Agroforestry Systems for Improving Nutrient Recycling and Soil Fertility on Degraded Lands

2020 ◽  
pp. 225-253
Author(s):  
G. W. Sileshi ◽  
P. L. Mafongoya ◽  
Arun Jyoti Nath
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Degraded Lands

scholarly journals Restoring Soil Fertility on Degraded Lands to Meet Food, Fuel, and Climate Security Needs via Perennialization

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Mosier ◽  
S. Carolina Córdova ◽  
G. Philip Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Degraded Lands ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Zero Hunger ◽  
Cellulosic Bioenergy

A continuously growing pressure to increase food, fiber, and fuel production to meet worldwide demand and achieve zero hunger has put severe pressure on soil resources. Abandoned, degraded, and marginal lands with significant agricultural constraints—many still used for agricultural production—result from inappropriately intensive management, insufficient attention to soil conservation, and climate change. Continued use for agricultural production will often require ever more external inputs such as fertilizers and herbicides, further exacerbating soil degradation and impeding nutrient recycling and retention. Growing evidence suggests that degraded lands have a large potential for restoration, perhaps most effectively via perennial cropping systems that can simultaneously provide additional ecosystem services. Here we synthesize the advantages of and potentials for using perennial vegetation to restore soil fertility on degraded croplands, by summarizing the principal mechanisms underpinning soil carbon stabilization and nitrogen and phosphorus availability and retention. We illustrate restoration potentials with example systems that deliver climate mitigation (cellulosic bioenergy), animal production (intensive rotational grazing), and biodiversity conservation (natural ecological succession). Perennialization has substantial promise for restoring fertility to degraded croplands, helping to meet future food security needs.

scholarly journals Application of Chemical Fertilizers in Cocoa-Based (Theobroma cacao) Agroforestry Systems; Impact on Yields and Policy Ramifications: Empirical Evidence from Cameroon

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-49
Author(s):  
Azembouh Roshinus Tsufac ◽  
Nyong Princely Awazi ◽  
Bernard Palmer Kfuban Yerima ◽  
Roger Kogge Enang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Chemical Fertilizer ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Chemical Fertilizers ◽  
Cocoa Farmers ◽  
Cocoa Yield

Soil fertility decline has pushed farmers across the world to resort to chemical fertilizers in order to improve soil fertility and enhance crop yields. In agroforestry systems, the application of chemical fertilizers is a call for concern considering that agroforestry systems are supposedly agro-ecological, environmentally friendly and sustainable systems. It was within this context that this study sought to assess the application of chemical fertilizers in cocoa-based agroforestry systems and its policy ramifications. Data was collected through a household survey of 300 cocoa farmers in Cameroon, and analyzed on SPSS 17.0 employing descriptive and analytical techniques. It was found that the most commonly used chemical fertilizers by cocoa farmers in cocoa-based agroforestry systems were NPK 20:10:10 (60%), NPK 15:20:15 (50%), and Urea (40%). It was also noticed that a majority of the cocoa farmers sampled used no chemical fertilizer (35%), very small quantity (15%), small quantity (20%), and moderate quantity (20%). With respect to frequency of use, most cocoa farmers never used chemical fertilizer (35%), used it rarely (30%), or used it occasionally (15%). However, some cocoa farmers used chemical fertilizers frequently (5%) and very frequently (5%) in their cocoa agroforests. Coefficients of correlation and regression showed the existence of a statistically significant (p<0.05) direct and inverse non-causal and causal relationship between different explanatory variables (income level, availability of chemical fertilizers, access to information, membership in farming group and access to extension services) and cocoa farmers’ use of chemical fertilizers; while farm size and number of farms had a statistically significant inverse relationship. Correlation and regression coefficients showed the existence of a statistically significant (p<0.05) direct non-causal and causal relationship between different levels of cocoa yields (very high cocoa yield, high cocoa yield, average cocoa yield, low cocoa yield, very low cocoa yield, no change in cocoa yields) and the application of chemical fertilizers in cocoa-based agroforestry systems. On the basis of the study’s findings, it is recommended that measures be taken to limit the use of chemical fertilizers in cocoa-based agroforestry systems in order to enhance the sustainability of these systems.

scholarly journals Agroforestry and the Improvement of Soil Fertility: A View from Amazonia

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel C. Pinho ◽  
Robert P. Miller ◽  
Sonia S. Alfaia
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Tropical Soils ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Northern Brazil ◽  
Physical And Chemical

