Conservation agriculture: Winning the battle for livelihoods and the environment

Improving farm livelihoods is not just about better maize or wheat varieties. It is also about managing those crops in the most sustainable way. By reducing or eliminating tillage, retaining rational amounts of crop residues on fields, and practicing more diverse crop rotations, maize and wheat farmers in developing countries save money, water, and fuel; conserve or improve soil and system productivity; and cut emissions of greenhouse gases.

“This is your life,” says UP Singh, an agricultural scientist with Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, as he shows a farmer group the residue left on the ground from the previous crop. “You must leave it on the ground after you harvest to get the most benefit.”

Recent publications

Tropical and Subtropical Maize in Asia: Production Systems, Constraints, and Research Priorities

Report from the field: Wheat stem rust resistance screening at Njoro, Kenya
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