Conservation Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a farming system that can prevent losses of arable land while regenerating degraded lands. It promotes minimum soil disturbance (i.e. no-till farming), maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of plant species.

The first key principle in CA is practicing minimum soil disturbance which is essential to maintaining minerals within the soil, stopping erosion, and preventing water loss from occurring within the soil.

The principle of managing the top soil to create a permanent organic soil cover can allow for growth of organisms within the soil structure.

Tilling of soil can cause severe erosion and crusting which leads to a decrease in soil fertility.

CA has not spread as quickly as most conservationists would like.

No-till farming has caught on as a process that can save soil organic levels for a longer period and still allow the soil to be productive for longer periods.

Crop rotation can be used best as a disease control against other preferred crops.

Since agriculture is one of the most destructive forces against biodiversity, CA can change the way humans produce food and energy.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has determined that conservation agriculture (CA) has three key principles.

Minimum soil disturbance also conserves soil micro and macro-organism habitats that are commonly destroyed in conventional ploughing practices.

The breaking down of this mulch will produce a high organic matter level which will act as a fertilizer for the soil surface.

The process of CA takes time; when a producer first becomes a conservationist, the results can be a financial loss to them.

The first key principle in CA is practicing minimum soil disturbance which is essential to maintaining minerals within the soil, stopping erosion, and preventing water loss from occurring within the soil.

The first key principle in CA is practicing minimum soil disturbance which is essential to maintaining minerals within the soil, stopping erosion, and preventing water loss from occurring within the soil.

Within fields that are controlled by CA the producer will see an increase in organic matter.

The presence of mulching also reduce the velocity of runoff and the impact of rain drops thus reducing soil erosion and runoff.

The presence of mulching also reduce the velocity of runoff and the impact of rain drops

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a farming system that can prevent losses of arable land while regenerating degraded lands.

It promotes maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, and diversification of plant species.

It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production.

Soil interventions such as mechanical soil disturbance are reduced to an absolute minimum or avoided

It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production.

It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production.

CA facilitates good agronomy, such as timely operations, and improves overall land husbandry for rainfed and irrigated production.

Minimum soil disturbance refers to low disturbance no-tillage and direct seeding.

Rotation/association should involve at least 3 different crop species.