Even a hand-held hoe disrupts soil sufficient to cause erosion. If you've ever tried to manage a planting larger than about 2000 sqft you've probably relied on this ancient tool to disrupt weeds. No weed/grass roots = no erosion control. Pulling the weed had the same result: no roots controlling erosion. Cover crops can work but they're never the most vigorous plant. You still have to weed. Also, if your planting is dense enough and vigorous enough it becomes a cover crop itself with higher yields and better/cheaper mechanization potential.
Tech that increases yield means that less land need be stripped bare at a time to feed a given population, and that's a good thing.
Even a hand-held hoe disrupts soil sufficient to cause erosion. If you've ever tried to manage a planting larger than about 2000 sqft you've probably relied on this ancient tool to disrupt weeds. No weed/grass roots = no erosion control. Pulling the weed had the same result: no roots controlling erosion. Cover crops can work but they're never the most vigorous plant. You still have to weed. Also, if your planting is dense enough and vigorous enough it becomes a cover crop itself with higher yields and better/cheaper mechanization potential.
Tech that increases yield means that less land need be stripped bare at a time to feed a given population, and that's a good thing.
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