Cover or catch crops are not grown as cash crops but are instead used to maintain and prepare the soil for subsequent "cash" crops. Cover crops have been shown to reduce nutrient leaching, allowing a transfer to the next crop, reduce weed pressure, control pests and diseases, enhance water availability, improve soil structure and health, promote agrobiodiversity and increase the yield of subsequent crops. They should be integrated into the organic producers' crop rotations. Numerous species can be used and should be chosen according to the system's needs. While all cover crops provide benefits, many species are targeted at specific goals, for example, increasing soil organic matter or nitrogen fixation.

On this page, discover tools which explain how to choose, manage and integrate cover crops into your crop rotation.