The Role of Conservation Agriculture in Enhancing Biodiversity and Common Beans Productivity
| dc.contributor.author | Mng’ong’o, Marco E. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mwaipopo, Rehema E. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ojija, Fredrick. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Matimbwa, Hadija. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-04-21T17:37:53Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-04-21T17:37:53Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026 | |
| dc.description | This Article Journal was Published by Elsevier B.V | |
| dc.description.abstract | Conservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is vital for maintaining ecosystem stability and resilience. Conservation agriculture, a sustainable farming approach that involves minimum tillage and reduced use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and growth promoters, has gained attention as a potential strategy to enhance biodiversity and reduce production costs. This study investigated the role of conservation agriculture in enhancing biodiversity and common bean productivity in Tanzania. The study compared plots practicing conservation agriculture (minimum tillage and reduced agrochemical use) with those using conventional farming methods. Biodiversity metrics, that is, earthworm populations, bird species richness, bird nest abundance, bird species diversity, bee visitation rates, and bean yield were assessed. The results showed significant positive effects of conservation agriculture on biodiversity, emphasizing its potential role in promoting sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and household improvement due to reduced production costs and increased yield per unit area. Earthworms per meter square observed to increase from 12 in the non-conservation plots to 34 in the conservation plots, which is likely to improve nutrient cycling and productivity. Furthermore, conservation plots had a higher number of bird species flying around (36− 76) compared with 14–32 in nonconservation plots (4000 m2 ) at 50 % bean flowering. The number of bird nests observed in the two plots during bean harvesting varied significantly (P | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Mbeya University of Science and Technology | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://repository.must.ac.tz/handle/123456789/568 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Elsevier B.V | |
| dc.title | The Role of Conservation Agriculture in Enhancing Biodiversity and Common Beans Productivity | |
| dc.type | Article |