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Sustainable and resilient cropping systems are required in southern Africa to arrest declining soil fertility and offset the future negative effects of climate change. Conservation agriculture (CA) has been proposed as a potential system for improving soil quality and providing stable yields through minimum soil disturbance, surface crop residue retention (mulching) and crop rotations or associations. However, concerns have been raised about the lack of evidence of the benefits of CA for small-scale farmers in southern Africa. This research was carried out in two communities and one on-station site in Zambia to provide more scientific evidence about the effects of CA on soil quality, infiltration, soil moisture and crop performance. Results from Kayowozi showed that maize yields in a direct seeded CA treatment, using cowpea seeded with a dibble stick in full rotation, increased by up to 78% after four cropping seasons in …