Conventional tillage-based agriculture-which involves an intensive soil disturbance and monocropping has resulted in soil degradation, biodiversity loss, reduced resource-use efficiencies, and heightened vulnerability to climate variability. Conservation agriculture has emerged as a sustainable agro-ecological approach that addresses these challenges while ensuring resilient and productive farming. This article reviews the global status, guiding principles, trends in adoption, constraints, and future prospects of conservation agriculture on diverse agro-ecological regions. Conservation agriculture is underpinned by three interlinked principles: minimal or no mechanical soil disturbance, permanent soil cover through crop residues or cover crops, and diversified cropping systems. Applied as an integrated system, CA enhances soil structure, improves infiltration of water, increases soil organic carbon sequestration, and optimizes nutrient and water use efficiency, culminating into stable or increased crop yields with time. Global adoption of CA has rapidly expanded onto more than 150 million hectares worldwide, with significant expansion observed in developed and developing countries. Nevertheless, constraints associated with weed management, residue competition, equipment availability, and site-specific conditions limit wider adoption, especially among smallholder farmers.