Soil degradation world-wide is a major reason for concern. FAO stresses the need for new concepts for soil conservation. Reduction of mechanical tillage and promotion of soil organic matter through permanent soil cover appear to be the most promising approach to reverse the soil degradation process and achieve a high agricultural production level on a truly sustainable basis. The approach has best been described as "conservation agriculture" and replaces mechanical soil tillage by "biological tillage".

Linking African and Brazilian Conservation Agriculture Equipment Manufacturers
The East African and Brazilian Conservation Agriculture Manufacturers' Trade Mission Workshop was held at the training centre of the Instituto Agrônomico do Paraná (IAPAR) in Londrina, Paraná, from 19 to 21 May 2008.
A CD-ROM containing Reports, Product lines and Workshop Presentations, was published and can be requested to ags-registry@fao.org, or fully browsed at:
www.act-africa.org/publication/LAB/index.html