Technical guidelines - Conservation agriculture holds special promise for Africa, where farming communities face the problems of low yields, impoverished soils, lack of capital, and labour shortages brought on by the scourge of AIDS. It is a way to improve the livelihoods of millions of people and achieve sustainable agriculture over a wide area. Conservation agriculture is not a technology, but an approach to farming. It is based on three simple principles: * Disturb the soil as little as possible,* Keep the soil covered, and* Mix and rotate crops. Farmers can choose from many different technologies to do this. By applying theseprinciples, they can improve their...