The Road to the 8WCCA: Profitable and Sustainable Farming with Conservation Agriculture: The future of farming

The European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF), in collaboration with the 8WCCA Organizing Committee and under the patronage of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is organizing a series of events to highlight Conservation Agriculture.

Events being developed to highlight the 8WCCA theme and sub-themes include a series of webinars:

  • 8 October 2020: Profitable and Sustainable Farming with Conservation Agriculture: The future of Farming – Prof. Gottlieb Basch, President of the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF).
  • 22 October2020: Successful experiences and learnings from CA worldwide - Prof. Amir Kassam, University of Reading, UK.
  • 5 November 2020: Farm and ecosystem level benefits of CA systems to farmers, society and environment - Dr. Don Reicosky, retired Soil Scientist from the USDA-ARS, University of Minnesota, USA.
  • 19 November 2020: Mainstreaming of CA with national policy and institutional support and for global governance to support national and international needs and commitments – Mr. Tom Goddard, retired Senior Policy Advisor, Alberta, Canada.
  • 3 December 2020: Promoting CA-based knowledge and innovation systems and information sharing and communication – Dr. Rachid Mrabet, Research Director of INRA, Morocco.

Each webinar will be post here in advance so you can register and attend.

For more information, see the documents below.

Sign up and join us.

INVITATION TO 5TH WEBINAR: Promoting CA-based knowledge and innovation systems and information sharing and communication

A key area of continuing need in the transformation of tillage-based agriculture to Conservation Agriculture (CA) is the necessity to generate, organize, process, analyse and share knowledge and information regarding different CA farming systems that are adapted to the prevailing biophysical and socio-economic conditions. Reliable empirical and scientific evidence from knowledge and innovation systems are needed across the value chains and sectors related to management of CA systems to create awareness and understanding, formulate policies, provide institutional support and accelerate the spread of good quality CA systems.

This sub-theme presentation will focus on CA-related knowledge and innovation systems including farmer-based innovation systems, and on-farm systems research that are successfully supporting CA adoption and scaling, and the associated productivity, economic, environmental and social impacts. It will also elaborate CA-based knowledge sharing and communication approaches, including through social media, web-based interactive platforms, on-line learning and training resources, and farmer networks. The sub-theme will touch upon ways to meet knowledge and information needs of all CA stakeholders involved in promoting and supporting CA adoption and mainstreaming.

Promoting CA-based knowledge and innovation systems and information sharing and communication

Wednesday 16 December 2020 14:00-15:00hrs(Rome Time–CET)

(Please connect 10 minutes before the webinar starts to ensure the audio works properly)

Saidi Mkomwa is Executive Director of the African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT), a pan-African not-for-profit organization promoting sustainable agriculture based on Conservation Agriculture principles and practices complemented with sustainable agricultural mechanization and is the current Chairperson of the Conservation Agriculture Regional Working Group for Southern Africa (CARWG).

Under his leadership, ACT has widened its international and continental stakeholder membership through the first and second Africa congresses on Conservation agriculture who’s’ declarations resolved to broaden and prioritize the scope of interventions to include Policy, political commitment and leadership support; Private sector engagement; Training, extension, research and innovation; and Knowledge support. The ACT network has thus partnered and contributed to the continental agenda specifically on the Malabo Declaration and the Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Africa.

Saidi is current technical secretary of the International Conservation Agriculture Advisory Panel for Africa (ICAAP-Africa) and editor of the continental network CA news alert. He has published extensively on smallholder mechanization, Conservation Agriculture and entrepreneurship. He has presided over regional development projects in West Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa with support of development partners including AGRA, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, COMESA, European Union, FAO, IFAD and NORAD. Saidi holds an MSc in Engineering from the University of Guelph, Canada, and a BSc (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dar es salaam Tanzania.

Agenda

Moderator – Prof. Dr. Emilio Gonzalez-Sanchez (ECAF, ETSIAM-University of Cordoba, Spain)

  1. Introduction to the webinar– Prof. Dr. Emilio Gonzalez-Sanchez (ECAF, ETSIAM-University of Cordoba, Spain)
  2. Promoting CA-based knowledge and innovation systems and information sharing and communication - Mr. Saidi Mkomwa (Executive Director of the African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT)), Kenya
  3. Questions and answers
  4. Closing remarks–Josef Kienzle (FAO) and Gottlieb Basch (ECAF)

INVITATION TO 4TH WEBINAR: Mainstreaming of CA with national policy and institutional support and for global governance to support national and international needs and commitments

INVITATION TO 3RD WEBINAR: Farm and ecosystem level benefits of CA systems to farmers, society and environment

INVITATION TO 2ND WEBINAR: Successful experiences and learnings from CA worldwide

INVITATION TO 1ST WEBINAR: Profitable and Sustainable Farming with Conservation Agriculture: The future of Farming