Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - March 2026

The authors used a mobile, closed chamber system to determine soilborne, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rainfed, farmer-managed CA- and conventional agriculture (CONV), in northern Zimbabwe in on-farm sites that varied in soil fertility and environmental conditions. Field emissions were highest under
warm-moist conditions, which are prevailing for large
parts of the growing season. See the abstract for detailed results. They conclude that "the mitigation effects of CA are highly
site-specific and that CA management practices can have unexpected negative effects on GHG fluxes. The
unimodal rainfall distribution with a long dry winter
period of 7 months and recurrent dry spells in north-
ern Zimbabwe may prevent a net carbon sequestration
under CA management that would have occurred in
the humid tropics.

This is an interesting review of how Brazilian farmers moved from a tillage intensive farming system to one that used no-till, permanent soil cover, and rotations or conservation agriculture. In Brazil over 52 years, no-tillage systems (NTS) evolved allowing Brazil to move from a major importer of agricultural products to one of the largest producers and exporters globally. This paper reviews how this came about. It was spontaneous without any specific incentive program or policy. It was also because of the farming sector in Brazil who was responsible for this mobilization and sought alternatives that led to less impacting soil management allowing a more sustainable intensification of agriculture. The farmer sector included farmer organizations and companies responsible for supply of inputs and equipment suitable for seeding in no-till soil with permanent residue soil cover. Academia and research acted in the background at the strat but have now become more active. 

This paper suggests using DNA analysis to identify earthworm biodiversity. Earthworms are an important component of healthy, soil biodiversity. Traditional ways of identifying quantity and diversity is labor intensive and can only identify adult worms. This study used DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding using two different primer sets and next-generation sequencing, with earthworm hand-sorting from standard soil-pits in field planted for 3 years with grass-clover. The eDNA method found the same 8 earthworm species but was able to worm richness. The recommend using the eDNA method for better earthworm biodiversity monitoring.

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 literature review looked at SOC change in arid and semi-arid areas where cover crops, diversified rotations and reduced or no-tillage were used to find out the role of CA in SOC sequestration. The paper reviews published articles from 1990 to 2021for this review. Results showed that SOC sequestration of 271 kg C ha−1 yr−1 and 235 kg C ha−1 yr−1 with cover cropping and diverse crop rotation, respectively, in the upper 30 cm soil depth but the potential varied depending on soil type and tillage with medium textured soils having more SOC sequestration by 10% with conservation tillage than conventional till. They also found that SOC sequestration rate was high in the first 5 years and then decreased until reaching a new equilibrium. They conclude that conservation systems can benefit arid and semi-arid agrosystems by enhancing SOC sequestration and that stacked conservation practices could effectively harness greater benefits.

This paper looks at CA and its alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It lists SDG 2: Zero hunger; SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation; SDG 12: Responsible consumption and Production; SDG 13: Climate action; and SDG 15: Life and Land as being relevant. the author mentions that CA management principles help improve soil health, , nutrients, water management and biodiversity preservation. CA's resilience to climate change also supports food security. Reduced tillage and soil cover reduces soil  erosion that results in cleaner water and less sedimentation in water. The paper goes on to explain CA benefits for SDG 12, 13 and 15. The author concludes expansion of CA is essential for a sustainable and resilient future.

This paper looks at sustainable intensification systems that can help address hunger and malnutrition. It looks at dietary diversity in maize-based farming systems in Zambia and Zimbabwe. They surveyed 1124 households and explore pathways from intensification to dietary diversity. They found significant positive associations between the adoption of sustainable intensification practices (SIPs), such as minimum tillage, minimum tillage and crop rotation, and minimum tillage and intercrops and improved production and crop diversity and in turn, dietary diversity. But they conclude that these benefits depend on adoption of SIPS so there is a need to overcome the bottlenecks to adoption.

Despite substantial investment in research and extension programs and a growing understanding of the agronomic, economic and labor-saving benefits of Conservation Agriculture-based sustainable intensification (CASI), uptake remains limited in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia. This study explores farmer experiences and perspectives to establish why farmers choose not to implement CASI systems despite a strong body of recent scientific evidence establishing the benefits of them doing so. This paper provides suggestions for change in smallholder farming systems to promote the adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies in resource-poor smallholder contexts.

