Promising CSA Technologies and Their Potential Impacts Jawoo Koo and Cindy Cox IFPRI

what is it? UREA DEEP PLACEMENT(UDP) Broadcast Urea --> Urea Supergranule (USG) USG planted between every 4 rice seedlings, 7-10 cm beneath soil surface

where is it? UREA DEEP PLACEMENT(UDP) Mostly lowland rice paddies Predominantly in Bangladesh (12% of irrigated rice crops) Relatively new in sub-Saharan Africa

where is it? UREA DEEP PLACEMENT(UDP) Soils throughout the rice growing region of Bangladesh are largely biophysically suitable for UDP (high clay content, non-acidic, heavy rains)

why is it important to production, CSA? UREA DEEP PLACEMENT(UDP)  it boils down to Nitrogen UDP increases Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) by rice plants and reduces fertilizer usage Lowers Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Nitrous Oxides (not Carbon) Reduces Nitrogen losses and Environmental pollution by Nutrient Contamination Where will all that Nitrogen end up?

what’s the downside? UREA DEEP PLACEMENT(UDP) labor intensive  suitable burial tools in development manufacture and supply chain of USG needed Biophysical requirements may restrict scalability (performs well in clayey, non-acidic soils, monsoon rains)

what is it? No-till Farming minimal soil disturbance retention of crop residues seeds planted directly into previous crop’s residue crop rotation also important

why is it important to production, CSA? No-till Farming  Because soil is vital to food production and the environment, and is a non-renewable resource.

why is it important to production, CSA? No-till Farming Conventional tillage degrades complex food webs and soil quality, leaves soils prone to erosion and is a major source of carbon loss. Sediments, nutrients, and particulate matter contaminate aquatic ecosystems and reduce air quality.

why is it important to production, CSA? No-till Farming No-till reduces erosion improves soil quality and structure, soil biota reduces evaporation of water, helps retain nutrients depending on rotation, no-till reduces greenhouse gas emissions of nitrous oxides increasing evidence suggests carbon stocks sequestered under no-till ultimately lost

how does if effect yields? No-till Farming Effects variable, depend on a range of location-specific variables such as weather and soil characteristics. Under some conditions such as dry or drought stressed, short-term productivity may even decrease under no-till while yields are more stable and improving in the long-term.

what’s the downside? No-till Farming possible medium-long term yield benefits obstacle for adoption, especially SSA ($$) carbon mitigation may not be substantial weed and emerging soil-borne pathogen problems specific to no- till trending reliance on herbicides and GMOs (controversial)

what is it? Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) water saving technology for lowland (paddy) rice farmers controlled irrigation rice fields alternately flooded and dried fields monitored via simple, perforated tube

what is it? Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) Soils are flooded to a depth of around 5cm at the time of flowering. When water levels dip 15cm below the soil, time to flood. Maintain water levels at 5cm to avoid yield declines!

where is it? Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) Asia, adopted widely in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Vietnam. Potential to improve farmers’ livelihoods (up to +38% in Bangladesh)

why is it important? Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) improves farmers’ livelihoods decreases costs of (water- related) inputs increases resilience to both price shocks (e.g., increased energy costs) and weather variability

why is it important to CSA? Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) Paddy rice cultivation is a primary source of non-CO 2 GHG emissions from the agriculture sector AWD widely accepted as climate-smart technology for its potential to significantly reduce methane emissions Yield increases negligible Flood waters high in methane; reduce unnecessary flooding

what’s the downside? Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) occasionally, rice productivity reduced if moisture stress condition is induced possible increase in nitrous oxide GHG emissions

what is it? INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT (ISFM) locally-adapted practices to increase soil productivity efficient use of nutrients characterized by the use of residues in combination with both synthetic fertilizers and organic inputs (e.g., animal manure and/or green manure)

why is it important to environment, CSA? ISFM improves resilience of soils and agricultural production to weather variability increases soil organic matter and soil organic carbon Improves soil health and fertility leading to increased yields

why is it important to environment, CSA? ISFM resilience to weather variability builds soil organic matter and soil organic carbon improves soil health and fertility leading to increased yields lowers potential for nitrogen leaching and greenhouse gas emissions, potentially increases soil carbon

what’s the downside? ISFM labor intensive availability of organic fertilizers nitrogen content goes down overtime