IDRC Institution Cover Crops for Sustainable Agriculture Research Highlights Cover crop definition Online books Photos ... Contact This site contains research on cover crops for sustainable agriculture developed or published by the Exploration of Cover Crops for Sustainable Agriculture, with support from IDRC's program initiatives MINGA (Alternative Approaches to Natural Resource Management in Latin America and the Caribbean), People, Land and Water (PLAW) , and Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in cooperation with various other agencies. This site provides empirical evidence of the contribution of cover crops to sustainable agriculture. Research Highlights - Innovation in agriculture must be needs driven, not technology driven. Sustained and widespread use of cover crops (and perhaps any other soil improving practice using organic inputs) will only occur if the biomass (seeds, leaves, vines) can also be used in food and forage systems. Research should focus on this challenge Cover crops provide significant benefits to soil including nutrients, nutrient cycling, weed control, soil protection and soil improvement. These benefits vary mainly in light of management practices and climate affecting the quantity and timing of biomass produced.
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