What is Conservation Agriculture (CA)?
To be sustainable and economical, agriculture techniques should employ practices that use up few resources of labor, energy, chemicals, and use seeds from previously grown crops. CA is the use of all of these techniques in concert
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direct planting without plowing the ground (no-till)
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leaving old plant residue on the ground to decay and provide mulch
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mechanical weeding (organic growing) or minimal use of chemical weed killers
CA for the Smallholder Farmer (1-20 Acres - 1-8HA)
2 Wheel Tractors (2WTs)
2WTs aka power tillers, are replacing draft animals for seeding, weeding and hauling. They have Power Take-Offs (PTOs) and a range of accessories for other farm chores. Our pick is the Grillo D-85 2WT. The following links by Jeff Esdale provide the latest news on the fast changing world of 2WTs and accessories.
2 WHEEL TRACTOR NEWSLETTER
Seeders
Seeding with a hoe or rake can be backbraking and very time consuming. Using a jab-planter is less time-consuming and meters out seed and fertilizer together. Our pick however, is the Morrison riding seeder, that can be used in conjunction with a 2WT or draft animal. It combines the operations of brushing away or cutting old residue, opening the earth, planting, fertilizing and covering the seeds and does this as fast as a man could walk. In fact he stands on the press-wheel so he can ride.