Promoting conservation agriculture through push-pull technology as an agroecological transition.

Abstract 
Low soil fertility, weeds, pests, and climatic change severely threaten crop productivity and agricultural 
sustainability, especially in SSA. Despite decades of research finding adequate technical solutions for most 
situations of food systems, the problem of low food productivity has persisted. In an effort to counter this, 
intensive agricultural systems have been mooted including the high application of agrochemicals to control 
weeds, and pests and increase production. However, these initiatives have not lasted beyond the project cycle 
and they have instigated land degradation through unsustainable practices. As a solution, conservation 
agricultural practices have been promoted among small-scale farmers. These practices focus on minimizing soil 
disturbance, crop diversification, and cover cropping. Push-pull technology is an aspect of conservation 
agriculture where intercropping a cereal crop with a repellent plant, such as desmodium and planting an 
attractive trap plant, such as brachiaria or Napier grass as a border crop around this intercrop. This paper aimed 
at reviewing existing literature to establish the linkage between conservation agriculture components, push-pull 
technology, and a sustainable agroecological transition. A list of questions directed the discussion where push
pull technology has been proven to be an aspect that promotes conservation agriculture. It has been able to 
increase crop yields, reduced tillage, established a cover crop on the farm, and further, PPT has a regenerative 
aspect through the integration of livestock husbandry providing organic manure that and together with the 
nitrogen fixation ability of the grass, improve soil fertility, conserved soil moisture, and reduce erosion. This 
reduces the use of inorganic input, and machinery making farming economical for small-holder farmers.