Conservation agriculture (CA) is the key agricultural soil management approach for Mediterranean rainfed systems facing extreme droughts and soil degradation. Yet, CA uptake and applicability is still marginal and disputed in the Mediterranean region, where smallholder farmers are most representative. Lack of widespread adoption of CA in the Mediterranean region despite international efforts is perplexing. In order to investigate this paradox and provide solutions, we set out to examine the perceived constraints to CA implementation among farmers and stakeholders. Our approach is based on systems analysis of Mediterranean grain production systems, considering plant and livestock production, as well as sustainability and social-ecological interactions. CA promotion efforts are rarely adapted to the context of the Mediterranean region. We argue for adopting a more pragmatic and flexible approach to CA. Such an approach should be based on site-specific bio-physical and sociocultural considerations and augmented with principles of agroecology. Our review of perceived constraints allows us to suggest five pathways that could promote CA adoption in the Mediterranean across two main areas: (i) introduction of flexible, context-specific technical solutions and (ii) change of social perceptions and literacy on soil. Our five pathways aim to enhance farmers’ resilience to challenges of climate and market shocks, while integrating agroecological principles that enhance ecosystem multifunctionality. We advocate using agroecological principles to enable a more pragmatic application of CA with respect to its strict application—such as continuous no-till—to rehabilitate degraded lands, to increase water use efficiency, and to improve food security and economic well-being of communities in the Mediterranean region.

保护性农业（CA）是面临极端干旱和土壤退化的地中海雨养系统的关键农业土壤管理方法。然而，在小农最具代表性的地中海地区，CA 的采用和适用性仍然很有限，并且存在争议。尽管国际社会做出了努力，但地中海地区的 CA 仍未得到广泛采用，这一点令人困惑。为了调查这一悖论并提供解决方案，我们着手研究农民和利益相关者对 CA 实施的感知限制。我们的方法基于对地中海粮食生产系统的系统分析，考虑植物和牲畜生产以及可持续性和社会生态相互作用。 CA 推广工作很少适应地中海地区的情况。我们主张对 CA 采取更加务实和灵活的方法。这种方法应基于特定地点的生物物理和社会文化考虑，并以农业生态学原则为基础。我们对感知到的限制的审查使我们能够提出五种途径，可以促进地中海地区在两个主要领域采用CA：（i）引入灵活的、针对具体情况的技术解决方案和（ii）改变社会观念和土壤素养。我们的五个途径旨在增强农民应对气候和市场冲击挑战的能力，同时整合农业生态原则，增强生态系统的多功能性。我们主张利用农业生态学原理，在严格应用（例如连续免耕）的基础上更务实地应用CA，以恢复退化土地，提高用水效率，并改善社区的粮食安全和经济福祉在地中海地区。