The goal of conservation agriculture is to maintain and improve crop yields and resilience against drought and other hazards, while at the same time protecting and stimulating the biological functioning of the soil. Two essential features of conservation agriculture are no-tillage and the maintenance of a cover (live or dead vegetal material) on the soil surface. Crops are seeded or planted through this cover with special equipment.

However, although no-tillage is an essential feature of conservation agriculture, the use of no-tillage by itself does not qualify for conservation agriculture. As long as a farmer ploughs for at least one crop within the rotation or does not maintain a permanent soil cover, he does not practise conservation agriculture. The soil cover also inhibits the germination of many weed seeds, minimising weed competition with the crop. In the first few years, however, herbicide may still need to be applied, making a location-specific knowledge of weeds and herbicide application important. Conservation agriculture also involves planning crop sequences over several seasons, to minimise the build-up of pests or diseases and to optimise plant nutrient use by synergy between different crop types and by alternating shallow-rooting crops with deep-rooting ones. The continuous use of the cropland is allowed.