THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND COSTS OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE

Every production practice, including conservation tillage, has positiv e or negative environmental consequences that may involve air, land, w ater and/or the health and ecological status of wildlife. The negative impacts associated with agricultural production and the use of conven tional tillage systems in particular, include soil erosion, energy use , leaching and runoff of agricultural chemicals and carbon emissions. Several of these impacts are quantified. The conclusions suggest that the use of conservation tillage does result in less of an adverse impa ct on the environment from agricultural production than does conventio nal tillage by reducing surface water runoff, wind erosion and to some extent the enhancement of wildlife habitat. The benefits to be gained from carbon sequestration will depend on the soil remaining undisturb ed and further expansion of conservation tillage on highly erodible la nd will unquestionably result in an increase in social benefits but th e expected gains will be modest. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Scienc e B.V.