The focus of this chapter is threefold: (i) to describe the conservation agriculture (CA) system used by Total LandCare (TLC) with smallholder farmers in Malawi; (ii) to compare maize and groundnut yields under CA with conventional ridge tillage (CRT) in different parts of Malawi; and (iii) to...

The results of on-farm trials verified that conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) could be the suitable technology to cope with the challenges of improving food and nutrition security in the hill region of Nepal. Although CAPS did not increase the yields of individual crops, CAPS with...

This chapter presents the results of field studies conducted to determine the effect of tillage, intercropping and residue cover on crop productivity, profitability and soil fertility under tribal farming situations in Odisha, India. It was shown that intecropping maize and cowpea under minimum...

This paper presents the results of field studies conducted to assess the crop yield, system productivity, profitability and soil fertility of maize under the influence of different maize-based conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) in Odisha, India, during the rainy and post-rainy...

This chapter focuses on the identification of appropriate tillage methods applicable in Nepal to increase maize yields. The identification of the level and method of farmyard manure application beneficial in terms of soil health and maize production in this country is also discussed.

In the past four decades, more than 40 improved maize varieties, including hybrids and open-pollinated varieties, have been developed and released in Ethiopia by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. Most...

This chapter outlines established methods for the assessment of damage and losses caused by rodents to certain crops (rice, oil palms, coconuts, maize, sugarcane and cocoa) and stored products. The importance of damage assessment data in predicting the cost and benefits of implementing rodent...

This chapter presents the taxonomy, distribution, genetic diversity, disease symptoms, host range, transmission, economic importance, detection and control of Sugarcane mosaic virus which infects maize and sugarcane, as well as provide some insights into its evolution. Efforts to obtain resistance...

This chapter focuses on the impacts of climate change on intensive maize and wheat production systems. Some technologies to close the yield gap to achieve sustainable intensification are also discussed.

Water scarcity is one of the key problems in northern China. Efficient use and management of agricultural water resources is an important challenge in China's agricultural food production under a background of climate change. This chapter addresses issues of impacts of climate change and adaptation ...