The Environmental Considerations of the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) Experience with Zero-tillage Farming System

Sustainability is considered a top criterion for any agricultural project's success. Sustainability can be judged according to the project's harmless impaction into the environmental health and the natural recourses. As a result that leads to what is nowadays known by conservation agriculture (CA). The recently developed zero tillage farming system per se becomes the top and most crucial component of CA, due to its contributed advantages to the environment under various circumstances worldwide. This article summarizes the environmental considerations of the AAAID experience with CA practices (zero tillage farming system, mulching soil surface with crop residue, and following crop rotations). The recognized advantages of the AAAID experience with CA to the environment are explored by conserving the soil erosion by water surface run-off, reduction of the weeds infestation, and retention of the soil moisture. Accordingly, AAAID strongly believes in the importance of the CA practices as being an ideal solution for the low productivity of the conventional farming system in the rain-fed sector in Arabic countries. Hence, AAAID puts considerable efforts into disseminating CA practices to farmers in many Arab countries as one of its goals in developing Arabic agriculture systems towards food security