To protect the fragile soils of the tropics under the continuous cultivation systems, some farming conservation techniques have been advocated. A survey of the farming systems and the extent of erosion were carried out on a tropical rain forest of Nigeria with respect to the current status of the soil management practices. The results showed that ~85% of the farmers reported of the severe erosion problems on their farms. The rural farmers found that cover cropping was the most effective means of soil management and shifting cultivation was the most common farming system in this area. Approximately 83% of the farmers have their farms scattered at the different locations which makes the implementation of adequate soil conservation practices very difficult unless new and innovative cropping/farming systems are developed. The various strategies suggested for improving the farm conservation practices, particularly those that can be easily adopted by the rural farmers, are discussed.
