MIXED FARMING SYSTEMS IN TRANSITION: THE CASE OF FIVE VILLAGES ALONG A RAINFALL GRADIENT IN NORTH-WEST SYRIA

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. RISCHKOWSKY ◽  
E. F. THOMSON ◽  
R. SHNAYIEN ◽  
J. M. KING
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Rainfall Gradient ◽  
North West ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
The Many

The changes taking place in the mixed farming systems of northwest Syria were examined by re-visiting, in 1996 and 2000, five villages along a rainfall gradient. The villages had been surveyed first in 1977–79. In those villages with moderate rainfall, intensification of crop production, namely a trend towards cereal monoculture and the planting of tree crops, did not lead to specialization in cropping at the expense of sheep ownership. In contrast, households in the areas too dry for most rainfed crops except barley (Hordeum vulgare) were more likely to sell their sheep because they depended heavily on off-farm income. Increases in crop yields were found but these only benefited the families in villages in the higher rainfall zones. Conversely, with the exception of ewe fertility, there was little evidence of improvements in sheep productivity. The mixed farming systems in the five villages sampled are still passing through a period of transition, and the cropping component will undoubtedly continue to change. This is less likely to happen to the small ruminant component in the near future unless the sector is given higher priority in national policy. As a strategy to increase feed production and balance the crop rotations, the prospects for closer crop/livestock integration at the farm level are limited by the many difficulties associated with the introduction of leguminous pasture and forage crops.

scholarly journals Risk Management Strategies to Reduce Net Income Variability for Farmers

1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Falatoonzadeh ◽  
J. Richard Conner ◽  
Rulon D. Pope
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Combination Strategy ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Price Risks ◽  
The Many

AbstractThe most useful and practical strategy available for reducing variability of net farm income is ascertained. Of the many risk management tools presently available, five of the most commonly used are simultaneously incorporated in an empirically tested model. Quadratic programming provides the basis for decisionmaking in risk management wherein expected utility is assumed to be a function of the mean and variance of net income. Results demonstrate that farmers can reduce production and price risks when a combination strategy including a diversified crop production plan and participation in the futures market and the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) is implemented.

Soil, water and crop management practices in the dryland farming regions of Turkey

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sefik Yesilsoy ◽  
Sabit Ersahin
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Production Methods ◽  
Main Production ◽  
High Yielding Varieties

AbstractTurkey is experiencing pressure to increase crop production per unit area to achieve self-reliance in food supply. The main production concern before 1970 was to increase crop yields to meet the national consumption of an ever-increasing population. During this time the country's capability to produce wheat was insufficient to meet the national demand. After the initiation of the National Wheat Research and Extension Project in 1969 the objectives of wheat production methods were changed to achieve not only higher but more economical yields per unit area. As a result the total area sown to wheat increased by only 9% between 1969 and 1990, whereas yields and total production increased 75 and 90%, respectively. This was due to developing or importing high-yielding varieties adapted to dry areas, increasing use of fertilizers and plant protection chemicals, and timely use of proper tillage made possible with modem equipment. Transferring research results to farmers and exchanging information with international scientists led Turkish scientists to establish the new goal of developing ecologically sound farming systems that could achieve higher, more economical yields per unit area. The key to this approach is to maintain or increase soil organic matter.

scholarly journals Challenges of Smallholder Farming in Ethiopia and Opportunities by Adopting Climate-Smart Agriculture

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Gebeyanesh Zerssa ◽  
Debela Feyssa ◽  
Dong-Gill Kim ◽  
Bettina Eichler-Löbermann
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Smallholder Farming Systems ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy, and the agricultural sector is dominated by smallholder farming systems. The farming systems are facing constraints such as small land size, lack of resources, and increasing degradation of soil quality that hamper sustainable crop production and food security. The effects of climate change (e.g., frequent occurrence of extreme weather events) exacerbate these problems. Applying appropriate technologies like climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can help to resolve the constraints of smallholder farming systems. This paper provides a comprehensive overview regarding opportunities and challenges of traditional and newly developed CSA practices in Ethiopia, such as integrated soil fertility management, water harvesting, and agroforestry. These practices are commonly related to drought resilience, stability of crop yields, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas mitigation, and higher household income. However, the adoption of the practices by smallholder farmers is often limited, mainly due to shortage of cropland, land tenure issues, lack of adequate knowledge about CSA, slow return on investments, and insufficient policy and implementation schemes. It is suggested that additional measures be developed and made available to help CSA practices become more prevalent in smallholder farming systems. The measures should include the utilization of degraded and marginal lands, improvement of the soil organic matter management, provision of capacity-building opportunities and financial support, as well as the development of specific policies for smallholder farming.

