This working document describes a number of conservation tillage practices, which form part of what is called conservation farming. This information is also published on the FARMESA Website, and is related to the FARMESA Working Paper 98/5, "Conservation Farming Practices and Policies".

FARMESA co-sponsored the Conservation Tillage for Sustainable Agriculture Workshop, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 22-27 June 1998. The other sponsors were Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU), FAO (AGLS, AGSE), Italy, GTZ, Germany, Agricultural Research Council (ARC), South Africa, and Monsanto (see Proceedings, 1998). The FARMESA Programme asked five specialists from the five core countries to participate in the workshop, with the aim to gather information on technologies. The purpose was to feed-back this information into the ongoing work at the Farmesa Field Sites in two ways. First, by writing a paper before the workshop and directly reporting back to the Field Sites after the workshop on the potential for Conservation Tillage. These papers are presented in the mentioned paper 98/5. Second, by documenting improved soil and water management practices from any location which could be incorporated in the Farmesa Infobase and ultimately made available to the extension workers and farmers in the field sites. The descriptions in this paper are the result of that exercise.

This document was produced by FARMESA, as a contribution towards Objective 2 on the compilation, synthesis and dissemination of relevant national experiences. The conservation farming technologies described herein contribute to the following operational principles of the Programme: poverty alleviation, improved household food security, environmental enhancement, whole farm-household and systems orientations. Ultimately technologies such as these will lay the foundation for a productive and sustainable smallholder agriculture.

Thanks are due to the many scientists and extension workers who have contributed, directly and indirectly, to this working document.Their ideas stimulated the thinking of the FARMESA participants, Mssrs. Mulenga, Mwangi, Nyagumbo, Okurut and Shetto. Thanks also to Mr. Twomlow for commenting on early drafts. Mr. van Veenhuizen added an intensive effort for organization, synthesis and editing of this document.

It is hoped that this compilation of conservation farming practices will be of benefit to farmers and extension workers, especially in the FARMESA Field Sites. This is still seen as "work in progress". Therefore, the authors would welcome suggestions for corrections, completion of technology profiles, or addition of new technology profiles for this working document, (with correct source for citation), which should be directed to the FARMESA Programme Coordinator, Harare, Zimbabwe.

John Dixon

Programme Coordinator