For all the good that the plough has done for mankind, the earth is losing quality soil every time a plough rips into the ground, depleting the microbiology below as well as the weeds. Under a no-till crop planting regime, seeds are directly placed into un-tilled soil on one pass, creating minimal soil disturbance. Previous crop residues are retained in the soil as mulch, and weed seeds are not brought to the surface and therefore don't germinate. In some countries, this practice is widely adopted with great results. As it is so important to the global ecology as well as for retaining carbon in the ground, this practice could be more widely taught through exporting knowledge from countries where it has worked well.