Small holder farmers in irrigated agriculture believe that soil tillage is needed to maximize crop
yields. However, as cropping intensity, and hence tillage intensity increases, there may be a
decline in particular physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil which limit crop yield.
Shortage of mechanized options suitable for small holder farmers is creating an impediment to
the adoption of conservation agriculture practices that would arrest the decline in soil quality in
their fields.In North western India, 30-35 hp four-wheel tractors are replacing animal-drawn
ploughing in small holder plots. This speeds the tillage operation and hence the turn around time
between crops, which may increase opportunities for crop intensification, but the problems
associated with full tillage remain. Over the previous decade planter attachments to four-wheel
tractors have been developed which permit seed and fertilizer placement with minimum to zero
tillage in a single-pass. Recent tests have demonstrated that use of these implements can
produce crop yields equal to or better than conventional tillage involving hand broadcasting of
seed and fertilizer. Further, fuel and labor costs, seed and fertilizer inputs and turnaround time
between crops can be reduced.In north western India, the introduction of customer hiring tractor
operated rippers and direct seeders, originally developed for small-scale farmers is considered
as a major breakthrough to small-scale farmer mechanization. Experience shows that farmers,
researchers, service providers and machinery manufacturers need to be linked within an
innovation system that fine-tunes equipment and crop management while strengthening local
institutions. Tools and concepts are now available to implement conservation agriculture for
small holders and thereby increase profitability of their cropping practices and at the same time
improve soil quality and sustainability of their livelihoods. However, much more adaptive research
and on-farm evaluation is needed across a diverse range of soils, cropping systems and agroecological
regions to bring conservation agriculture to more small holders.