|
| ||
|
|
||
Cash Crops (cash + crop)
Selected AbstractsMicrobial biomass in arable soils of Germany during the growth period of annual cropsJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Rolf Nieder Abstract Results from several field studies involving numerous measurements were used to describe the change of soil microbial biomass C (Cmic) and N (Nmic) during the growth period of annual crops (years 1988,1992, 1994, 1995) under the temperate climatic conditions of central Europe. The data were taken from our own investigations as well as from the literature. Only studies with at least eight measurements on one plot during the growth period were used. The total number of farms (cash crop,production farms) was 7, that of experimental plots was 15. The evaluation of these results through regression analysis demonstrated that Cmic and Nmic from the beginning of a year increased only slightly until summer and subsequently decreased until autumn to their initial levels. This increase on an average corresponded to a C assimilation of approx. 100,kg ha,1 and an N immobilization of approx. 20,kg ha,1 (30,cm),1. The increase in Nmic alone could not explain N immobilization rates frequently observed in different studies using 15N-labeled fertilizers. Most of the labeled N that was immobilized (>50,kg N ha,1) might have accumulated in the matrix of soil organic matter (SOM). Therefore, the changes in microbial biomass may be of less importance for changes in soil N storage as frequently assumed. [source] Application of the WEPP model for prioritization and evaluation of best management practices in an Indian watershedHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 21 2009A. Pandey Abstract The pre-calibrated and validated physically based watershed model, water erosion prediction project (WEPP) was used as a modelling tool for the identification of critical watersheds and evaluation of best management practices for a small hilly watershed (Karso) of India. The land use/cover of the study area was generated using IRS-1C LISS-III (linear imaging self scanner) satellite data. The watershed and sub-watershed boundaries, drainage, slope and soil map of the study area were generated using ARC/INFO geographic information system (GIS). The WEPP model was finally applied to the Karso watershed which lies within Damodar Barakar catchment of India to identify the critical sub-watersheds on the basis of their simulated average annual sediment yields. Priorities were fixed on the basis of ranks assigned to each critical sub-watershed based on the susceptibility to erosion. The sub-watershed having the highest sediment yield was assigned a priority number 1, the next highest value was assigned a priority number 2, and so on. Subsequently, the model was used for evaluating the effectiveness of best management practices (crop and tillage) for conservation of soil for all the sub-watersheds. On the basis of this study, it is realized that cash crops like soyabean should be encouraged in the upland portion of the sub-watersheds, and the existing tillage practice (country plough/mould board plough) may be replaced by a field cultivation system for conservation of soil and water in the sub-watersheds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Application of a checklisting technique for the assessment of impacts of the Chashma Right Bank Canal on land use and cropping pattern of D.I.Khan District, Pakistan,IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 2 2008Atta-ur-Rahman utilisation des terres; assolements; impacts Abstract This paper attempts to discover the ex post impact of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) on the land use and cropping pattern of D.I.Khan district. The CRBC commands 250,000,ha and is spread over two provinces. The CRBC project was completed in three stages. Stage I was commissioned in 1987,88, and stages II and III in 1989 and 2001, respectively. The CRBC brought radical changes in the land use and cropping pattern of D.I.Khan district. For this study, three variables were selected including land use, cropping pattern and land values. To discover these changes at micro-level, five sample villages were randomly selected, four from within the CRBC command area and one outside. The analysis found that after commissioning of the CRBC, prime cultivable land was brought under non-agricultural use. The net sown area was also enhanced. Dry farming crops were replaced by water-intensive cash crops, which in effect caused the twin problem of waterlogging and salinity, particularly in stage I. Likewise, land values increased considerably. This study is a sort of ex post evaluation of the CRBC and provides policy guidelines for decision makers and for the proposed Chashma Right Bank 1st Lift Irrigation Project not to repeat the weaknesses of Chashma Right Bank Irrigation Project. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Cet article essaie de mesurer l'impact à postériori du canal de rive droite de la Chashma (CRBC) sur l'utilisation des terres et les assolements du District de D.I.Khan. Le CRBC dessert 250,000,ha, répartis sur deux provinces. Le projet du CRBC a été mené à bien en trois étapes. L'étape I a été réalisée en 1987,1988, et les étapes II et III en 1989 et 2001, respectivement. Le CRBC a apporté des changements radicaux à l'utilisation des terres et aux assolements du District de D.I.Khan. Pour cette étude, les trois variables retenues ont été l'utilisation des terres, les assolements et le prix des terres. Pour mettre en évidence ces changements au niveau micro, cinq villages témoin ont été choisis au hasard, quatre dans la zone de desserte du CRBC et un en dehors. L'analyse a montré qu'après la mise en route du CRBC, les meilleures terres cultivables ont cessé d'être utilisées pour l'agriculture. La surface nette emblavée a également augmenté. Les cultures en sec ont été remplacées par des cultures commerciales fortement consommatrices d'eau, ce qui a en fait créé les problèmes jumeaux de l'engorgement et de la salinité, en particulier au cours de l'étape I. De même, les prix des terres se sont considérablement accrus. Cette étude est une sorte d'évaluation à postériori du CRBC, permettant de fournir des directives aux décideurs et de ne pas répéter pour le projet envisagé d'irrigation haut-service en rive droite de la Chashma les faiblesses du premier projet. