough v’s Zero-till Sensitivity factors Source: Landers et al 1994

  16. Long term yields in No-tillage Source: Dijkstra, Ponta Grossa, Brazil 1998

  17. Rate of no-till adoption in Argentina 1994 - 1 Million ha

  18. Argentina- Grain production 1988-2001 Source: Peiretti, 2002

  19. Argentine Association for No-tillage • AAPRESID – No-till association • Founded in 1988 • By mid 2,000s they had 1,800 members and 23 active farmer groups – ongoing struggle • Big problem with scornful establishment – senior researchers and agronomists alike • Now funded through membership subscription with significant corporate sponsorship • Influential organisation

  20. AAPRESID - Impressions “very commercial organisation; concerned only with large scale operators & big machines; too much involvement from agri-business; charge for every single event and publication.”

  21. CREA Movement • Model adopted from France in the 1950s by Paulo Hary • Successful sixty year history • Today 190 groups – normally up to 15 farmer members • Proved extremely difficult to organise, develop and manage in Argentina • Openness and co-operative spirit needed – not natural attributes of Argentines

  22. CREA • Farmer/producer discussion and ‘action’ group • Normally 10-12 farmer members * • One paid facilitator or consultant for the group Mechanics • All financial & technical information ceded to facilitator • All members visit one farm/month • Review, analyse and assess farm operation & performance • Remedial actions agreed & enacted

  23. ACCREA • National movement of all CREA groups • Funded by groups monthly contributions of $500-2,500 • Funded also by corporate sponsorship and fees for research consultancy • Annual Conference – 2,000 delegates – international focus

  24. The People – and what they said “It was farmers that developed this system – researchers and consultants had no option but to follow. Farmers are still leading the way.” Sebastian Lahore “Most researchers today are no more than specialised idiots” Herbert Bartz “If you had no subsidies in Europe farmers would be forced to change to CA for economic reasons alone” Patrick Wall “Farmers in the red cannot look after the green” Farmer quote to JL

  25. European Conservation Agriculture Federation - ECAF

  26. ECAF – National Associations • Many NAs are struggling • Issues of funding, farmer governance and participation • FRDK in Denmark doing well – good farmer participation • Others have state funding to assist with administration • Potentially a rich resource for exchange of experiences and expertise

  27. Conservation Agriculture Ireland • CAIR founded in 2002 by group of Irish farmers and Monsanto • Has struggled throughout its existence • Funded solely by member subscription (€30) • Never clear on its remit:– Promotion? Education? Training? Research? Lobbying? we tried to be all things to all people … • Lacked farmer leadership & participation … no evolution

  28. CAP Reforms 2014-2020 • Strong lobby for CA in current reforms • CA – Pillar 1 as a Greening measure • Minimal soil disturbance + soil cover • FAO definition being proposed …… • Needs to be 100% verifiable before inclusion

  29. Zero-tillage is a Gateway Focused Environmental Awareness Individual and Community Actions Positive effect on Natural Resources Sustainable Natural Resources No environmental Degradation Food Security Stable Supplies Higher Farm Income Better Quality of Life

  30. Thank You geraghtyconsulting.ie GeraghtyConsulting @Geraghty_Notill

  31. Rate of no-till adoption in Paraguay 2001 - 1 Million ha

More Related