Green Manure/Cover Crop Systems of Smallholder Farmers

Experiences from Tropical and Subtropical Regions
1. Auflage. Softcover version of original hardcover Auflage 2004
ISBN: 978-90-481-6580-3
Verlag: Springer Netherlands

Buch, Englisch, 361 Seiten, Paperback, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 598 g

In the 1980s and 1990s, green manure/cover crop (GMCC) systems became a popular agricultural technology in research and development efforts for smallholder tropical and subtropical farmers. However, few syntheses of these experiences have been conducted. This volume of case studies contributes to bridging this gap by reviewing field-level experiences with these systems.
Twelve case studies are included. Eleven of them describe experiences from Latin America (4 cases), Africa (6 cases) and Asia (1 case) and the twelfth case reports on the development of a GMCC systems database. Two concluding chapters, `Learning from the Case Studies' and `Future Perspectives', build upon the cases.
The systems described are diverse. Some systems have been spontaneously adopted by farmers, while others have been introduced to the farmers through diffusion efforts. Some of the cases reviewed describe small, localized efforts while others report on large-scale, well-known ones, such as the combination of GMCCs and conservation tillage in Santa Catarina, Brazil, the maize-Mucuna system in northern Honduras, and the improved fallow systems in Eastern Zambia. Most experiences include both development and research aspects and to the extent possible the cases integrate these two. Discussion of the strengths and shortcomings of the systems and efforts is frank, and the goal is to learn from these experiences to benefit future efforts.
It is expected that both researchers and development practitioners and students of tropical farming systems and soil management will find this volume of case studies useful.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Eilittä, Marjatta

Derpsch, Rolf

Mureithi, Joseph

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Agrarwissenschaften Ackerbaukunde, Pflanzenbau Düngemittel, Gründünger
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Wasserversorgung
• Naturwissenschaften Agrarwissenschaften Ackerbaukunde, Pflanzenbau Forstwirtschaft, Forstwissenschaft
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Abfallbeseitigung, Abfallentsorgung
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltverschmutzung, Umweltkriminalität, Umweltrecht
• Technische Wissenschaften Umwelttechnik | Umwelttechnologie Abfallwirtschaft, Abfallentsorgung
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Primärer Sektor Agrarökonomie, Ernährungswirtschaft
• Naturwissenschaften Agrarwissenschaften Agrarwissenschaften
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Bodenkunde, Sedimentologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Use of Green Manure/Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage in Santa Catarina, Brazil.- Slash-and-Mulch System: Fríjol Tapado in Costa Rica.- Mucuna Use by Hillside Farmers of Northern Honduras.- Cultivating Maize with Mucuna in the Los Tuxtlas Region of South-eastern Veracruz, Mexico.- Improved Fallows in Eastern Zambia.- Best-Bet Legumes for Smallholder Maize-Based Cropping Systems of Malawi.- Promotion of Marejea Cultivation in the Ruvuma Region of Tanzania: Experiences of the Catholic Missionaries at Peramiho Mission Centre.- Forage Production Systems for Dairy Production in the Coastal Lowlands of Kenya.- Green Manure/Cover Crop Technology in Eastern and Central Uganda: Development and Dissemination.- Integrating Mucuna in the Maize-based Systems of Southern Benin.- Sesbania rostrata in Rice-Based Farming Systems of Northern Thailand.- Survey of Green Manure/Cover Crop Systems of Smallholder Farmers in the Tropics.- Learning From the Case Studies.- Future Perspectives.