Assessment of the sustainability of conservation agriculture cropping systems in Madagascar (Alaotra Lake) using MASC-Mada

Abstract

Evaluating cropping systems depends on the perspective and scale considered. An agronomic point of view is often considered with the assessment of the impacts of the cropping system at the field scale, or an economic point of view with the consequences of implementing a cropping system on the farm. Tools have been developed to enable a more integrative assessment of cropping systems. This is the case of the MASC1 model which, using multicriteria evaluation, estimates the sustainability of cropping systems from environmental, economic and social perspectives. MASC-Mada was developed specifically for upland cropping systems in Madagascar. It has been used to compare conservation agriculture cropping systems with conventional cropping systems. The results, confronted to the opinion of farmers, show that conservation agriculture systems are generally more sustainable than conventional systems but a mixed system combining the use of cover crops and less frequent tillage would better take social and economic aspects into account.