Conserving Agriculture

Conservation agriculture refers to a range of soil management practices that minimise effects on composition, structure and natural biodiversity and reduce erosion and degradation. It holds tremendous potential for all sizes of farms and agro-ecological systems, but its adoption is perhaps most urgently required by smallholder farmers, especially those facing acute labour shortages. It is a way to combine profitable agricultural production with environmental concerns and sustainability and it has been proven to work in a variety of agroecological zones and farming systems. The purpose of this book is to show how conserving agriculture can increase crop production while reducing erosion and reversing soil fertility decline, improving rural livelihoods and restoring the environment. It will serve as invaluable source of references to the scientists, students and teachers working in public and private sectors in the discipline of agriculture. Contents Chapter 1: Conservation Agriculture; Chapter 2: Adoption of Conservation Agriculture; Chapter 3: Conserving Agricultural Ecosystem; Chapter 4: Field Preparation and Planting; Chapter 5: Crops and Cropping Systems; Chapter 6: Soil-Water Conservation; Chapter 7: Organic Agriculture; Chapter 8: Sustainable Agriculture; Chapter 9: Agricultural Biodiversity; Chapter 10: Pesticides in Agriculture; Chapter 11: Chemicals and Food Safety; Chapter 12: Energy Function in Agriculture Sector; Chapter 13: Forestry; Chapter 14: World Fisheries; Chapter 15: Policy for Conservation Agriculture.