Conservation measures had no effect on soil loss in the year of trial establishment as rainfall was low and erosive rains fell only when ground cover by plants was already high. From the second year after establishment of soil conservation measures, erosion was reduced by 39–84% in grass barriers or by 93–100% in simultaneous cover crop treatments. Maize yields, however, decreased by 26% in grass barriers or up to 35% in cover crop plots if Pinto peanuts were not cut on time. Both of these options provided animal feed, up to 5.5 t ha−1 yr−1 dry grass or 1.8 t ha−1 yr−1 dry biomass of Pinto peanuts. Guinea grass even yielded higher in 2010, a dry year with erratic rainfall distribution. Minimum tillage with relay cropping reduced soil loss by 94%, while providing similar maize yields as the controls. This latter practice is a win-win situation and, hence, attractive to farmers fostering its acceptance.