Papers - This paper reviews (a) the principles that underpin conservation agriculture ecologically and operationally; (b) the potential benefits that can be harnessed through CA systems in the dry Mediterranean climate; (c) current status of adoption and spread of CA in the dry Mediterranean climate countries; and (d) opportunities for CA in the Central and West Asia and North Africa region.

Technical guidelines - Soil organic matter plays a crucial role in maintaining soil health and its productivity potential. However, most of the world’s agricultural soils have become depleted in organic matter compared with their state under natural vegetation. This isbecause the dominant form of agriculture is based on tillage, which accelerates the decomposition of soil organic matter.Tillage-based production systems should therefore be transformed so that the future production intensification can be achieved sustainably. Conservation Agriculture, a system avoiding or minimizing soil disturbance, combined with soil cover and crop diversification, is considered to be such sustainable production system. However, there appears to be certain degree of uncertainty about the role of Conservation Agriculture in...

Technical guidelines - ture global food security relies not only on high production and access to food but also on the need to address the destructive effects of current agricultural production systems on ecosystem services (Foresight, 2011) and increase the resilience of production systems to the effects of climate change. CA enables the sustainable intensification of agriculture by conserving and enhancing the quality of the soil, leading to higher yields and the protection of the local environment and ecosystem services. The present publication describes the experiences of introducing Conservation Agriculture as a concept for sustainable crop production intensification in farming communities of Karatu District, Tanzania. The case study explains the adoption processnad shows the...

Publications - This publication is an account of the technical developments in no tillage systems that took place in southern Brazil from the viewpoint of the principal actors in the process. Special emphasis is given to the mechanization of conservation agriculture, as it is in this area that the domestic agriculture machinery industry has played a key role adapting and developing indigenous technologies suited to different soil and climatic conditions as well as to the soil conservation management strategies preciced in the country. The ability to generate diverse, flexible and innovative technical solutions for different categories of farmers has put the agricultura...

Papers - The sustainability of agricultural production is regaining importance, particularly in view of the predicted population increase. Terms such as “sustainable production intensification” are widely discussed within the global development agenda. In the area of agricultural crop production one term – no-till – is leading to increased polemic and polarization of the parties. No-till or no-tillage describes a form of cropping which does not use mechanical tillage of the soil for crop establishment. Mechanical tillage, a standard operation in agriculture since ancient times, is mostly symbolized by the use of the plough. Where ever it has been practiced, it has led...