Mainstreaming of CA with national policy and institutional support and for global governance to support national and international needs and commitments

Abstract

Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been adopted by farmers in at least 78 countries around the world in response to land degradation from intensive tillage and monoculture production systems. Since pioneer farmers started the CA development journey five decades ago it has been refined into a sustainable production system with improved economics and multiple social and environmental co-benefits beyond stopping the immediate land degradation concerns. In order to continue the widespread adoption of CA, drivers and levers for institutional and policy support need to be identified for the toolbox to mainstream CA for all conditions. A review of experiences in a wide range of countries allow the identification of commonalities and differences. Early farm initiatives received support from the private industry sector and in some countries, from innovative researchers. Extension services and government policies that supported organizations, innovative research and environmental concerns also catalyzed the emergence and spread of CA. An assemblage of private, public and civil sector developments will be considered from catalyst, barrier and synergies of integration contexts. CA can have a bright future. The wide-ranging benefits of CA provide a basis for an important potential role of CA in meeting the objectives of the three UN Conventions established at the 1992 Earth Summit – conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification. CA practices are central to the climate smart agriculture concept and are a great representation of the “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs) emergent in the new strategy for the convention on biological diversity CA also aligns well with the Sustainable Development Goals, the 4 per thousand initiative and the new European Green Deal, thus enabling agriculture to provide meaningful contributions. The future may not be the same as the past, and we need to consider new policies and tools to mainstream CA in the years ahead. A glimpse of research institution issues, future digital drivers, policy types and tools will hopefully expand the toolboxes of CA practitioners to take advantage of future opportunities to grow CA. The paper and oral presentation will elaborate: (a) several national level examples of CA mainstreaming processes that illustrate the kinds of policy and institutional support that is enabling the spread of CA to occur; and (b) how CA can contribute to global governance in meeting national and international needs and commitments.