Opportunities and Challenges for Adopting Conservation Agriculture at Smallholder Farmer’s Level The case of Emba Alage, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

It is a common practice for farmers in Tigray to graze or remove all crop residues from their fields after harvest. This practice leaves the soil bare and susceptible to water and wind erosion. The top fertile soil is eroded over time leaving unfertile and degraded soil for crop production. There is also ample evidence that the currently used methods to grow crops are destroying the land and undermining the future. Conservation agriculture (CA) is considered as a best alternative for the conventional farming. Despite the obvious productivity, economic, environmental and social advantages and benefits of CA, adoption does not happen easily. There are good reasons for individual farmers not to adopt CA in her/his specific farm situation. The origin of the hurdles ranges from intellectual, social, financial, biophysical and technical, infrastructural to policy issues. Knowing the respective problems and challenges allows developing local specific viable strategies to overcome them. This study assessed the actual technical and social issues in the ground in order to identify the challenges and opportunities for adopting CA at small holder farmer’s level taking the case of Embalage Woreda. Embalage Woreda is purposely selected because the selected village farmers have some exposure to the partial practices of CA through a project. A total of 30 households about 20% selected from the village project participants. The main challenges which hinder the adoption of conservation agriculture identified from the individual interview, focus group and key informant discussion are lack of knowledge in CA at expertise and farmers level; belief of farmers on tillage, technical, social, financial and policy issues. Similarly, the major opportunities sort out are crisis during drought, increasing environmental concerns, rising input costs like fertilizer, challenges of climate change and technical potential for improvement.