Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - April 2026

Agriculture in Moldova in Europe is affected by climate change, market issues and costlier input costs. This paper looks at the a comparison of CA and conventional methods in regards to economic efficiency of their main field crops: wheat, barley, maize, rapeseed, and sunflowers. Their results have significant benefits for CA in terms of profits and better use of natural resources. They collected data from 25 suitable farms from 2020-2024 and the results show CA improves profits, reduces fuel use and mechanical operations resulting in lower costs, better yield stability when drought is an issue. They conclude that the adoption of CA by farmers would help farmers address climate risks and improve their efficiency in use of natural resources in this country.

This paper looks at smallholder farmers issues with tractor mechanization using a survey of 208 farmers, 18 focus groups and 28 key informants in 3 Districts of Zambia. Issues looked included adoption, preferences for ownership, and financing. Tractor ownership revolves around improvement in productivity but also income generation from service provision to other farmers tied to better timing and narrowing planting windows. Differences in gender affect ownership with males preferring individual ownership and females prefer group ownership. Incentives for ownership were best for risk-contingent credit especially if bundled with repair insurance. Barriers to adoption included high maintenance costs' poor access to spare parts and financial issues. They conclude that "successful interventions must be flexible, gender-responsive and tailored to the local context." 

This paper from Iran explores the factors that are responsible for adoption of CA in Iran since they suggest this system is important for environmental sustainability and resilience. They show it helps reverse soil degradation by improving moisture retention and increasing soil organic matter. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using structural equation modeling. They conclude that "attitude and self-efficacy emerged as the most significant determinants influencing farmers' decisions to adopt CA. The information will provide valuable recommendations  for policy makers hoping to promote CA. 

This article from NW Vietnam looks at how CA practices (CAPs) can be adopted to overcome the problems associated with conventional agriculture in this region that has resulted in soil degradation because of intensive tillage and intensive use of chemical fertilizers without adding organic matter. They surveyed 400 maize-farming households. Their analysis shows "that the joint adoption of CAPs is facilitated by education of the household heads, total farmland area, farmers’ access to credit, interactions with extension agents, training on CAPs, proximity to cooperatives, participation in farmers' groups, and plot-specific characteristics." Adoption of CAPs leads to better maize yields and net incomes, especially when all aspects of CA are adopted.  

This paper looks at the impact of CA in an Ethiopian district on crop productivity using cross-sectional household data from 322 subjects in two agro-ecological zones. There were 168 CA and 154 non-CA farmers. The project's findings highlighted the need for policies that support and enable a more frequent and successfully established communication link between farmers with agricultural experts at the regional, zonal, and district levels, as well as agricultural extension personnel at the local level. There is a need to adopt crop and soil management systems on farmland,that results in improved soil quality consistently for improved crop productivity.

Despite CA being promoted and a possible solution for food insecurity resulting from climate shocks and soil degradation, adoption in Malawi is still low. This paper looked at social capital as a way of approving adoption. The interviewed 1512 smallholder farmers to find out how different social capital elements influenced farmer decisions to adopt CA. Factors that positively affected adoption were group membership, relations with leadership, land size, extension services, livestock ownership, and available credit. Full adoption of CA was limited compared to partial adoption. They conclude that better policy is needed to promote farmer organizations, community engagement, and training programs to enhance adoption.

This paper explored farmer perspectives on adoption of CA in Nepal using a survey with key informant interviews and onsite observations. The paper highlights the economic, environmental, and social pillars of CA’s sustainability. They mention the importance of economic viability for farmers but also positive factors such as increased agriculture-related income, favorable prices, and sustainable productivity that shape farmers’ perceptions. Farmers view environmental sustainability by prioritizing and enhancing the local and global environment, viewing their farming methods as climate-smart and actively working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They conclude that strategic communication is needed to effectively convey the benefits of CA to rural communities.

This paper from Italy is designed to better understand the relationship between soil organic matter (SOM) and the main farming systems found in the Po Valley of Italy. They developed a dataset of topsoil (0-20cm) SOM together with environmental and farming information collected from 597 locations (145 fields and 62 farms). Higher SOM contents were detected in Cambisols (3.11 %) and in field managed according conservation agriculture practices (3.22 %) as compared to other farming systems. Results also showed that the inclusion of fodder crops in the rotation and the use of no-tillage were two of the most effective practices for increasing and preserving SOM. 