Economic value of grazing vegetative wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops in mixed-farming systems of Western Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme J. Doole ◽  
Andrew D. Bathgate ◽  
Michael J. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Short Period

Livestock production in Western Australian mixed-farming systems has traditionally been constrained by a profound scarcity of feed in autumn–early winter when crop stubbles and pasture residues from the previous growing season have been exhausted. This study investigates the profitability of partially filling this ‘feed gap’ through the grazing of vegetative wheat crops. Whole-farm bioeconomic modelling is used to provide insight into the relative value of grazing and grain production in both low- and high-rainfall areas of Western Australia. Dual-purpose wheat crops are a valuable source of feed in high-rainfall areas as they provide an affordable alternative to expensive grain supplements for a short period in winter. This also allows annual pastures to establish more vigorously by reducing grazing pressure on young plants. Model output suggests farm profit can increase by over 10% with the grazing of vegetative wheat crops in high-rainfall regions; however, these results are logically shown to be strongly related to the assumed rate of yield loss. In contrast, at the parameter values used in this study, grazing wheats are unlikely to be profitable in low-rainfall environments due to depressed crop production and the extended feed gap experienced in these areas. Higher grain prices unequivocally lower the relative advantage of grazing activity since this elevates the cost of foregone grain yield.

Pasture cropping: a new approach to integrate crop and livestock farming systems

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 777 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Millar ◽  
W. B. Badgery
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Crop Failure ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
No Till

Pasture cropping is a farmer-initiated concept of sowing a winter active cereal into a summer-active native perennial pasture. Proponents claim that by using pasture cropping they are able to maintain or improve the perennial pasture. Research was carried out on a Bothriochloa macra dominant pasture at Wellington, in the central western slopes of New South Wales, to compare pasture cropping to conventional no-till cropping and pasture only systems under different fertiliser rates and rotations. Key variables for the comparison included forage and crop production, pasture perenniality and ground cover, soil fertility and water use, and profitability. Our results show that pasture cropping can successfully retain perennial grasses and ground cover while still producing profitable cropping and grazing compared with continuous pasture. Crop yields from pasture cropping were less than 65% of those for conventional no-till cropping, which led to conventional no-till cropping having the greatest, but also most volatile, gross margin throughout the experiment. However, the lower input costs associated with pasture cropping reduced the effects of crop failure on farm profit. While soil moisture differences did not occur between treatments during the experiment, soil fertility, especially N, played a major role in determining crop yield. The role of pasture cropping in farming systems is discussed.

scholarly journals Economic Implications of Soil Erosion: A methodological framework.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josily Samuel ◽  
C A Rama Rao ◽  
B M K Raju ◽  
K V Rao ◽  
R Rejani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Status ◽  
Frame Work

Abstract Soil erosion has adverse economic and environmental impacts. The economic effects are due to loss of farm income with adverse impact on crop production. There is a need to understand the trade-offs between farm income and soil loss faced by the farmers in making decisions at farm level. There are different methodologies that integrate into a bio-economic model wherein the multi objective linear programming models have focus on the economic aspects and biophysical components. In this study, we tried to examine the status of soil erosion and formulated a methodological frame work for optimising the farm level objectives and their trade-offs for sustainable farming systems.