This paper discusses the effects of trees on soil fertility, with a focus on agricultural systems in Amazonia. Relevant literature concerning the effects of trees on soil physical and chemical properties in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions is reviewed, covering both natural ecosystems and agroecosystems. Soil carbon, in the form of organic matter, is considered as an indicator of biological activity as well as in relation to policy issues such as carbon sequestration and climate change. In the case of tropical soils and Amazonia, information on the effects of trees on soils is discussed in the context of traditional agriculture systems, as well as in regard to the development of more sustainable agricultural alternatives for the region. Lastly, attention is given to a case study in the savanna region of Roraima, northern Brazil, where a chronosequence of indigenous homegarden agroforestry systems showed clear effects of management practices involving trees on soil fertility. The use of diverse tree species and other practices employed in agroforestry systems can represent alternative forms of increasing soil fertility and maintaining agricultural production, with important practical applications for the sustainability of tropical agriculture.

scholarly journals Assessing the Influence of Summer Organic Fertilization Combined with Nitrogen Inhibitor on a Short Rotation Woody Crop in Mediterranean Environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Anita Maienza ◽  
Giovanni Mughini ◽  
Luca Salvati ◽  
Anna Benedetti ◽  
Maria Teresa Dell'Abate
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Nitrification Inhibitor ◽  
Plant Productivity ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Nitrification Inhibitors ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Woody Crop

The European Union Directive 91/676/EEC, known as Nitrates Directive, has dictated basic agronomic principles regarding the use of animal manure source as well as livestock and waste waters from small food companies. The use of nitrification inhibitors together with animal effluents as organic fertilizers could be beneficial for nutrient recycling, plant productivity, and greenhouse gas emission and could offer economic advantages as alternative to conventional fertilizers especially in the Mediterranean region. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in plant productivity between bovine effluent treatments with (or without) addition of a nitrification inhibitor (3,4 DMPP) in a short rotation woody crop system. Results of the field experiment carried out in a Mediterranean dry environment indicated that the proposed strategy could improve tree growth with indirect, beneficial effects for agroforestry systems.

scholarly journals Estimations of soil fertility in physically degraded soils through selective accounting of fine earth

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mavinakoppa S. Nagaraja ◽  
Ajay Kumar Bhardwaj ◽  
G.V. Prabhakara Reddy ◽  
Chilakunda A. Srinivasamurthy ◽  
Sandeep Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Soil Mass ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Fine Earth ◽  
Degraded Lands ◽  
Available Nitrogen ◽  
Organic C

Abstract. Soil fertility and organic carbon (C) stock estimations are crucial to soil management especially that of degraded soils, for productive agricultural use and in soil C sequestration studies. Currently, estimations based on generalized soil mass (hectare-furrow basis) or bulk density (BD) basis are used which may be suitable for normal agricultural soils but not for degraded soils. We measured soil organic C, available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P) and available potassium (K), and estimated stocks using three methods: (i) generalized soil mass (GSM, 2 million kg ha−1 furrow soil), ii) bulk density based soil mass (BDSM) and (iii) the proportion of fine earth volume (FEV) method, for soils sampled from physically degraded lands in Eastern Dry Zone of Karnataka State in India. Comparative analyses using these methods revealed that the soil organic C, and N, P and K stocks determined by using BDSM were higher than those by GSM method. The soil organic C values were the lowest in the FEV method compared to the other two methods. The GSM method overestimated soil organic C, N, P and K by 9.3–72.1 %, 9.5–72.3 %, 7.1–66.6 % and 9.2–72.3 %, respectively, compared to FEV based estimations for physically degraded soils. The differences among the three methods of determinations were lower in soils with low gravel content and increased with increase in gravel volume. There was overestimation of soil organic C and soil fertility with GSM and BDSM methods. A reassessment of methods of estimation was, therefore, attempted to provide fair estimates for land development projects in degraded lands.

scholarly journals The cost of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in farms in Central Andes of Ecuador

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e0101
Author(s):  
Jhenny Cayambe ◽  
Ana Iglesias
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Central Andes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
The Cost

Aim of study: Reduction of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derived from food production is imperative to meet climate change mitigation targets. Sustainable mitigation strategies also combine improvements in soil fertility and structure, nutrient recycling, and the use more efficient use of water. Many of these strategies are based on agricultural know-how, with proven benefits for farmers and the environment. This paper considers measures that could contribute to emissions reduction in subsistence farming systems and evaluation of management alternatives in the Central Andes of Ecuador. We focused on potato and milk production because they represent two primary employment and income sources in the region’s rural areas and are staple foods in Latin America.Area of study: Central Andes of Ecuador: Carchi, Chimborazo, Cañar provincesMaterial and methods: Our approach to explore the cost and the effectiveness of mitigation measures combines optimisation models with participatory methods.Main results: Results show the difference of mitigation costs between regions which should be taken into account when designing of any potential support given to farmers. They also show that there is a big mitigation potential from applying the studied measures which also lead to increased soil fertility and soil structure improvements due to the increased soil organic carbon.Research highlights: This study shows that marginal abatement cost curves derived for different agro-climatic regions are helpful tools for the development of realistic regional mitigation options for the agricultural sector.

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