Conservation technologies enabled by plant science are widely used to support sustainable agricultural production. Plant science technologies increasingly contribute to the enhancement and preservation of natural resources globally. These practices help to fulfil the task of feeding a growing population while respecting and preserving natural resources.

Conservation technologies in agriculture allow farmers to shift from destructive resource management techniques such as inversion ploughing or burning, to more environmentally responsible methods based on conservation tillage and selective application of crop protection products. By incorporating natural regenerative processes, such as nitrogen fixation and nutrient recycling, into normal agricultural practice, conservation technologies help preserve ecosystems and natural resources for the benefit of our future generations.

The most impactful benefits of conservation technologies include:

• Preservation of billions of tonnes of topsoil through reduced tillage farming methods, enabled by herbicide use and herbicide-resistant crops.
• Millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases prevented from escaping from the soil and entering the atmosphere through reduced tillage practices.
• Millions more tonnes of greenhouse gases prevented from entering the atmosphere because reduced tillage systems require fewer passes over the field with agricultural machinery.
• Millions of acres of land and biodiversity preserved through increased agricultural productivity due to the use of Integrated Pest Management methods incorporating judicious pesticide use, as well as increased cultivation of higher-yielding biotech crop varieties.

Further advantages brought by reduced tillage farming techniques include reductions in labour, time and farm energy costs, increase soil fertility, and improved soil biodiversity.

The plant science industry is committed to extending the reach of these benefits and ensuring that as many farmers as possible have access to these technologies. As a result, an area approximately the size of France is now under no-tillage farming systems, and some 60 million hectares in total are under either no-tillage or low tillage systems worldwide.

Examples of specific success stories include:

• Farmers in Paraguay practice conservation tillage techniques on over 1 million hectares to help overcome the negative impact of mechanised ploughing and intensive crop management practices.
• In Canada, conservation tillage is used on more than 4 million hectares covering a range of crops including wheat, maize and canola.
• In Malaysia, the rubber and oil palm plantation industry has developed a zero-burning, replanting technique. Besides contributing to a cleaner environment and reducing air pollution, this method replenishes soil organic matter and improves the physical and chemical properties of the soil.
• No-till farmers in Ghana obtained 45% higher maize yields than farmers who did not use this technology during normal years. Even in a dry year, such as 2000, the yield was 48% higher.

For examples of further success stories, please consult CropLife International’s report on conservation technologies.

While measurable success has already been achieved, the plant science industry is committed to developing evermore sustainable agricultural practices and evermore sophisticated technologies to this end. The industry continues to strive towards truly sustainable agriculture and the development of solutions to address the challenges encountered along the path to this goal.