NO-TILLAGE FARMING FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT: LESSONS FROM THE 2000 BRAZIL STUDY TOUR

by Guy Evers and Astrid Agostini

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EXTRACT

1. In November 2000, the World Bank (WB) and the Brazilian Federation for Direct Planting into Crop Residue (FEBRAPDP) organized the third Study Tour on “Producer-Led Rural Organizations for Sustainable Land Management” (PRO-SLM), with particular emphasis on notillage systems (NT).1 The Study Tour followed a 10-day itinerary of over 1,000 km through Southern Brazil, covering Paraná and Santa Catarina States, two states which received WB support through land and micro-watershed management projects.

2. The schedule included field visits to large and small farms which were at various stages in the NT adoption process, as well as technical lectures and visits to research stations and demonstration plots. The emphasis of the tour programme was on farming methods, and the development and adaptation approach for small farmers. Throughout the trip, participants were accompanied by Brazilian researchers and extension workers who had played a significant part in the development and adaptation of NT in Brazil.

3. This Paper presents the salient features of NT development in Southern Brazil and discusses the lessons learned with special reference to the scope for adapting and developing such production systems to Africa, in line with the Better Land Husbandry approach advocated through the Soil Fertility Initiative (SFI) in several African countries.