This paper from Belgium attempts to identify and categorize the diversity of CA practices (the 3 pillars of CA)  implemented by a sample of 48 farmers. Their results show 3 explanatory factors that influence adoption. The proportion of tillage-intensive crops; temporary grasslands in the rotation; and organic certification. These 3 factors lead to tradeoffs that hinder adoption of the 3 pillars of CA simultaneously.

This study explores the experiences and perspectives of smallholder farmers from 6 locations in the Eastern Gangetic Plains where promotional activities since 2013 were part of a "Sustainable and Resilient farming system intensification". There were 3 locations in India, two in Bangladesh and one in Nepal. After coding of data from semi-structured interviews with 44 experimenting farmers and 38 interested non-users, ten common themes emerged that explain why farmers stagnate in their adoption process for CA. Seven of the ten themes were non-specific to CASI and would constraint promotion and uptake of any agri-system change. 4 factors are used in this study to address agricultural change for smallholder farmers; targeting, training, targeted incentives, and time. They conclude that there is a need for a stronger focus on enabling environments rather than technological performance evaluations generically, if promotional efforts are to be successful and emerging sustainable intensification technologies are to be adopted by smallholder farmers.

This paper looks at farmer strategies for future climate variability and climate change in Tanzania. They used a cross-sectional research design in a survey of a random sample of 330 small-scale farmers. The results show that farmers use a number of strategies, but 4 key adaptation strategies - drought resistant varieties, earlier maturing varieties, resistant livestock breeds and conservation agriculture (CA) - emerged. Farmers also used more then one strategy with choice determined by multiple factors. The paper categorizes the factor into 4 groups that in summary include individual farmer/household; farm characteristics; institutional factors and; local knowledge. They suggest these factors should be available for policy development.

This study looks at the willingness of Canadian farmers in Quebec to accept compensation (WTA) fr adopting a direct seeding, mulch based cropping system (another name for CA?) (DMC). Their results show that their famers would demand 161 C$/ha to convert to DMC although they are only willing to convert 25% of their farm to DMC. I wonder if compensation payments to encourage farmers to adopt DMC is a good idea, but the paper discusses to reasons for reluctance or choice to do so. They end that more research is needed.

This article looks at the factors that influence the adoption of conservation tillage in South Dakota. They surveyed 486 commodity crop farming operations. A modified application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) including controls for socioeconomic and demographic indicators is used to understand farmers’ current usage of CT. Results show that three constructs of the TPB—attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—are positively and significantly correlated with the adoption of CT. Binary logistic regression models also show that attitude and perceived behavioral control are related to farmers’ likelihood of adopting CT. Farm size and farmers’ level of education were also positively associated with CT adoption.

This article from China looks at the impact of adoption of CA on income. They surveyed 922 households in 5 provinces in 2023. The income effects vary by the adoption status of different CA practices. Farmer time allocation affects CA technologies adoption. Farm work is the main mediating variable, while off-farm work plays a moderating role between the yield effect and income. They write "The complex technology adoption chain inhibits farmers from increasing production and income, while the farmers' jobs in the non-agricultural sector have reduced this impact to a certain extent." They suggest that policies need to enhance technical training for farmers, improve markets, and provide more mechanized services in order to increase adoption.

Food security is a challenge in Malawi where agriculture is crucial for livelihoods and rural development. This paper looks at the diversity of different CA systems adopted by rural farmers a District in Malawi. 390 farmers were surveyed who had adopted CA in some form. 97% of these farmers were aware of CA, but adoption rates were much lower because of high labor costs and limited resources. Intercropping was used by 37% of farmers and 30% used manure. Mulching and mixed cropping had low adoption rates. They concluded that "to enhance the adoption of these technologies, it is recommended that strategies be developed to address labour and resource limitations, including context-appropriate training programs, resource enhancement initiatives, and targeted promotional efforts focused on local farming systems.

This paper from Rwanda looks at the low yields of maize, a critical staple crop in this country. The study evaluates the agronomic and economic results of CA compared to conventional systems (CT) by interviewing 222 farms in dry areas of Eastern Rwanda. They found that CA farmers incurred higher total production costs, particularly for fertilizers, seeds, weeding, and irrigation, while CT farmers had significantly higher land preparation costs. But CA achieved 40% higher net profit, 20% higher maize yields, and higher P use efficiency compared to CT. They identified irrigation frequency, seed rate, and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer application as key determinants of maize yield using CA compared to CT. 