This book chapter reviews the various practices researched and recommended for farmers in eastern IndoGangetic Plains of India for sustainable intensification of rice based cropping systems grown in this part of India. Ca and direct seeded rice, zero-tilled rice, mechanically transplanting improved water use efficiency, soil health and system productivity. Increasing cropping intensity from one crop to 2 or 3 per year was also possible with diversification, using short duration rice varieties, climate resilient other crops  improved management practices and appropriate mechanization. Other practices including infrastructure for irrigation, storage, marketing, value chains, and efficient extension systems also need to be developed. Some important agronomic practices include integrated use of fertilizers, soil mulching, optimal use of irrigation water, robust seed systems, crop rotation, integrated weed management (introducing new molecules and promoting mechanical weeding), using an integrated farming system approach, and policy support for small and marginal households.

This paper looked at the impact of irrigation, , soil management and fertilizer used on N20 emissions in 3 growing seasons in Spain in a maize field. The three N-fertilizers were urea (U), ammonium nitrate (AN) and AN plus a nitrification inhibitor. There were two irrigation regimes -- 100 and 75% of demand and two soil management systems, CT and NT. More N20 occurred with the higher irrigation. NT was the best soil management for reducing N20 emissions using AN with a nitrification inhibitor and 75% irrigation.

This review article had 241 articles to assess Sustainable Intensification (SI) technologies within smallholder farms. It had multiple indicators and performance responses. Crop yields were the top indicator. It also assessed from limited articles soil C stocks, food security, gender, labor, and biodiversity. SI interventions only had positive responses in 70% of the observations. with adjacent research sites reporting contrasting results. Future studies need to be longer term and assess local adaptation.

This article quantifies the effect of Best Management Practices (BMPs) on crop productivity, income, water saving and water balance components and identifies gaps for future research by reviewing 108 published studies from South Asia. Adoption of conservation measures helped enhance crop yields by 200–1000 kg/ha, reduced cost of cultivation and enhanced incomes by US$ 10–200/ha/year. They also enabled annual water saving in the range of 50 mm to 300 mm by either conserving residual soil moisture or saving irrigation water resulting in enhanced water productivity. Direct seeding rice and laser leveling were effective in water saving and reducing costs of production. Rain water harvesting was also a valuable practice. They conclude that the review revealed the ample scope of integrating in situ and ex situ interventions to build system-level resilience in smallholder farming systems.

The report examines the utility of innovation platforms to improve the adoption of CA practices in South Asia and generate opportunities for rural micro-entrepreneurship in areas with high rates of poverty, small farm sizes and complex labour markets. The identified 37 villages in Nepal, Bangladesh and Eastern India with smallholder farmers and input and output suppliers. IPs were effective in developing trust in communities, among stakeholders, empowering rural youth and women through direct engagement. Ensuring strong ownership was key.

This paper describes conservation agriculture (CA) as a way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The authors suggest that "CA can prove to be a viable option for meeting the targets of the sustainable agenda. This practice supports environmental, social and economic justice, which creates a holistic developmental route that supports the burgeoning population." CA also reduces production costs that favors farmer adoption. However the paper concludes that "while CA demonstrates significant benefits across scales, its adoption remains constrained by socioeconomic factors and limited mechanization in the smallholder context. Advancing CA requires a multidisciplinary, participatory research paradigm coupled with policy support, institutional support and capacity building for 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 study is undertaken at the Ifugao Rice Terraces in the Philippines, an Agricultural Heritage system. They surveyed farmers in this region on the socio-demographic, environmental, and economic factors influencing the adoption and persistence of Environmental Conservation Agriculture (ECA). They found the shift to high-yielding rice in ECA led to a decline in the use of Tinawon rice, an important component of this Heritage site. They suggest it is important to balance modern practices with continued use of the traditional system to preserve biodiversity, soil health, and cultural identity. Climate change presents both challenges and opportunities for adaptation, making it essential to integrate traditional knowledge with modern techniques to build resilience. 

This article looks at regenerative agriculture, one of several sustainable narratives that have emerged as solutions for challenges facing agri-food systems. The paper uses 4 prominent narratives -- organic, CA, Sustainable intensification and agro-ecology -- and then discusses how RA fits in with these 4 narratives and what potential it has. They show that there are a number of differences and similarities that have coalesced to drive the emergence of RA. They suggest that regenerative agriculture risks inhibiting deeper agri-food system transformations that address both social and ecological challenges and is not the unifying sustainable agriculture narrative it claims to be. 

This paper looks at the issue of climate change affecting smallholder farmers in Southern Africa using long-term (LT) experiments on climate smart sustainable intensification practices. They assessed the response of different Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems across experiments as compared to conventional practices (CP) of varying experimental duration, established in trial locations of Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe under an increasingly variable climate. The goal was to identify cropping systems that can provide both short-term gains and longer-term sustainability. Their results showed that LT trends in yield were the result of many factors. The best yield gains ranged from +34 to 117% with the greatest yields in direct seeded, rotation systems. Rotations involving legumes were the most responsive to higher yields. CA yield gains increased over time compared to CP and were larger in low to moderate rainfall and well drained soils. 

