The concept of CA came up in USA in 1930’s when devastating dustbowl was produced by tillage in fallow lands. As a result of dust bowl, US Soil Conservation Act 1985 was passed and the Soil Conservation Service was created. Modern CA technology was elaborated by Edward Faulkner in the book, ”Ploughman Folly” ( Faulkner 1945)and was applied in Brazil in 1970 with collaboration of research scientists and leading farmers.
South America required 20 years for its adoption. At the same time, farm equipment and agronomic practices were improved and developed gradually. Only after 1990’s, it was extended exponentially to South America, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. It was then the subject matter of study to FAO, World Bank, GIZ, CIRAD, and CGIAR. Similarly, this technology has also been spread to industrialized countries like Canada, USA, Australia, Spain, and Russia.
The cultivable land under CA has been rising year by year at the rate of 10Mha per year. In world, the total cultivable area under CA is 9 % as compared to conventional agriculture. It is practiced by the farmers from sea level to 3000 m, Arctic area to equatorial tropics, sandy loam to clay loam soils and farm sizes from 0.5 ha. to 1000 ha.