Nepal agriculture is challenged by environmental degradation, labor shortages, and increasing feminization of farming as a result of male outmigration. CA offers a solution but adoption needs to increase. This paper examines issues related to adoption CA as more women become empowered in agriculture. The surveyed 383 farmers across 3 Districts and found that 73% of respondents were willing to adopt CA because of climate concerns, economic incentives and market access. They believe that CA enhances sustainability, resilience, and income are also more likely to engage, while market dissatisfaction presents a challenge. Getting subsidies is associated with adoption of CA. Barriers for women include household responsibilities, lack of education and training, and limited financial access. They conclude that targeted policies, institutional support, and market-based incentives are essential for increasing adoption by women farmers. 

This paper from Uganda looks at the adoption of sustainable agricultural intensification practices (SAIPs) recommended for smallholder farmers.320 maize farmers were interviewed in 2 Districts. Results showed that improved maize varieties, conservation tillage, legume intercrop, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), and integrated pest management (IPM) were adopted by 58, 36, 44, 52, and 56% of the farmers. Institutional factors were significant predictors of adoption. Socioeconomic factors only positively influenced adoption intensity for SAIPs. Two policy recommendations were to strengthen agricultural extension and promote the use of village level credit services to enhance adoption.

This article from Ghana looks at the effect of CA adoption by smallholder maize farmers of their food security. 400 farmers were selected that had been introduced to CA. The findings of the study show that crop rotation, row planting, fertilizer application, improved seeds and cover cropping were the CA practices often implemented by the farmers. The main issue highlighted by these farmers was poor access to credit for applying CA but CA did improve their food security.

This study from Tanzania looks at farmer strategies for adaptation to climate change. They surveyed 330 smallholder farmers. It was found that farmers have a number of strategies but the following 4 were key ones: drought resistant varieties, early maturing ones, resistant livestock breeds and conservation agriculture, with farmers choosing more then just one. The paper also categorizes the samples into 4 groups taht you can find in the paper. The conclude that these factors need to be considered in any policy decisions to ensure better adoption and adaptation strategies.

This paper looks at the issue of residue burning in the rice-wheat areas of the Indo Gangetic Plains of India. This is an easy way for farmers to handle rice residue problems before planting wheat, but it has negative impacts on air pollution and GHG emissions. The authors analyzed data from 60 focused group discussions and 24 interviews with farmers and key stakeholders involved with agriculture to get perspectives on crop residue burning (CRB). The people surveyed highlighted the diversity of machinery used in this cropping system and identified the time from rice harvest to wheat planting to implement CR management.Farmers mentioned a mistrust and uncertainty of incentives  for no-burn CRM and access to no-burn technology and equipment.

This paper that includes authors from many European countries as part of the European Joint Programme for SOIL that identified 12 main soil challenges in Europe. This paper assesses the potential of various soil improving practices in terms of adoption, socio-technical barriers to adoption, and biophysical limits. 53 soil improving practices were identified. They used CA as an example they found several factors that hinder adoption including knowledge, adequate machinery, financial risks, and farming traditions. Using a models they estimated that 54% of arable land in Europe is suitable for cover cropping. They conclude that in order for soil challenges to be resolves, socio-technical and biophysical constraints to adoption need to be overcome.

This paper looks at the potential and eligibility of CA practices to get carbon credit generation in India. They used farmer surveys and remote sensing data for this research. They also used various additionality conditions in their assessment. Their results show that CA does have the potential to increase farmers' carbon credit earnings. They discuss Punjab's ban on residue burning affects on carbon credits and suggests a 60% increase in carbon prices are required to encourage more adoption of CA. 

This paper explores the performance of cropping systems with different legume diversity on maize productivity in Zambia and determine the minimum land required to reach maize self sufficiency at the household level using the different systems. Six maize-based cropping systems, comprising maize monocropping, maize-legume rotations and intercrops under ‘conventional’ tillage and conservation agriculture, were evaluated across 40 farms in Zambia. The results are provided in this paper. They conclude that introducing legumes into their maize systems can increase yields of maize and intercropping legumes can be used in land restricted farms.

Sentinel sites that had promoted CA for a long time were used in this paper. The paper attempted to understand what led to the success of CA adoption. They surveyed 620 farmers in Malawi divided into two groups ; those who had contact with host farmers and a control group. Almost a third of the farmers in both groups adopted full CA over a 2-year period, but 57% of the farmers in the treatment area adopted full CA but on 7% in the control group. However, fewer farmers adopted CA for a longer period even in the treatment areas with some dis-adoption. The key adoption factors in the sentinel sites include the availability of training, dedicated longer-term extension support coupled with farmer experiential learning through demonstration plots managed by host farmers. This peer to peer learning over time is critical for sustained adoption.