Conservation tillage: a viable option for sustainable agriculture in Eurasia

Abstract

Focussing on this situation a workshop on conservation tillage as viable option for sustainable agriculture in Eurasia has been jointly organized and carried out by the A.I. Baraev Kazakh Research Institute for Grain Farming in Shortandy, CIMMYT, FAO and ICARDA. The workshop was part of a process to develop and implement conservation tillage national action plans in selected Eurasian countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan). The workshop intended to bring together national stakeholders as well as potential conservation tillage experts from similar agro-ecosystems, especially from North America, donor countries and organizations, and agricultural research centers from various Eurasian Countries engaged in conservation tillage in order to identify needs, gaps and roles of partners and donors in the elaboration national conservation tillage action plans. Institutions from other countries interested in the workshop are also welcome to participate. The Workshop had the following objectives: Review successes and success factors, share national, regional and world-wide experiences; discuss lessons learned in promoting and supporting farmers' improvement of land productivity; and review and improve on processes leading to expanded national actions supporting the conservation tillage, for the predominant agricultural production systems in Eurasia; Strengthen and broaden partnership mechanisms supporting the implementation of the action plans and the exchange of experiences with on-going programs and activities among countries within Eurasia, with other regions and with donors and conservation tillage partners; Identify principles and approaches leading to policy, social, economic and institutional improvements facilitating the dissemination and adaptation of the conservation tillage leading to sustainable agriculture. The workshop objective where met producing following outputs: Common perspective and understanding of conservation tillage. Clear definition of roles (nationals, donors, international conservation tillage experts): who is doing what, when and where. Methods of conservation tillage developed or used by countries. Networking and partnership for conservation tillage co-ordination. The workshop was attended by senior representatives from each participating country, by representatives from donor countries, international experts, representatives from commercial companies and from international conservation tillage institutions. The workshop developed in sessions with presentations of papers about soil management problems and solutions. In separate workgroup sessions the information presented In the papers was then analyzed, problems, strategies and action plans developed.