Conservation Agriculture
         Background: 
             Conservation Agriculture was originally developed to combat wind and soil erosion (Bavere et al. 2011) 
         Conservation Agriculture components:
             1. Reduced tillage systems
             2. Permanent soil cover or effective use of crop    rotations including cover crops and intercrops.
             3. Reducing the fallow period.
  Conservation Agriculture & GHG Mitigation
   Strategies:
    1. Enhancing soil C sequestration (aligns with the 
     4 per mil strategy, see Jean-Francois Soussana 
     presentation 197-2)
    2. Improving soil quality
    3. Increasing Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE)
    4. Increasing Water Use Efficiency (WUE)
  Conservation Agriculture & GHG Mitigation
  Factors Controlling Responses:
    1. Maximizing time period where growing crops are 
     taking up N (N synchronization)
    2. Minimizing tillage reduces decomposition rate of 
     crop residues & SOM
    3. Increasing Net Primary Productivity with soil and 
     climate appropriate conservation tillage practices.
  How can research help in refining mitigation 
  estimates?
  1.  Quantifying impacts of crop rotations, cover crops and 
   intercrops on GHG fluxes and SOC.
 2.  Assessing GHG outcomes following multi-intervention 
   management practices.
 3. Identifying alternative conservation
   tillage practices when problems 
   arise with no-tillage.
          Synthesis/Recommendations
  1.  Conservation agriculture has many attributes that can 
    use applied N more efficiently and reduce the risk of 
    high N O emissions.
         2
  2.Carbon sequestration can be increased 
    by extending the time crops are growing 
    on the land by using perennial crops,
    intercrops and cover crops. 
  3. There are research opportunities to overcome some of 
  the challenges with conservation agriculture.