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Impacts of Market Reform on Spatial Volatility of Maize Prices in TanzaniaJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2008Fredy T. M. Kilima C33; D40; O12; O55 Abstract Maize is one of the major staples and cash crops for many Tanzanians. Excessive volatility of maize prices destabilises farm income in maize-growing regions and is likely to jeopardise nutrition and investment in many poor rural communities. This study investigates whether market reform policies in Tanzania have increased the volatility of maize prices, and identifies regional characteristics that can be attributed to the spatial price volatility. To achieve the objectives, an autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity in mean (ARCH-M) model is developed and estimated in this study. Results show that the reforms have increased farm-gate prices and overall price volatility. Maize prices are lower in surplus and less developed regions than those in deficit and developed regions. Results also show that the developed and maize-deficit regions, and regions bordering other countries have experienced less volatile prices than less developed, maize-surplus and non-bordering regions. Our findings indicate that investments in communication and transportation infrastructures from government and donor countries are likely to increase inter-regional and international trade, thereby reducing the spatial price volatility in Tanzanian maize prices in the long run. [source] Land-use and cover changes (1988,2002) around budongo forest reserve, NW Uganda: implications for forest and woodland sustainabilityLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008E. N. Mwavu Abstract Land-use and cover changes around Budongo Forest Reserve (BFR) were analysed from multi-temporal LandSat images (1988 and 2002) and associated field-based studies in 2003,2004. Three major land-use and cover classes: forest/woodland, sugarcane plantations and grassland/shifting-cultivation/settlements were clearly discriminated. The area under sugarcane cultivation increased over 17-fold, from 690,ha in 1988 to 12729,ha in 2002, with a concomitant loss of about 4680,ha (8·2 per cent) of forest/woodland, mainly on the southern boundary of BFR. Land-use and cover changes were a result of (a) agricultural expansion, (b) increasing human population, exacerbated by large influxes of refugees, (c) conflicts of interest and political interference in the management of BFR and (d) unclear land tenure. Agriculture is the main land-use practice and source of income to local people, with commercial sugarcane and tobacco as the primary cash crops. Individual smallholder sugarcane plantations covered distances ranging from 30 to 1440,m along the BFR edge, with no buffer zone, resulting in direct conflicts between farmers and forest wild animals. There is an ever-increasing need for more land for agricultural expansion, resulting in continued loss of forest/woodland on private/communal lands and encroachment into BFR. This unsustainable agricultural expansion and the local people's perception of BFR as an obstacle to agriculture, threatens the conservation of its threatened wild plants (e.g. Raphia farinifera) and the endangered chimpanzees. Therefore, their sustainable management for both development and conservation will require strong and incorruptible institutions that will seek a balance between resource exploitation and conservation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Potentials and constraints of the farmer-to-farmer programme for environmental protection in NicaraguaLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2003S. Hawkesworth Abstract The natural environment in Nicaragua has been damaged by rural development policies geared for the export of cash crops, by uneven land distribution and the near absence of concerns about the environmental effects of the prevailing model of development. The demands made by market forces for the export of primary materials have been reasons for land degradation in the big farms, and the need to survive a poverty stricken existence has forced the peasantry to damage the marginal and fragile land they worked. Successive governments did not address these underlying causes of environmental degradation, and even the opportunities afforded by the environment programme that resulted from the 1979 Sandinista revolution, did not result in significant environmental improvements. The paper briefly considers the constraints faced by the Sandinista administration and how the farmer-to-farmer programme (Campesino-a-Campesino) was brought about as a result of the impacts of the Sandinista era. The substantive part of the paper considers PCAC's significance as an agroecological programme and its advantages and limitations for improving peasants' livelihoods via dissemination of land-protective measures. The viability of the programme is assessed by field work carried out examining in detail the case of three communities, and the paper concludes that the gains made in environmental protection and conservation are in jeopardy without structural policy changes. The paper proposes that for the programme to improve its potential, adequate political will, power and organization are necessary to facilitate greater access to secure land tenure among the peasantry. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||