Source: Busscher, W.J., D.W. Reeves, R.A. Kochhann, P.J. Bauer, G.L. Mullins, W.M. Clapham, W.D. Kemper, and P.R. Galeran. 1996. Conservation farming in southern Brazil: using cover crops to decrease erosion and increase infiltration. J. Soil Water Conserv. 51:188-192.

In 1995, six research scientists from the United States were invited to observe Brazil's conservation farming practices. The trip, hosted by EMBRAPA (Brazil's agricultural research institution), entailed several visits to research centers, farms, and co-ops. This article explains Brazil's efforts in agricultural research and the benefits they reap. The group's goal was to gain experience about ongoing conservation practices and to exchange information with fellow research scientists. The article focuses on two areas of Brazil, southern Rio Grande do Sul and the northern state of Parana. The authors describe in detail the conservation methods practiced and the reasons for their exceptional successes. In northern Brazil, a collaborative project brought great success in promoting no-till agriculture, because of well-coordinated research, extension, and demonstration plots. During the growing season, residues from former crops and crop canopies are used to prevent soil erosion, and cover crops are grown during the winter to protect bare ground. The authors stress that this is an "area where local researchers and farmers alike use conservation tillage and consider it necessary in preserving and improving their farm land." The Victor Graeff Watershed is an example of a project that encouraged no-till to decrease erosion and pollution. This effort was shared by urban and rural residents, landowners, the local bank, and the mayor. The mayor sponsored the project, short-term loans were provided by the bank, the community volunteered labor, and machinery was donated by the co-op. In northern Parana where no-till was not as successful because of finer soils and sporadic rainfall, alternative methods are being considered. In that region, IAPAR is a research organization committed to encouraging adaptations specific to the environment. Research is being done on irrigation and farm management in hopes to restore degraded and compacted soils in the area. The authors emphasize the significant cooperation between the community and farmers in implementing sustainable farming methods. Brazil exemplifies what researchers and farmers hope for the future in attaining effective soil conservation and good communal relations.

Abstract author: Jessica E. Santelli: 18 November 1996.

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