The Loess Plateau in northern China represents one of the largest continuous agricultural areas in the world. Despite severe erosion and land degradation problems, it plays a major role for supplying China with food in the 21. century. To fulfill this objective, agricultural practices have to be adapted to reverse land degradation and meet the increasingly restricted water supply due to climate change. Empirical evidence suggests that conservation tillage can significantly reduce erosion and degradation, while improving yields and water usage. However, an overall agro-ecologic assessment of the benefits of conservation tillage for the entire Loess Plateau has not been conducted yet. In this project this gap is closed by combining an analysis of the relevant soil properties from a range of experimental sites across the Loess Plateau with a GIS-based study of the potential of adapted farming practices for improving soil quality, yields and the environment across the Loess Plateau.