This review paper from Bangladesh looks at the inclusion of legumes in rice based cropping systems where there is increased risk due to water, energy, labour and capital scarcity, which are exaggerated due to the effects of climate change. There is also a loss of soil health, groundwater depletion, and reduced water and land productivity that threatens food security. They suggest that CA with inclusion of legumes may be a solution. They list some of the benefits of including legumes in rice-based systems. They conclude that sustainability improvements can be made by researching the inclusion of legumes in rice systems of Bangladesh.

This editorial article discusses the crucial issue of future Global food security and the need increase production by 70% to feed the 9.7 billion people estimated to fed in 2050. An FAO publication estimated that 768 million people were hungry in 2021. The author also mentions that the issue is made more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic, regional conflicts, and global environmental changes affected by climate change. The paper discusses various needs to attain food security goals including management of soil resources by sustainable means, supply and integrated management of soil nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus for sustained crop yield, and promotion of conservation agriculture practices to protect the environment while increasing food production. Climate change such as severe drought and increased flooding poses a serious challenge to soil manage-ment, and farmers must adapt to these changing environmental conditions by adopting climate- smart soil management practices.

This study investigated various Climate Smart agriculture (CSA) practices on earthworms and soil physico-chemical properties in R-W systems in IGP area of South Asia using a 10 year established experiment. There were 5 scenarios with one the farmers practice (transplanted rice- tilled wheat) used to compare with the other 4 CSA ones. The other 4 CSA ones had rice-wheat-mungbean with flood irrigation (FI) and subsurface drip (SDI) and maize-wheat-mung bean with FI and SDI. Earthworms were absent from the check scenario whereas the 4 CSA scenarios over 10 years increased EW density and biomass. The maize based CSA's had more EW's than rice based ones and Drip systems had higher numbers than flooded treatments.  They conclude that CSA-based scenarios, in particular, maize-based scenarios using SDI, improved EWs' proliferation, SOC, and nutrients storage (in soil and EWC) and showed a better choice for the IGP farmers with respect to C sequestration, soil quality, and nutrient availability.

This Kenyan study looks at the ability of cowpeas intercropped with maize can fix nitrogen using the three CA principles -- NT, residue and rotation. The experiment had been running for 6 years before sampling and compared the CA with the CT treatment. They found that the number of nodules formed was greater in the CA treatment although not significant to the CT one. There was a difference between the monocrop and intercrop cowpea with about 3 times more yield in the monocrop, as expected. The highest %N was found in the monocropped cowpea but highest in the CA treatment in the intercropped cowpea. They conclude that more research is needed to look at the spatial dynamics of CA cowpea grown with maize.

This introductory chapter of the new book on CA in India writes about the importance of CA as one management system important for future sustainable production of food and agriculture globally. The indicate that CA is opening up ways of food production that are more profitable, improves livelihoods and enhances ecosystem services. They recommend CA needs to be promoted for the benefit of the farmer, wherever he or she may be farming, however poor or rich, small or large, as well for the society and the planet. All disciplines and people have a role to play because the option and opportunity, which we all must seize, is at the level of a paradigm change. The paper also provides data on the adoption of CA globally.

This paper starts by saying Green Revolution (GR) agriculture is faltering and needs to be replaced to meet the needs of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It describes the role of CA in accomplishing this goal. They explain that CA can raise productivity, reduce inputs, regenerate degraded land, reduce erosion, and improve the flow of ecosystem services and so contribute to several SDGs. It highlights that CA is spreading globally at an annual rate of about 10 mHa per year. In 2015-16 it was estimated to cover 180 Mha with 48% in the Global South. It further discusses what is needed for CA to contribute to SDGs to contribute to lasting  quality of human life and nature.

This discussion paper looks at the issue of land intensification or extensification through land sparing or or land sharing on biodiversity. The latter model and the issue of biodiversity is mainly driven by conservation ecologists, but this paper presents other issues overlooked by this simple either/or model from an agricultural scientist viewpoint who have practical experience of farming in many global farming systems. The authors raise two major limitations of this model above. that there are synergies between agriculture and biodiversity  that are often overlooked; and metrics that may be more important to farmers that are strongly associated with positive biodiversity outcomes. They conclude that what is needed is working together to identify viable solutions that increase yields and help with biodiversity conservation.