000			04289nab|a22004457a|4500
001			67251
003			MX-TxCIM
005			20250815121412.0
008			202312s2023||||mx |||p|op||||00||0|eng|d
022			_a1742-1705
022			_a1742-1713 (Online)
024	8		_ahttps://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170523000510
040			_aMX-TxCIM
041			_aeng
100	1		_aThierfelder, C. _9877 _8INT2939 _gSustainable Agrifood Systems
245	1	0	_aUnanswered questions and unquestioned answers : _bthe challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa
260			_bCambridge University Press, _c2024. _aUnited Kingdom :
500			_aPeer review
500			_aOpen Access
520			_aProduction and utilization of crop residues as mulch and effective weed management are two central elements in the successful implementation of Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems in southern Africa. Yet, the challenges of crop residue availability for mulch or the difficulties in managing weed proliferation in CA systems are bigger than a micro-level focus on weeds and crop residues themselves. The bottlenecks are symptoms of broader systemic complications that cannot be resolved without appreciating the interactions between the current scientific understanding of CA and its application in smallholder systems, private incentives, social norms, institutions, and government policy. In this paper, we elucidate a series of areas that represent some unquestioned answers about chemical weed control and unanswered questions about how to maintain groundcover demanding more research along the natural and social sciences continuum. In some communities, traditional rules that allow free-range grazing of livestock after harvesting present a barrier in surface crop residue management. On the other hand, many of the communities either burn, remove, or incorporate the residues into the soil thus hindering the near-permanent soil cover required in CA systems. The lack of soil cover also means that weed management through soil mulch is unachievable. Herbicides are often a successful stopgap solution to weed control, but they are costly, and most farmers do not use them as recommended, which reduces efficacy. Besides, the use of herbicides can cause environmental hazards and may affect human health. Here, we suggest further assessment of the manipulation of crop competition, the use of vigorously growing cover crops, exploration of allelopathy, and use of microorganisms in managing weeds and reducing seed production to deplete the soil weed seed bank. We also suggest in situ production of plant biomass, use of unpalatable species for mulch generation and change of grazing by-laws towards a holistic management of pastures to reduce the competition for crop residues. However, these depend on the socio-economic status dynamics at farmer and community level.
546			_aText in English
597			_aClimate adaptation & mitigation _aEnvironmental health & biodiversity _aNutrition, health & food security _aPoverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs _bDiversification in East and Southern Africa _cSystems Transformation _cResilient Agrifood Systems _dAfrica RISING _dNORAD _uhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/139660
650		7	_aIntegrated crop-livestock systems _2AGROVOC _924461
650		7	_aCrop residues _2AGROVOC _91064
650		0	_aZero tillage _91754
650		7	_aSocial norms _2AGROVOC _933195
650		7	_aSustainable intensification _2AGROVOC _91355
650		7	_aWeed control _2AGROVOC _91308
651		7	_91954 _aSouthern Africa _2AGROVOC
700	1		_aMhlanga, B. _91683 _8001710048 _gSustainable Agrifood Systems
700	1		_aNgoma, H. _915771 _8001712572 _gSustainable Agrifood Systems
700	1		_aMarenya, P.P. _9787 _8I1705822 _gSustainable Agrifood Systems
700	7		_aMd Abdul Matin _93694 _8001712567 _gSustainable Agrifood Systems
700	1		_aTufa, A.H. _914336
700	1		_aAlene, A.D. _91532
700	1		_aChikoye, D. _96852
773	0		_tRenewable Agriculture and Food Systems _dUnited Kingdom : Cambridge University Press, 2024. _x1742-1705 _gv. 39, e7, p 1–16 _wG78991
856	4		_yOpen Access through DSpace _uhttps://hdl.handle.net/10883/23068
942			_cJA _n0 _2ddc
999			_c67251 _d67243