Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - April 2026

Andersson, Jens, and Shereen D'Souza. 2014. From adoption claims to understanding farmers and contexts: A literature review of Conservation Agriculture (CA) adoption among smallholder farmers in southern Africa. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 187: 116-132. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2013.08.008

This literature review of Conservation Agriculture (CA) adoption among smallholder farmers in southern Africa (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) analyses the historical background of the upsurge in CA promotion, the various definitions of CA that have emerged since the 1990s, the barriers to its adoption, as well as uptake figures and adoption studies. 

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Buffet, Howard. 2012. Conservation: Reaping the benefits of no-tillage farming. Nature 484: 455. doi:10.1038/484455a

Millions of growers, large and small, are reaping the benefits of no-tillage farming. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to protect and improve soil — a farmer's most precious asset. It builds soil fertility by increasing biological activity, reducing the need for fertilizers and minimizing their effects on the environment. It also reduces soil erosion, improves water quality, increases crop yields, helps to sequester carbon and reduces labour.

[freely available]

Pannell, David, et al. 2014. The farm-level economics of conservation agriculture for resource-poor farmers. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 187: 52-64. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2013.10.014

The paper reviews the farm-level economics of conservation agriculture (zero tillage, mulching and crop rotation). Key factors that would tend to discourage adoption in situations that otherwise look favourable include: the opportunity cost of crop residues for feed rather than mulch, the short-term reduction in yields under zero tillage plus mulching in some cases, combined with short planning horizons and/or high discount rates of farmers, farmer aversion to uncertainty, and constraints on the availability of land, labour and capital at key times of year. 

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