There is a need to investigate and identify locally available organic substrates with acidifying potential, which can be used as an additive in rock phosphate (RP)-organic material composting mixtures. This paper reviews attempts to increase P availability in the context of smallholder, low-input and organic farming, and presents a case study from Central India that used a participatory approach to address P deficiency issues in cotton-based organic systems. Study was conducted from 2010 to 2014 through 61 on-farm trials and investigated the agronomic effectiveness of buttermilk-acidulated RP compost. The application of buttermilk-acidulated RP manure resulted in higher yields of cotton in all field trials and higher yields of soybean in all but one field trials. While on majority of the farms (18 out of 28), wheat yields increased with the application of buttermilk-acidulated RP compost, a quarter of the field trials (7 out of 28) exhibited yields lower than farmers’ practices. The study showed that it was possible to develop a locally adoptable solution to an agronomic constraint using locally available resources including the indigenous knowhow. Buttermilk proved to be an effective acidulating agent that can be added to RP-amended compost.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is the key agricultural soil management approach for Mediterranean rainfed systems facing extreme droughts and soil degradation. Yet, CA uptake and applicability is still marginal and disputed in the Mediterranean region, where smallholder farmers are most representative. Lack of widespread adoption of CA in the Mediterranean region despite international efforts is perplexing. In order to investigate this paradox and provide solutions, we set out to examine the perceived constraints to CA implementation among farmers and stakeholders. Our approach is based on systems analysis of Mediterranean grain production systems, considering plant and livestock production, as well as sustainability and social-ecological interactions. CA promotion efforts are rarely adapted to the context of the Mediterranean region. We argue for adopting a more pragmatic and flexible approach to CA. Such an approach should be based on site-specific bio-physical and sociocultural considerations and augmented with principles of agroecology. Our review of perceived constraints allows us to suggest five pathways that could promote CA adoption in the Mediterranean across two main areas: (i) introduction of flexible, context-specific technical solutions and (ii) change of social perceptions and literacy on soil. Our five pathways aim to enhance farmers’ resilience to challenges of climate and market shocks, while integrating agroecological principles that enhance ecosystem multifunctionality. We advocate using agroecological principles to enable a more pragmatic application of CA with respect to its strict application—such as continuous no-till—to rehabilitate degraded lands, to increase water use efficiency, and to improve food security and economic well-being of communities in the Mediterranean region.

1. In the Mediterranean region, agriculture is the dominant land use and a major source of income for rural people (Iglesias et al., 2011). However, climate change poses a major risk for the Medite...

Parkland systems in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa are commonly perceived as a resilient agroforestry practice well adapted to the semi-arid climatic conditions of the region. However, there exist several knowledge gaps regarding the interplay between the different components of this agro-silvopastoral land use system. A literature review with subsequent meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of woody perennials on soil, crops and livestock, for which our study found very context-specific responses. A scoring of tree and shrub species indicated a general trend of trade-off between positive impact on crops and livestock vs. impact on soil organic carbon content. The study further confirmed that Faidherbia albida (Del.) Chev. is one of the most promising parkland species, but also revealed that there are no multipurpose single species that should be promoted exclusively. The focus should rather shift to species mixtures that satisfy multiple human and environmental needs. The study also pointed out that information on the nutritional properties of the majority of browse species is particularly limited. Transdisciplinary modelling is suggested as a tool to assess the complex interactions between the different components that shape this agro-silvopastoral system at different scales.

Conservation Agriculture is a farming system based on no mechanical soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop diversification. A study was carried out in an on-farm field trial set up in Meknes (Morocco) under a long-term no-till (NT) system to evaluate the residual effect of one-time occasional tillage (OT) on crop performance, soil water, and water-use efficiency (WUE) one and two years after OT implementation. Shallow and deep options of OT were compared with common NT practices (with crop residue retention and with crop residue removal) for two consecutive seasons of 2021–2022 (year 1) and 2022–2023 (year 2). The four tillage practices were implemented in November 2020. Three crops were studied each year: durum wheat (Triticum durum), faba bean (Vicia faba minor), and chickpea (Cicer arietinum) all grown under NT in both the years and arranged in four crop rotations. Our findings show that grain yield of wheat and chickpea was negatively affected by OT for all years considered. In wheat, there was a grain yield loss of 18 and 20% for shallow and deep OT, respectively compared to NT with crop residue retention. In chickpea, the grain yield loss was as high as 47 and 49% for shallow and deep OT, respectively. Average soil water storage measured at 0–60 cm at sowing was also lower in deep OT (133 mm) compared to NT with crop residue retention (151 mm) for all years and rotations considered. Yet, in wheat year 1, deep OT slightly improved soil water content at 30 cm depth compared to NT treatments. The comparison of WUE between treatments showed that, under NT with crop residue retention, the crops produced more grain and aboveground biomass per mm of water. Wheat/faba bean rotation had a greater grain yield and WUE (all years considered) and overall greater soil water content (year 1), compared to the wheat/chickpea rotation. The results suggest that the effects of OT on crop performance and water productivity in the short term can be adverse. On the other hand, grain yield of wheat can be improved by a judicious choice of legume to be used as a preceding crop.