Conservation Agriculture in the agri-environmental European context

Abstract

Conservation Agriculture is a real sustainable agricultural system, capable of providing solutions for most, if not all, of the agri-environmental challenges in Europe. Indeed, most of the challenges addressed in the Common Agriculture Policy could be faced through Conservation Agriculture. Not only the agri-environmental ones, but also those concerning farmer and rural communities' prosperity. The optimisation of inputs and similar yields than conventional tillage, make Conservation Agriculture a profitable system compared to the tillage-based agriculture. Whereas this sustainable agricultural system was conceived for protecting agricultural soils from its degradation, the numerous collateral benefits that emanate from soil conservation, i.e., climate change mitigation and adaptation, have raised Conservation Agriculture as one of the most studied global agrosciences, being adopted by an increasing number of farmers worldwide, including Europe.