Conservation tillage for dryland farming in China Dianxiong Cai ab* , Ke Jin ab , Xiaobin Wang abc , W.B. Hoogmoed c , O. Oenema d , U.D. Perdok c a Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, PR China b Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource, Environment and GIS, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100037, PR China c Farm Technology Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands d Soil Quality Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8005, 6700 EC Wageningen, The Netherlands *Corresponding author: Dxcai@caas.ac.cn (+86)10-68918665-603 Abstract Dryland regions account for above 70% of total nation's farmland in China. These dryland are vital contributors to the total national production of grains, cash crops and animal products. However, the development of dryland farming is constrained by harsh climate, bad economic situation and poor knowledge on land management. Even though the conservation tillage research and application in dryland regions of China has been actively promoted since 1980s, the conventional tillage is still prevalent in these regions. The bottleneck for sustainable agriculture in China is still the lack of knowledge amongst both farmers and extension organizations about practices pertained to sustainable land management. In this paper, we analyzed the regional characteristics and regional adaptation of conservation tillage systems in China’s dryland regions; reviewed the research conducted on conservation tillage in China, and discussed the problems faced with the introduction and application of conservation tillage practices in order to gain a better perception of the role of soil conservation tillage and promote application of practical technologies for dryland farming systems in China. To ensure a wider adoption of conservation tillage, several actions should be strengthened. These include: 1) strengthen the on-the ground, pilot field activates and further intensify the demonstration 2) optimize information, instruction, support and guidance of the farmer 3) enact specific legislation for the development, adoption and implementation of conservation agriculture. Keywords: Research, dryland farming, Conservation tillage, China 1. Introduction The utilization and development of dryland farming technique is well concerned in the world, and is also a development strategy for China’s agriculture. Dry land farming areas cover more than 667 million ha, (>70% of total farmland in China) with 267 million ha of sloping land. China has a long history and rich traditional experience on dryland farming, As early as the time of Qin and Han Dynasty, farmer living in Yellow River Valley created site adapted farming systems. Plowing, harrowing, and precise leveling were the main measures of fighting against drought, and laid the foundation of dryland farming techniques in Northern China. However, those methods for optimizing use of moisture employ labour intensive International Soil Tillage Research Organisation 17th Triennial Conference - Kiel, Germany 1627