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Conservation agriculture (CA) based on hand-hoe prepared planting basins is being widely promoted in southern Africa, targeting resource-constrained farmers with limited access to draft power. This study was conducted across 15 districts covering four agro-ecological zones in Zimbabwe where paired CA and conventional animal drawn tillage (CADT) plots had been established on 450 farms as part of CA promotion. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of CA on soil pH, organic C, total P and maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield compared with CADT, and also to evaluate the yield benefits of mulching and crop rotation in CA with or without mineral fertilizer use. It was hypothesized that CA improved the pH, organic C, total P of the soils (Arenosols) and grain yield compared with CADT and that mulching and crop rotation in CA increased maize grain yield. A total of 1014 soil samples (0–0.2m depth) were taken …