Conservation Soil Tillage: Bridging Science and Farmer Expectations—An Overview from Southern to Northern Europe

Danijel Jug, Irena Jug (), Bojana Brozović, Srdjan Šeremešić, Željko Dolijanović, Jozsef Zsembeli, Apolka Ujj, Jana Marjanovic, Vladimir Smutny, Soňa Dušková, Lubomír Neudert, Milan Macák, Edward Wilczewski and Boris Đurđević
Additional contact information
Danijel Jug: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Irena Jug: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Bojana Brozović: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Srdjan Šeremešić: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Željko Dolijanović: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
Jozsef Zsembeli: Research Institute of Karcag, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kisújszállási 166, 5300 Karcag, Hungary
Apolka Ujj: Institute of Rural Development and Sustainable Economy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter K. u.1, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Jana Marjanovic: Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Károly u. 1, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Vladimir Smutny: Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Soňa Dušková: Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Lubomír Neudert: Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Milan Macák: Institute of Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
Edward Wilczewski: Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Prof. S. Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Boris Đurđević: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-31

Abstract: Soil degradation and climate change are the most destructive (human- and/or naturally induced) processes, making agricultural production more challenging than ever before. Traditional tillage methods, characterized by intensive mechanical soil disturbance (dominantly using a plow), have come under question for their role in exacerbating soil erosion, depleting organic matter, and contributing to the decline in soil biodiversity and other soil devastating processes. These practices, while effective in the short term for crop production, undermine the sustainability of agricultural systems, posing a threat to food security and environmental stability. This review examines the adoption and implementation of Conservation Soil Tillage (CST) across six European countries: Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland. The main objective is to analyze the historical development, current status, and future prospects of CST in these countries, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in transitioning from conventional tillage methods. Conservation Soil Tillage (CST) emerges as a promising alternative platform to still dominant conventional plowing tillage approach. By reducing the intensity and frequency of tillage, CST practices aim to maintain adequate soil cover, minimize erosion, and encourage biological activity and organic matter accumulation, thus, ensuring soil productivity and resilience against additional degradation and climate variation. Efforts made by scientists and the government to go over it sometimes are not sufficient. Farmers’ expectations of benefits are the final keystone for the integration of CST as a dominant sustainable practice. Analyses from six European countries pointed to a high level of diversity in readiness and willingness to accept, as well as different levels of knowledge about the adoption of CST. Our study suggested that the adoption of CST is increasing, and it represents a key strategy for soil degradation prevention and climate change mitigation.

Keywords: sustainable agriculture; conservation agriculture; soil tillage; crop production; farmers experience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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