Chapter 02 · Nature, land & waterCoffee, Cocoa & Agricultural Commodities
Cover cropping
Definition
Cover cropping is the practice of growing plants — such as legumes, grasses or brassicas — to keep soil covered outside the main cropping period. Cover crops reduce erosion, suppress weeds, fix or scavenge nutrients, improve soil structure and water infiltration, and add organic matter; they deliver the permanent-soil-cover principle of FAO Conservation Agriculture, which calls for at least 30 per cent soil organic cover.
References
soil-cover principle and threshold
practice context
Overview
What it means
Treating the off-season as an opportunity to build soil capital rather than leaving fields bare.
How it is used
Farmers integrate cover crops into rotations and no-till systems; the practice features in regenerative agriculture programmes, carbon-farming pilots and commodity sustainability standards.
Why it matters
Soil cover is a frontline defence against erosion and degradation, and cover cropping is among the most scalable practices linking farm productivity with climate and biodiversity goals.