Today, through tillage and poor practices, approximately half is gone.

No till or minimum tillage agriculture is also less labour intensive, as it reduces wear and tear on machinery and reduces fuel consumption.

Now, me, I'd just walk back from the tiller and do a thing or two to that old engine.

There's good news here, for example, from Latin America, where plow based farming systems of the '50s and '60s

For example, switching from traditional till agriculture to a more climate friendly agricultural practice such as conservation agriculture may result in decreased crop yields for the first few seasons while farmers perfect their techniques.