Conserving Agriculture

Contents: Preface. 1. Conservation agriculture. 2. Adoption of conservation agriculture. 3. Conserving agricultural ecosystem. 4. Field preparation and planting. 5. Crops and cropping systems. 6. Soil-water conservation. 7. Organic agriculture. 8. Sustainable agriculture. 9. Agricultural biodiversity. 10. Pesticides in agriculture. 11. Chemicals and food safety. 12. Energy function in agriculture sector. 13. Forestry. 14. World fisheries. 15. Policy for conservation agriculture. Bibliography. Index.

"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 hold 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." (jacket)