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.