Global survey on the adoption of Conservation Agriculture

Go to survey

Introduction

FAO Strategic Framework for 2022-31 is focused to support the transformation to a more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. It has 20 Programme Priority Areas (PPAs) and serves as a guiding principle and an innovative business model for FAO to assists tis Members in addressing the interlinked economic, social and environmental dimensions of agrifood systems through innovative and sustainable approaches, thus contributing to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Under the PPA Better Production 1 (BP1) – Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Production, FAO aims to support countries, family farmers and small producers to integrate sustainable agriculture practices, technologies, policies and other innovations for increased crop, livestock and forestry productivity that optimize structure, functionality and service of agricultural systems while minimizing inputs. It will do so by leveraging the four cross-cutting ‘sustainable accelerators’ of technology, innovation (including digital), data (including big data) and complements (human capital, governance, institutions); and three sectorial focus areas on crop production, livestock, and forestry (including integrated agro-forestry systems) to foster the sustainability of agriculture, economic development and livelihoods, and address the rehabilitation of degraded lands, water and ecosystems. Importantly, the PPA will consider the factors that constrain or enable innovation, including inequitable or insecure access to resources, and the constraints to sustainable production investments by smallholders and family farms, including limited economic returns or profitability and uninsured risk.

In this context, it was agreed to use the area under Conservation Agriculture (CA) as one of the indicators for Medium Term reporting under the PPA BP1. Because the CA is based on three main principles adapted to reflect local conditions and needs – minimum mechanical soil disturbance; permanent soil organic cover and species diversification and a sustainable farming system that can prevent losses of arable land while regenerating degraded lands.

To meet this requirement, FAO is analysing the evolution of CA, where this survey will be a useful tool to perform this task. This will also give a clear picture on global the adoption and spread of CA worldwide up to the season 2022/23 where available, including the adoption in continents.

The completion of this survey will take you about 10 minutes. You can access the survey in the link: https://conservationagriculturesurvey.org/formulario/

Definitions

Country area: Area under national sovereignty. It is the sum of land area, inland waters and coastal waters. It excludes the exclusive economic zone.
Cropland: Land used for cultivation of crops. The total of areas under ”Arable land” and ”Permanent crops”.
Arable land: Land used for cultivation of crops in rotation with fallow, meadows and pastures within cycles of up to five years. Arable land does not include land that is potentially cultivable but is not cultivated.
Temporary crops: Land used for crops with a less-than-one-year growing cycle, which must be newly sown or planted for further production after the harvest. Some crops that remain in the field for more than one year may also be considered as temporary crops e.g., asparagus, strawberries, and sugar cane. Multiple-cropped areas are counted only once (two or more crops in one season on the same field, i.e. maize after winter wheat).
Temporary meadows and pastures: Land temporarily cultivated with herbaceous forage crops for mowing or pasture, as part of crop rotation periods of less than five years.
Temporary fallow: Land that is not seeded for one or more growing seasons. The maximum idle period is usually less than five years. This land may be in the form sown for the exclusive production of green manure. Land remaining fallow for too long may acquire characteristics requiring it to be reclassified, as for instance “Permanent meadows and pastures” if used for grazing or haying.
Permanent crops: Land cultivated with long-term crops which do not have to be replanted for several years (such as cocoa and coffee), land under trees and shrubs producing flowers (such as roses and jasmine), and nurseries (except those for forest trees). Permanent meadows and pastures are excluded from Permanent crops.

Instructions

For temporary crops

This section is mostly for herbaceous crops.

No or Minimum Soil Disturbance: minimum soil disturbance refers to no or low disturbance no-till seeding or planting (do not misunderstand with minimum/reduced tillage, which is not an eligible practise for CA). The disturbed area must be less than 15 cm wide or less than 25 percent of the cropped area (whichever is lower). There should be no periodic tillage that disturbs a greater area than the aforementioned limits. Strip seeded area is allowed if the disturbed soil area is within the set limits.
Vegetative Soil Cover: ground cover with biomass, measured immediately after the no-till direct seeding operation. Area with less than 30 percent mulch cover is not considered CA.
Crop Rotation/Association: ideally, rotations and associations in temporary cropping systems should involve at least 3 different crops. However, repetitive wheat, maize or rice cropping is not an exclusion factor for the purpose of this data collection, but rotation/association is recorded where practiced. Annual cropland area includes cropping systems involving annual crops intercropped between rows of permanent or temporary crops grown with scattered trees (not being trees the main crops), ideally at least three crops grown in sequence.

For permanent crops

This section is mostly for perennial / woody crops.

No or Minimum Soil Disturbance: the disturbed area must be less than 15 cm wide or less than 25 percent of the cropped area (whichever is lower). There should be no periodic tillage that disturbs a greater area than the aforementioned limits.
Vegetative Soil Cover: groundcovers can be sown cover or natural vegetation and biomass from pruning, chopping and leaf fall. Area with less than 30 percent ground cover is not considered CA. If between the rows of permanent crop, cover crops are grown, the area of bare soil must not exceed the above limits for disturbance or should be covered permanently with a biomass mulch cover; if within or close to the rows no cover crops are grown the area must be covered with mulch from the live cover between the rows.
Crop Association: ideally, groundcovers comprising cover crops, pastures or spontaneous vegetation should ideally involve at least two species.

Complete the survey