Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Eastern and Southern Africa: evidence, lessons and imperatives for scaling up and out.

Abstract

Both field experiments and household analysis show that conservation agriculture (CA) can have a strong value proposition for farmers in terms of cost reduction, yield enhancement and risk mitigation. CA can contribute to the provision of eco-system services such as soil loss mitigation. To achieve CA, diffusion will require continuous demonstrations beyond experimental plots. The information delivery system for CA should involve government extension, innovation platforms and other information providers.