Date Posted: November 23rd, 2009 Women farmers from the Guruve
district of northern Zimbabwe benefitted from learning the zero
tillage approach because it allows them to prepare land with
their own hands, rather than waiting to plough with cattle. The
zero tillage approach has other benefits as well. In fact, it is
one aspect of conservation agriculture – a set of practices
designed to counteract the environmentally-harmful effects of
some traditional agricultural practices. In particular, it aims
to prevent soil erosion and nutrient depletion. This story from
a past issue of FRW illustrates that conservation agriculture
also appeals to farmers as a way to reduce dependence on
chemical fertilizers and make fields more resilient to climatic
changes: “Southern Africa: Conservation methods help farmers
cope with climate change, high fertilizer costs” (FRW #35,
September 2008) There are three basic principles to conservation
agriculture: -Minimal soil disturbance. This usually means
reducing or ceasing mechanical