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Policy and Institutional Support for Conservation Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific Region

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Policy and Institutional Support for Conservation Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific Region Policy and Institutional Support for Conservation Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific Region Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia-Pacific (RAP) December 2013 Foreword FAO Regional Office for Asia-Pacific (FAO-RAP) in cooperation with the national institutions and counterparts in the Asia-Pacific region1 as well as international organizations including CIMMYT, ICARDA, ICRAF, CIRAD, SANREM and ACIAR organized a Regional Expert Consultation Workshop in collaboration with the Conservation Tillage Research Centre (CTRC), MoA, in Beijing, China, from 20 to 22 November 2013 to: (i) promote awareness of Save & Grow concept of FAO as a basis for sustainable production intensification, and of CA as an integral farming system component of Save & Grow; (ii) share experiences and knowledge on CA based on cases in the region and from outside; and (iii) promote the mainstreaming of CA as a basis for sustainable production intensification through policy and institutional support strategy. The Workshop was hosted by the China Agricultural University, Beijing. This working document includes the summary of the proceedings and outcome of the Workshop. The documents was reviewed and finalized taking into account the contributions made by the Workshop participants in general, and in particular the two Working Groups that reviewed the current status of CA in the region and suggested possible ways forward for the promotion of CA. The term “Save and Grow” comes from the title of a publication that was launched by FAO in July 2011 (FAO, 2011). It represents as “a new paradigm: sustainable crop production intensification, which produces more from the same area of land while conserving resources, reducing negative impacts on the environment and enhancing natural capital and the flow of ecosystem services.” While the publication is “A policymaker’s guide to the sustainable intensification of smallholder crop production”, the principles and concepts are scale neutral and apply to all ecologies where agriculture can be practiced. In the first edition of Save and Grow, the Foreword by the FAO Director General states: “The present paradigm of intensive crop production cannot meet the challenges of the new millennium. In order to grow, agriculture must learn to save. Consider, for example, the hidden cost of repeated ploughing. By disrupting soil structure, intensive tillage leads to loss of nutrients, moisture and productivity. More farmers could save natural resources, time and money if they adopted Conservation Agriculture (CA). It aims at sustainable production intensification that can enhance agricultural output and productivity as well as ecosystem services.” The Workshop recommended that: (a) an CA Alliance for Asia-Pacific (CAAAP) should be established with its Secretariat to be hosted initially at the Conservation Tillage Research Centre (CTRC), MoA, China; and (ii) the Alliance should facilitate the preparation and 1 Asia-Pacific region comprise of Iran, Afghanistan, countries of South Asia, South-east Asia and East Asia, and the South Pacific Islands. iii implementation of a Business Plan for CAAAP to promote the mainstreaming of sustainable production intensification through CA at the national and regional level, involving a multi- stakeholder partnership strategy. Given the heterogeneous nature of the land resource base, agricultural production systems, socio-economic condition, limited but growing experiential and research knowledge about CA in the Asia-Pacific region, CAAAP should develop a broad regional strategy for the promotion of CA, and facilitate the development of individual sets of policy support guidelines for each country in the region, as well as country-specific CA development strategies and action plans. Consequently, this document should be seen as a first step in the process of formulating country-specific policy guidelines, institutional strategies and action plans for the promotion of CA in the Asia-Pacific region. Many individuals including the Workshop participants and the CTRC team helped, directly and indirectly, in compiling this working document which was overseen by Amir Kassam with support from Li Hongwen. Special thanks are expressed to them all. Yuji Niino, Li Hongwen and Amir Kassam, with support from Theodor Friedrich and Josef Kienzle as well as staff from FAO-RAP and CTRC helped in the organization and administration of the Workshop. Sincere thanks are expressed for their many contributions and support. Grateful thanks are also expressed to CTRC and to College of Engineering of CAU for providing the facilities and logistical support for the Workshop, to CAU President KE Bingsheng, CAU Vice president WANG Tao and Mr. Percy Misika, FAO Representative for China, DPR Korea and Mongolia, for their support and personal involvement at the workshop. The guidance and support rendered by China Ministry of Agriculture (the Department of Agricultural Mechanization Management and the Department of International Cooperation) is highly appreciated. Dr. Hiroyuki Konuma Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand iv Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................ iii Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................. viii 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Policy and Institutional Support Opportunities for Conservation Agriculture in Asia-Pacific ........ 5 3. Proceedings of the Regional Expert Consultation Workshop on CA Policy and Institutional Support ................................................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Opening Ceremony ................................................................................................................. 9 3.2 CA Status in Asia-Pacific region at the national and regional/sub-regional level ................. 10 3.2.1 “Save and Grow” and the Status of Conservation Agriculture in the world ................. 10 3.2.2 Status of Conservation Agriculture in China ................................................................. 12 3.2.3 Industry and Agriculture Sector of Mongolia ................................................................ 13 3.2.4 Status of Conservation Agriculture in India .................................................................. 13 3.2.5 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Vietnam............................................................. 14 3.2.6 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Cambodia .......................................................... 15 3.2.7 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Laos ................................................................... 16 3.2.8 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Philippines ......................................................... 17 3.2.9 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Indonesia .......................................................... 17 3.2.10 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Malaysia ............................................................ 17 3.2.11 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Timor-Leste ....................................................... 18 3.2.12 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Thailand ............................................................ 18 3.2.13 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh ........................................................ 18 3.2.14 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Pakistan ............................................................. 19 3.2.15 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Sri Lanka ............................................................ 19 3.2.16 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Australia/Asia .................................................... 19 3.2.17 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Central Asia ....................................................... 20 3.2.18 Status of Conservation Agriculture in Southeast Asia .................................................. 20 3.2.19 Status of Conservation Agriculture in South Asia ......................................................... 21 3.2.20 Conservation Agriculture by CIMMYT in Asia ............................................................... 21 3.3 Working Groups to review and discuss possible guideline for policy and strategy for promotion of CA ................................................................................................................................ 22 3.4 Workshop Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 24 4. Policy and Institutional Support Implications for Conservation Agriculture ................................ 26 4.1 Adoption and uptake of CA ................................................................................................... 26 v 4.2 Necessary conditions for the CA adoption ........................................................................... 27 4.2.1 Reliable local individual and institutional champions ................................................... 27 4.2.2 Dynamic institutional capacity to support CA ..............................................................
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