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In the absence of the herbicide option, weed control is the major constraint to organic soybean production in southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay. A joint entrepreneurial initiative introduced innovative 6000-V electro-shock desiccation for pre-plant weed control in organic soybeans, under zero-tillage–conservation agriculture, complemented by already-proven inter-row cultivation and biological control methods for insects and diseases. To develop an efficient operating procedure, a field trial with the electro-shock treatment was carried out and showed 78.6% overall weed control 28 days after electro-shock treatment, and no significant difference between operating speeds of 3.42, 9.49 and 16.57 km h−1. Further research is required to improve equipment performance and prove the medium- and long-term economic and social benefits to policy-makers, in order to justify environmental services payments for this environmentally friendly system.

The origins, history, and recent advances in Conservation Agriculture (CA) are reported. CA is now practiced worldwide on some 200 million hectares, important for mitigating climate change and ensuring food security. Its bedrock is Zero Tillage (ZT) with crop rotation and retention of crop residues. CA approaches Or-19 ganic Agriculture (OA) when coupled to biological control providing opportunity for OA to become truly sustainable. Ley Farming (LF) and agroforestry with ZT are important for carbon sequestration and land use intensification. Hidden cost: each ton of carbon immobilizes 83 kg of N, 29 kg of P, and 14 kg of S. Industry-backed Regenerative Agriculture (RA) variants have no scientific definition, but generally adopt CA. Sustainable, profitable, and compatible new technologies are emerging and CA needs to embrace them to present a holistic, sustainable package to the farmer. How? A single definition for agricultural sustainability via a multi-stakeholder world congress would standardize certification and de-confuse the market. RA describes exactly what CA does for soil health and all farmers need to unite around a new “Combined Regenerative Agriculture” (CRA) to lobby for adequate payments for environmental services. Expansion of CA is critical for world sustainability. Many gaps and constraints exist, especially for smallholders.

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