No-Till Agriculture Hasn't Lived Up To The Promise
Friday, October 24, 2014 - 09:10
in Mathematics & Economics
No-till farming is prized by organic and conservation-minded farmers alike because it seeks a chemical-free management practice, avoiding conventional plowing and otherwise disturbing the soil. It sounds terrific but a new meta-analysis finds it is a lot more limited in value than believed. As the core principle of conservation agriculture, no-till has been promoted worldwide in an effort to sustainably meet global food demand. Results from 610 peer-reviewed studies say it isn't so. Instead, no-till often leads to yield declines compared to conventional tillage systems. read more