Low-input agriculture and soil conservation

Excerpt

Conservation tillage, which minimizes soil disturbance and maintains a cover of crop residue on the soil surface, has opened exciting opportunities for controlling soil erosion without expensive structural conservation measures. As originally conceived, conservation tillage, to a large extent, substituted chemicals for tillage practices.

Low-input farming systems, on the other hand, seek to minimize the use of “purchased inputs,” mainly the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and, consequently, may be thought to require more tillage and mechanical weed control than does conservation tillage. Low-input agriculture, therefore, may be considered incompatible with the most modern and, in many places, most effective soil conservation technology.

I was keenly aware of this conflict and, a few years ago, considered it inevitable. I believe now that low-input farming and soil conservation are not only compatible but actually mutually supportive. The successful marriage of the two approaches, however, will require a willingness to cooperate and, often, a willingness to change long-held beliefs for both soil conservationists and low-input farmers.

Some effective systems

Dick Thompson, the eminent practitioner of low-input farming in Boone County, Iowa, has convinced me that ways can be found to resolve the apparent …