“…Like in many parts in the world, in the Western Cape of South Africa, multiple advantages have been observed from implementing these practices in dryland farming systems. Conservation agriculture practices have been associated with increased soil quality (Swanepoel and Tshuma, 2017), increased water holding capacity, reduced reliance on mineral fertilizers, reduced risk of soil erosion (Meadows, 2003), reduced weed pressure (MacLaren et al, 2018), interruption of pest and disease cycles (Lamprecht et al, 2011), financial risk mitigation and increased profitability (Knott, 2015;Basson 2017). Subsequently, CA adoption levels have been high, particularly for no-tillage and crop diversity (Smith et al, 2017).…”