The workshop aimed to bring together conservation tillage practitioners, researchers, and extensionists, policy formulators and representatives from the private sector from various African countries, the Americas, Europe and New Zealand as well as representatives of donor and other international organisations. 

The objectives of the Workshop were to 

• Prepare steps leading to a regional conservation tillage by sharing regional and world-wide experience in conservation tillage and extracting lessons of possible relevance to small scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Create sustainable mechanisms (such as networks) for the follow-up of the action plan and the improved exchange of experiences in south-eastern Africa and with other regions;
• Develop guidelines for environmentally sound tillage practices for the protection of soils which could lead to the adoption of a code of conduct as a world-wide policy instrument in support of conservation tillage;

Expected Outputs 

The workshop was divided into two separate sections, the first an international workshop with about 80 participants, predominantly from Africa, but including a number of resource persons from other continents. 

Part I: Workshop on Conservation Tillage for Sustainable Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa 

• An inventory of technologies and approaches existing in different regions and countries;
• A list of factors affecting the success and failure of the spread of conservation tillage;
• A list of options for successful dissemination of conservation tillage;
• National and regional action plans.

Part II: Expert consultation on Guidelines for environmentally sound tillage practices for the protection of soils 

• Guidelines ("Code") for environmentally sound tillage practices for the protection of soil.

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