The 9th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture took place in Cape Town from 22 to 25 July 2024.
The event brought together farmers, scientists, academics, government officials, financial institutions, business people, NGOs and interested people from all around the world to share their experiences about what is fast becoming a revolution in the way food production systems are changing in response to unsustainable current and past farming practices.
Conservation agriculture is an overarching term encompassing certain foundational farming principles including minimum soil disturbance, constant cover-cropping, and crop and livestock rotation on farm land. The benefits of protecting and restoring soil health translates into ecosystems-wide benefits and truly sustainable farming for present and future generations.
The global uptake of conservation agriculture is increasing rapidly. South African farmers are on par with the global estimated uptake of 25% and by far leads the way on the African continent.
A lot can be done through conservation agriculture to lessen the harmful environmental impacts of our food production systems. An important lesson, as confirmed on numerous occasions throughout the congress, is for farmers to inform themselves and constantly learn from their own experiences and those of others around them.
Conservation agriculture is not without risk and requires a willingness to learn. An important common feature of the numerous examples where it is successfully being applied is active farmer involvement from the very outset of the conservation agriculture journey.
