Conservation Agriculture

Conservation agriculture is a flexible approach to modern farming based on three key pillars:

• Minimum soil disturbance possible under given conditions, the ideal being to use no-till techniques for crop establishment
• Permanent plant or crop residue cover, eg spread straw or stubble, a cover crop, early drilling
• Crop rotations to increase soil fertility and reduce the need for fertilizer and crop protection inputs

Its aim is to ensure farming is profitable and sustainable, utilising modern technologies and traditional approaches as approriate to maximise food production while caring for the environment.

Conservation Agriculture in Europe is a book edited by Alan Baylis and produced by the SOWAP project, funded by the European Commission's Life programme.