Integrating crop and livestock production in Inland Northwest farming systems

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 121-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda H. Hardesty ◽  
James A. Tiedeman
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Domestic Demand ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Inland Northwest ◽  
Production Cycles ◽  
Crop And Livestock Production

AbstractThe demand for more ecologically and economically sustainable agriculture arises because we currently integrate products economically in a fashion that distorts ecologica I relationships. Earfy farms were ecologically integrated through feeding of forage crops and crop residues to livestock, with livestock contributing draft power and manure for crops. Today we have almost entirely uncoupled plant and animal production, eliminating the contribution that each can make to the productivity of the other. Barriers to integrating farming systems include the large volume of information needed for sophisticated production systems and the lack of infrastructure. Also, many chemicals used on crops have not been evaluated for their safety in food animals. Winter feeding and calving may conflict with crop production cycles; balancing year-round forage supplies is another obstacle. Opportunities include using the Conservation Reserve Program to shift land to livestock production. Domestic demand for meat is changing, and range livestock production is seen by some people as more humane than confinement. Animals fed less grain may be more acceptable in some markets. As agriculture responds to changes in society, ecologica I integration may become more compatible with economic integration.

Chemical weed control in oil-seed poppy (Papaver somniferum)

1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (88) ◽  
pp. 837 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Chenopodium Album ◽  
Papaver Somniferum ◽  
Significant Interaction Effect ◽  
North West ◽  
Oil Seed ◽  
Yield Responses

Field experiments were conducted in north-west Tasmania to assess the herbicides diquat and nitrofen, used singly and in combination, for selective post-emergence weed control in oil-seed poppies (Papaver somniferum). The species of weeds infesting the crop influenced yield responses to the herbicides. In the absence of fat hen (Chenopodium album) and fumitory (Fumaria muralis), crop production increased linearly with rate of diquat. The highest rate of diquat (280 g ha-1) produced a yield that was not significantly different (P = 0.05) from the hand-weeded control. In the presence of these two weeds, linear yield responses to rates of both diquat and nitrofen were obtained. There was no significant interaction effect on crop yields between these two herbicides, but a mixture of both chemicals was required for effective weed control. The tolerance of the crop to the herbicides was measured in the absence of weed competition. No effects on crop yields were obtained, although some treatments retarded the growth of the crop and caused a significant (P = 0.05) reduction in the height of the crop at flowering.

scholarly journals The Role of Alley Farming in African Livestock Production

1994 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Len Reynolds ◽  
Mohammad Jabbar
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Leguminous Trees ◽  
Alley Farming ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Economic Analyses ◽  
The Cost

The incorporation of livestock into alley farming systems, in which food or forage crops are grown between hedges of multipurpose trees that are regularly pruned for mulch and/or forage, has been studied for over 10 years in Africa. Prunings from leguminous trees such as Leucaena and Gliricidia can be used for mulch, increasing crop yields, but the trees may also be pruned for fodder, especially during fallow periods. The major benefit from supplementing the diet of free-roaming small ruminants in West Africa with the foliage of leguminous trees is increased survival, and the forage is best directed at late pregnant and lactating females. In East Africa crossbred dairy cows show a significant response in milk production to supplementation with Leucaena. Economic analyses of livestock production show that continuous alley farming is more profitable than alley farming with fallow, or conventional no-tree farming, even when the cost of clearing trees at the end of their useful life is included.

scholarly journals Farmers’ Perceptions of Tree Shelterbelts on Agricultural Land in Rural Kyrgyzstan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ruppert ◽  
Martin Welp ◽  
Michael Spies ◽  
Niels Thevs
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Trade Offs

The reestablishment of agroforestry systems in Central Asia, combining crop production with protective tree shelterbelts, provides significant potential to improve farming systems. This includes increasing crop yields, additional income from timber, as well as reducing soil degradation and wind erosion. Thus, adopting shelterbelts as a form of pro-environmental behavior provides a number of socio-economic benefits, although some trade-offs need to be considered as well. This paper investigates factors that shape the perception of—and attitude towards—the establishment of tree shelterbelts by farmers in two case study regions in Kyrgyzstan. Applying a conceptual framework distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, research methods included semi-structured interviews with farmers and local policy makers. The results show spatial differences in the perception of shelterbelts, both on the regional and on the village scale. In general, shelterbelts were negatively perceived by more than half of the farmers. The main concern raised by farmers was the shading of crops by shelterbelts, resulting in a decrease of yield. In addition, small field sizes and potential conflicts with neighbors were key concerns. Furthermore, rules set by local self-government bodies were inconsistent with the legislative framework, posing significant restrictions to the adoption of sustainable land use practices.

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