No-Till Farming for Climate Resilience (2024)

FAQs

No-Till Farming for Climate Resilience? ›

Conservation tillage

No-till can minimize wind and water erosion and protect soil from high temperatures and moisture loss. In addition, organic matter from previous crops enriches the untilled soil.

Benefits of No-Till Farming

More organic matter and less erosion mean more fertility, less fertilizer, and higher yields. Additionally, with the advances in cover crops and green manures, the no-till farmer can greatly reduce the use of high-cost herbicides.

USDA estimates that across the United States, farmers who use no-till farming save 588 million gallons of diesel fuel annually—enough energy to power over 720,000 homes for a year. They also prevent at least 5.8 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions, the equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road.

No-till farming also has a hand in reducing loss of phosphorus in the soil. On larger farms, cutting out tillage also helps to cut out large amounts of fuel cost from the budget. In the long term, no-till helps provide larger yields during years without much rain while also helping farms save on water costs.

Benefits of No-Till Farming

Tilling soil leaves it bare, prone to erosion by water or wind. No-till farming allows the soil to keep its complex structure, helping the soil absorb water rather than letting the water wash soil away. Lower erosion rates make no-till farming an extremely attractive option for farmers.

Zero till not only enhances soil carbon sequestration, but GHG emissions are also reduced through the decreased use of fossil fuels in field preparation. In line with the SOC Framework Methodology, this SOC Activity Module only accounts for benefits in the soil organic carbon pool.

Long-term no-till farming can lead to the formation of gullies in your fields. These gullies can deepen over the years, posing a threat to the health of your soil. However, this can be mitigated by using cover crops and implementing proper water management practices.

Healthier Soil: In fields that are not tilled, when the plant residues decompose at a natural pace on the soil surface, many life forms increase in and on the soil. This creates a healthier field ecology, which contributes to fewer flare-ups of damaging insects.

As a result, more than 73% of all U.S. cropland used no-till or reduced tillage in 2022. This is up slightly from 2017 when around 72% of U.S. cropland was in no-till or reduced tillage. U.S. farmers added cover crops to 2.5 million more acres in the past 5 years.

Is no-till farming expensive? ›

However, on the middle range of the scale, implementing no-till farming could cost farmers $500,000 to $750,000, mostly because of equipment purchases. “If you have a bigger farm, you'll have bigger revenues coming in, and it might be easier to pay off that chunk of capital cost that you have up front,” she said.

The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.

Using direct drilling, where the soil isn't turned before planting, has a downside. It relies more on weed-killing chemicals because regular harrowing isn't done to control weeds. This can harm the environment by adding more chemicals to the soil and nearby areas.

Unlike with tillage, broadforking does not invert the soil, but it does break through compaction. A wheelhoe that is designed to go no deeper than 3 inches is another good alternative, especially for weed control.

Farmers typically grow a cover crop for the soil, then cut down that crop, leaving it to cover the ground, as they are planting seeds. The decaying cover crop forms a nutrient-dense protective mat over the planted soil, keeping the soil structure intact and protecting it from erosion and exposure.

No till farming helps prevent soil erosion by leaving the soil undisturbed. The soil is kept grounded and safeguarded when agricultural wastes are left on the surface. By protecting the soil from the effects of rains and wind, this covering prevents erosion brought on by water runoff and wind.

Sustainable agricultural practices are intended to protect the environment, expand the Earth's natural resource base, and maintain and improve soil fertility.

More than any other sector, agriculture is the common thread which holds the 17 SDGs together. Investing in the agricultural sector can address not only hunger and malnutrition but also other challenges including poverty; water and energy use; climate change; and unsustainable production and consumption.