Despite several efforts for its dissemination, adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is low – causing some to wonder if an incremental approach for adoption of its three components would prove more effective. In this paper, we apply the endogenous switching regression model to a nationally representative sample of 1901 wheat fields in Morocco to analyze the impacts of partial or full adoption of all three components of the CA system. We also employ an ordered probit model to identify the determinants of partial and full adoption of CA. Model results show that adoption of the complete CA system leads to 307 kg/ha (35 %) higher yields, US$99/ha (44 %) higher gross margins, and 23 kg/capita/year (38 %) more consumption of wheat relative to the conventional system. Our results also show that adoption of only two principles of the CA system leads to higher benefits in all the livelihood indicators listed above compared to adoption of only one or none of the principles. Likewise, adoption of only one principle is more beneficial than the conventional system. Along with biophysical and environmental benefits documented elsewhere, our results demonstrate that the CA system can provide large economic, social, and food security benefits both at individual household and national levels. Therefore, wider diffusion of the full CA system involving zero tillage (ZT), crop rotation, and crop residue retention has potential to sustainably improve the viability of agriculture in the drylands of Morocco and other similar countries in the MENA region. Given that the CA system is complex and knowledge-intensive, transition from the conventional system to CA requires the following: (1) flexibility to let farmers incrementally adopt one or more of the CA components, learn at their own pace, use some of the benefits, and improve it over time to exploit the full potential of the CA system with close follow-up and technical support from experts and extension specialists; and (2) sustained policy and institutional supports that provide incentives for farmers to adopt and for the private sector to be actively involved, especially in service provision.

尽管在传播方面做了一些努力，但在中东和北非（MENA）地区采用保护性农业（CA）的比例很低，这使一些人怀疑采用增量方式采用其三个组成部分是否会更有效。在本文中，我们将内生转换回归模型应用于摩洛哥1901个麦田的全国代表性样本，以分析部分或全部采用CA系统的所有三个组成部分的影响。我们还采用有序的概率模型来确定部分和完全采用CA的决定因素。模型结果显示，采用完整的CA系统可提高单产307千克/公顷（35％），毛利润提高99美元/公顷（44％），人均小麦消费23千克/年（38％）相对于传统系统。我们的结果还表明，与仅采用一项原则或不采用一项原则相比，仅采用CA制度的两项原则可在上述所有民生指标中带来更高的收益。同样，仅采用一种原理比常规系统更有利。连同其他地方记录的生物物理和环境利益，我们的结果表明，CA系统可以在单个家庭和国家层面提供巨大的经济，社会和粮食安全利益。因此，包括零耕种（ZT），作物轮作和作物残渣保留在内的完整CA系统的广泛传播，有可能可持续改善摩洛哥干旱地区和中东和北非地区其他类似国家的农业生存能力。鉴于CA系统是复杂且知识密集的，从常规系统向CA过渡需要以下条件：（1）灵活性，让农民逐步采用一个或多个CA组件，按照自己的进度学习，利用一些收益，并随着时间的推移加以改进以充分利用全部潜力对CA系统进行评估，并得到专家和扩展专家的密切跟踪和技术支持；（2）持续的政策和体制支持，鼓励农民采用和鼓励私营部门积极参与，特别是在提供服务方面。并随着专家和扩展专家的密切跟进和技术支持，随着时间的推移加以改进，以充分利用CA系统的潜力；（2）持续的政策和体制支持，鼓励农民采用和鼓励私营部门积极参与，特别是在提供服务方面。并随着专家和扩展专家的密切跟进和技术支持，随着时间的推移加以改进，以充分利用CA系统的潜力；（2）持续的政策和体制支持，鼓励农民采用和鼓励私营部门积极参与，特别是在提供服务方面。