Conservation Tillage

Summary

The Run Tian Project enables smallholder farmers in the North China Plain to realize the economic and environmental benefits of no-till planting and straw management technology (straw throwing). With support from partners in the private sector, a non-governmental organization, a university and the government, the project establishes pilot demonstrations of conservation agriculture. Data on soil properties and wheat growth show that conservation tillage is profitable and environmentally friendly.

Challenge/Problem

Much of the recent growth in global crop yields can be attributed to the intensive use of land and inputs such as chemical fertilizers. Over time, this intensive usage has hurt agricultural ecosystems, resulting in soil degradation, water and air pollution, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. To stay within our planet’s limits, food production must enhance its sustainability while achieving a dual objective: meeting the needs of a growing population while minimizing impacts on the environment.

China’s agricultural production has made great contributions to ensuring food security in China and the world. However, extensive agricultural activities have generated great pressure on resources and the environment. To achieve a green transformation of agri-food systems, China will build 100 million mu (6.667 million hectares) of high-standard farmland during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). High standard farmland is an agricultural land improvement project that intends to make farmland concentrated, high-yielding, flat, and ecologically improved by upgrading farmland infrastructure. Employing conservation agriculture (CA) on this farmland is important for maintaining soil health while reducing energy use, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are few non-government projects that promote CA and help small farmers keep up with the green transformation.

Solution

To cope with the negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture, central and local governments in the North China Plain are promoting CA. The main CA technique promoted is conservation tillage, in which crop residues are spread over the soil surface. When applied properly, conservation tillage has economic, agronomic and environmental benefits. In support of this work, the Run Tian Project titled “Research and demonstration of conservation tillage technology for winter wheat in the North China Plain” has been planned for 2020 to 2024.

The Run Tian Project draws on the advantages of multiple project stakeholders, including the Nature Conservancy (TNC, an NGO), China Agricultural University (CAU), the Modern Agricultural Platform (MAP) of the Syngenta Group (a private business), and the Center of Agriculture Machinery Extension and Supervision and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (government agencies). With multiple stakeholders’ cooperation, two parallel measures are employed in the project.

First, conservation tillage is conducted in MAP farms for trials and demonstrations. To evaluate the economic and environmental benefits of conservation tillage, the project team at CAU are sampling MAP farms in four counties. In each county, three groups are sampled: one treatment group that uses conservation tillage and two control groups that use rotation tillage and rotary tillage, respectively.

Second, the project team designed a series of incentives to encourage local farmers to adopt conservation tillage. For example, MAP and TNC have held three field technical seminars, during which farmers were presented the benefits of conservation tillage. The project team will also carry out training programs to enable farmers to better understand and use conservation tillage. If farmers want to use conservation tillage, the project team will offer specialized assistance such as mechanical services as well. Moreover, the government may implement some policies (e.g. a subsidy for conservation tillage) to encourage more agricultural production toward CA.

Results

Conservation tillage reduces costs and increases production. With By reducing the number of machineries passes in the field by three to four times, the cost of inputs decreased by US$311 per hectare, and the average yield per hectare of winter wheat increased 510-780 kilograms in the four experimental counties. Coupled with the decline in costs, the average profit per hectare of wheat has increased by 3,000-3,300 yuan, a considerable growth.

Besides economic profitability, conservation tillage also leads to better soil health and water conservation capacity. Specifically, conservation tillage has reduced machinery operation on farmland by 70 per cent, which also limits soil disturbance and compaction. Additionally, by doubling the crop residue coverage so that 50-100 per cent of the soil surface is covered, conservation tillage enables soil to hold 5-10 per cent more water than it did under rotary tillage during prior drought seasons. Moreover, soil health and water conservation will benefit from crop residue coverage in the long run.

Lessons Learned/Potential for replication

The Run Tian project employs comprehensive measures such as demonstrations, trainings and incentive mechanisms to encourage farmers’ participation. By demonstrating the benefits of conservation tillage through field technology seminars, the project teams make clear to farmers how modern agriculture can benefit them.

The project benefits from the support of multiple stakeholders. By combining the efforts of an NGO, university, private business and government agencies, the project successfully spreads awareness of the benefits of straw mulching technology and other CA initiatives. The improved technology and advanced management practices are welcomed by smallholder farmers in the North China Plain, a region experiencing an outflow of the adult labour force.

Next Steps

In the near future, a more aggressive action plan for CA will be implemented in China, especially in Northeast China and the North China Plain, where the soil has been seriously degraded. More infrastructure (such as advanced machinery equipment) and incentive policies (such as subsidizing conservation tillage) will popularize CA among smallholder farmers. Given that the long-term success of conservation tillage will depend on farmers’ involvement, the preliminary exploration of Run Tian project offers valuable insights into leveraging small farmers’ participation in sustainable farming, both in China and in other countries with a similar background.