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[Article Summarized by Meridian Institute] Conservation agriculture, which is a set of farming practices designed to reduce water use and improve soil fertility, is increasingly used on large commercial farms in both developed and developing countries. The harder sell has been adapting the practices for small-scale and poor farmers. David Spielman, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said, “These are great technologies. But how do you make them work for farmers where markets are thin— where the services, inputs, and technologies aren’t always available—and where farmers don’t know much about them?” Most of the global soil and water degradation comes from unsustainable farming practices. “Most scientists have been working to increase yields for the last 40 to 50 years,” says Spielman. “Only recently have we seen a real awakening around the need for sustainable yields.” Conservation agriculture works to mimic the natural landscape, by not disturbing the soil and using permanent ground cover. It can be less expensive and time consuming than conventional tillage farming. Still, despite the fact that sustainable farming practices look like win-win solutions, small-scale farmers have not adopted these practices in large numbers. One important barrier for the practice is lack of awareness and understanding. “The barriers to adoption include lack of technical know-how both by farmers and extension staff,” says Kufasi Shela, chief land resources conservation officer in Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development. “Some extension staff are yet to understand what conservation agriculture is and what it is not, and this ultimately affects the way they relate to their farmers.” And conservation agriculture only works if it is adapted to the needs of the local ecology, farming system and the farmer’s own plot. It may produce concrete results in the field, but it still needs markets, roads, value chains and more to sustain its impact. The main obstacle to advancing sustainable agriculture practices then is not the lack of potential solutions. Says Spielman, “Many methods have been proven effective both for farmers and for the greater good. What we need is more knowledge dissemination, more coordination among researchers, extension agents, governments, and wholesalers. We need better infrastructure and reliable markets.”