Critical reflection on knowledge and narratives of conservation agriculture |
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| Institution: | 1. Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;2. Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia;3. Leuphana University of Lüneberg, Lüneberg, Germany;1. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Dhaka, Bangladesh;2. CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Brisbane, Australia;3. Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (UBKV), Pundibari, Coochbehar, West Bengal, India;4. Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India;5. Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Kathmandu, Nepal;6. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh;7. RDRS, Rangpur, Bangladesh;8. Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, Dinajpur, Bangladesh;9. ICAR-RCER, Patna, Bihar, India;10. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, El Batan, Texcoco, Mexico City, Mexico;11. Soils and Environment Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia;1. ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, India;2. ICAR- NationalInstitute of Biotic Stress Management, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India;3. Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University, USA;4. ICAR-Central Instituteof Cotton Research, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India;5. ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India;1. CIMMYT, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe;2. Total LandCare, P.O. Box 2440, Lilongwe, Malawi;1. Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway;2. Department of Soil Science, University of Zambia (UNZA), P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia;3. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark;4. Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, 0806 Oslo, Norway |
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| Abstract: | In the context of contemporary concerns about climate change and food security, Conservation Agriculture (CA) has emerged as a well-supported and central component of the agricultural sector development strategy across sub-Saharan Africa, including in Zambia, which is the focus of this paper. A variety of narratives about the benefits of CA over conventional agricultural systems underpin endeavours towards ‘scaling up’ CA and increasing rates of adoption amongst smallholder farmers nationwide. However, there is a knowledge politics underlying the translation of a weak evidence base around CA into persuasive narratives and financial and political support. In this paper, we trace the evolution of five narratives around CA in Zambia in relation to changing political agendas and the involvement of new public and private sector actors, and review the development of evidence bases and knowledge that support and challenge each of these narratives. We discuss the potential to open up space within this knowledge politics to alternative narratives and the contestation of the pervasive CA scaling up agenda. Critical reflection is essential to ensure that national and local evidence is more effectively used to guide national climate and agricultural policy developments and international donor initiatives. |
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| Keywords: | Climate-smart agriculture Scaling up Farming systems Politics Zambia Sub-Saharan Africa |
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