Soil conservation is the practice of protecting soil from erosion, degradation and loss of fertility so that its productive capacity can be sustained over the long term. It combines agronomic, vegetative and management measures, including residue retention, reduced tillage, cover and rotation cropping, nutrient mana…
Soil conservation is the practice of protecting soil from erosion, degradation and loss of fertility so that its productive capacity can be sustained over the long term. It combines agronomic, vegetative and management measures, including residue retention, reduced tillage, cover and rotation cropping, nutrient management and the maintenance of soil organic matter, to limit physical loss of topsoil and preserve soil structure, biology and water-holding capacity. Within agronomy and crop science, soil conservation is closely tied to sustainable agriculture and food security, because land degradation directly constrains crop yield and the efficiency with which fertilisers and water are used. Approaches studied in this field include retaining crop residues to sustain semi-arid cropping systems, refining fertiliser recommendations through soil testing and soil-health assessment, managing seasonal fallows, and applying permaculture and integrated practices that build soil resilience. Conservation strategies also intersect with the wider climate-land-food nexus, since soil management influences and is influenced by changing climatic conditions. Research in this area evaluates how cultivation methods, nutrient inputs and cropping decisions affect soil quality and long-term productivity, with the aim of accelerating agricultural development while safeguarding the soil resource on which it depends.
10 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 10 articles above have been cited 76 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Soil Conservation, linking to each citing work.