On 24 February 2026, in Frick, a new guide from FiBL shows how reduced tillage can help protect soil functions and improve climate resilience. This guide offers a practical introduction to reduced tillage methods, describes commonly used machinery, and provides recommendations for starting reduced tillage farming systems.
Healthy soil is essential for human nutrition and combating climate change, but intensive tillage can harm the soil. Reduced tillage is a method to protect the soil, improve its structure, and enhance its ability to store water and sequester CO2. FiBL has conducted extensive research on the effects of reduced tillage in organic farming over many years.
The technical guide “Reduced tillage: Protecting soil functions for better climate resilience” highlights the pros and cons of reduced tillage in organic farming. It explains the methods, presents suitable equipment, and offers specific recommendations for farmers to transition to ploughless systems for long-term soil fertility and yields. The challenges of ditching the plough in herbicide-free systems are also addressed, with solutions provided.
This guide was developed as part of the KLIMACrops project and the NBSOIL project. The English translation of the original German edition was supported by the OrganicClimateNET project, funded by the European Union and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation.
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