Sustainable agriculture is the way to increase the agricultural production without hampering the originality of the earth’s resources. In this 21^st century the population is increasing day by day which is  greatly challenging the food security scenario. It has become a main problem that how to feed the growing population. On the other hand rapid urbanization is also  increasing which has become a sole cause in limitation of agricultural land. For increasing the production rate of cropping land  it has been observed  that  farmers are  using the chemical  fertilizers in high dose on land , which has become the main problem in degradation of the fertile land in present years. Therefore, sustainable agriculture for soil conservation is an important topic to take seriously. Some of the sustainable agriculture practices are as follows:

1) Precision chemical application

It includes the methods like mechanical and biological method to control pest and pesticides populations.in this method , variable rate application technologies ( VAR) are applied rather then traditional agriculture. As it includes mechanical and biological methods for pest management , soil fertility loss can be reduced.

2) Conservation reserve program (CRP)

CRP is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In return for a contract with farmers involved in the program, it is an incentive for farmers to make agricultural production that is sensitive to the environment and improves the environmental health and quality . Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10–15 years in length. The  aim of the program is to restore valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and reduce loss of wildlife areas.

3) Terraces

It is the form of arrangement of land in steps and supported by walls. In order to make sloppy area as agricultural land terrace farming method is adopted. It help to prevent the soil from erosion and runoff.

4) Scouting

Scouting is the  act of traveling in crop fields and make observations. If there are problems during the growing season, these problems affect the yield at the time of harvest, so the farmer tries to reduce them. If the problems are not noticed  during the growing season, they may limit the yield, thus reducing the revenue generated. Traditional methods include walking in the field and observing plants manually, while methods such as global positioning systems (GPS) and drones (UAVs) help to make a more accurate decision by making fast and reliable measurements with the help of special equipment and precision sensors.

5) Cover crops

Cover plants (alfalfa, vetch, etc.) can be cultivated during off-season periods when the soil is bare and can be grown between the main plant rows. These products prevent soil erosion, renew soil nutrients, keep weeds under control, and protect soil health by reducing the need for herbicides .

6) Crop rotation/diversity

It is the process of production of various types of the crops in the same field from year to year respectively. It helps to control the pest and diseases and utilize the various parts of the soil.

7)  No-till/conservation tillage

Excessive or the intensive tillage practices causes the physical and chemical degradation of soil, loss of organic matter , reduce biological activity in the soil and consequently a decrease in crop production. Many research have proved that zero tillage practice in crop production have maintained the soil fertility and increase the crop production as well.

8)  Reducing fuel use

Mechanization tools that reduce labore requirements in agriculture generally use fossil fuels. Nowadays, the use of fossil fuel energies directly or indirectly in agriculture has not been economically profitable for producers. The use of combined agricultural tools and machinery in one pass and the use of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels will reduce both the cost of fuel in agriculture and reduce the carbon emissions and make the agriculture sensitive to the environment.

9) Irrigation

Effective irrigation is possible by determining the optimum water amount using different parameters such as soil humidity, effective precipitation rate and evapotranspiration and by determining the correct irrigation time with climate, weather forecasts and real-time weather data. In this way, effective and economical irrigation will be provided by protecting the limited water resources and the environmental and agricultural negative effects of leaching, salinity and fungal diseases caused by excess water will be prevented.

11)  Water storage ponds

Agricultural ponds are important water sources for irrigated areas. These structures collect water from small sources and allow for efficient storage and use of large flow rates when needed .

 Reference : https://www.intechopen.com/books/sustainable-crop-production/soil-management-in-sustainable-agriculture