Certainly a fascinating discussion on the possibility of addressing both agricultural production and climate change through no-till agriculture. Irrespective of the stance one takes, to till or not to till, solid soil fertility data is required to back up the theory. To date, soil data with links to agricultural management practices, particularly for smallholder farmers, is unfortunately lacking.
The Living Standards Measurement Study team, part of the Development Research Group of the World Bank, is looking to change that. Currently the team is conducting a methodological study in Ethiopia centered on soil quality measurement in partnership with the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Central Statistical Agency. To allow for thorough analysis, the study complements the technical plot-level soil tests with farmer estimates of soil quality and data on the cultivation status, fertilizer use, erosion prevention and irrigation practices, production, and, most relevant to your piece, tilling.
Your blog acknowledges that conservation farming may be more difficult, yet potentially beneficial, for smallholder farmers. We hope the data collected through this study can be used to inform further research in this vein.
Whether or not one believes in no-till agriculture, we can all (hopefully) agree on the value and necessity of streamlining the collection of soil fertility data jointly with land management practices and geo-referenced socio-economic data, ideally via panel collection.
Certainly a fascinating discussion on the possibility of addressing both agricultural production and climate change through no-till agriculture. Irrespective of the stance one takes, to till or not to till, solid soil fertility data is required to back up the theory. To date, soil data with links to agricultural management practices, particularly for smallholder farmers, is unfortunately lacking.
The Living Standards Measurement Study team, part of the Development Research Group of the World Bank, is looking to change that. Currently the team is conducting a methodological study in Ethiopia centered on soil quality measurement in partnership with the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Central Statistical Agency. To allow for thorough analysis, the study complements the technical plot-level soil tests with farmer estimates of soil quality and data on the cultivation status, fertilizer use, erosion prevention and irrigation practices, production, and, most relevant to your piece, tilling.
Your blog acknowledges that conservation farming may be more difficult, yet potentially beneficial, for smallholder farmers. We hope the data collected through this study can be used to inform further research in this vein.
Whether or not one believes in no-till agriculture, we can all (hopefully) agree on the value and necessity of streamlining the collection of soil fertility data jointly with land management practices and geo-referenced socio-economic data, ideally via panel collection.