Publisher's Synopsis
The last few decades have seen unprecedented advances in arable crop production over much of the tropics. The advances were based on the breeding of new varieties (of rice and wheat, in particular) which responded with high yields on good soils when provided with high levels of management and purchased inputs. However, the vast majority of farmers in the tropics farm poorer soils at subsistence levels, and cannot afford the inputs; nor are the fragile eco-systems upon which they exist conducive to such 'high input' technologies. The techniques of conservation farming have evolved primarily for these farmers. Through conserving the natural resources of the soil, its surface and sub-soil fertility, the water it receives from rainfall, and the natural recycling of forest vegetation, it aims to provide an essentially low-input but productive and self-sustaining system of farming. This guide is for conservation farming practitioners; for the farmer-trainer; the extensionist and others wishing to try for themselves these methods and techniques. It includes a full review of tropical farming, and the basic concepts which led to the development of the systems of conservation farming. The techniques and associated tools are then described in detail and will serve to support field training and to provide the technological background necessary to their better understanding.
