Nematode management in subsistence farming systems in Mexico

2004 ◽  
pp. 97-108
1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Probert ◽  
J. R. Okalebo ◽  
R. K. Jones

SummaryThe manure that is returned to croplands each year is an important resource in the subsistence farming systems of eastern Kenya. Measurements on several farms have shown that the manure being used is of very poor quality. Analyses of soil samples from beneath the bomas (small enclosures) where animals are kept indicate that substantial losses of nutrients occur through leaching; ammonia volatilization and denitrification may also be involved. Current practice is to apply the manure at rates that appear to make poor use of this scarce resource. The findings are discussed in terms of what changes to the system may be feasible to reduce losses of nutrients, and to improve the quality of the manure and the effectiveness of its use.


2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Somda ◽  
Eric Tollens ◽  
Mulumba Kamuanga

The neoclassical economic paradigm views market linkages as efficient mechanisms for trading. However, the validity of this position is questionable, as markets frequently do not possess the structural conditions necessary for perfect competition. In subsistence-farming systems, factors that prevent greater participation of smallholders in markets can be found from the production level to the access to markets themselves. This study investigates the transaction-cost factors operating in smallholder dairy farms in The Gambia. The results indicate that access to market at the farm gate, the number of local cows and the distance to the nearest city increase the likelihood of market participation by producers and the marketing of surpluses of dairy products. Increases in home consumption lead to decreases in sales and of farmers' participation in milk marketing. To achieve pro-poor rural growth, it is therefore essential to address explicitly the low productivity of dairy cattle, low capital endowments and market accessibility for smallholder farmers.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1018
Author(s):  
Fátima Ismael ◽  
Aires A. Mbanze ◽  
Alexis Ndayiragije ◽  
David Fangueiro

Rice farming systems (RFSs) in southern Mozambique are very heterogeneous and diversified, which has implications for smallholders’ adoption of each RFS, as well as on rice production and productivity in the region. In this regard, it is important to understand: (i) which RFS typologies can be leveraged to improve rice production and productivity; (ii) the drivers for smallholder farmers’ decisions to adopt an RFS; and (iii) which policies/incentives could enhance existing RFSs. The present study was based on surveys of 341 smallholder rice farmers in the Chókwè Irrigation Scheme (CIS), southern Mozambique. Data on the productivity of rice, size of the herd, and total other crop types were used to frame the RFS typologies. A multinomial logit model (MLM) and multiple linear regression (MLR) were applied to determine the driver for each RFS, and predict the constraints for production and yield. Based on cluster analysis, four typologies of RFSs were identified: the subsistence farming system (FS), specialised rice FS, mixed crops FS, and rice–livestock FS. Farms with longer experience reported applying more fertiliser and seedlings per unit hectare. The availability of labour increased the likelihood of adopting the mixed crops FS and rice–livestock FS. Older households were more likely to adopt the subsistence FS, and live closer to the farming fields. Yield of rice was positively associated with inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, and seedlings, as well as years of experience of the household. Our results suggest that smallholder farmers need more assistance and technical support to identify and adopt more productive and less costly RFSs in this region.


2021 ◽  
pp. 457-462
Author(s):  
Laura Cortada

Abstract In this chapter, the need to take a more critical look at the highly precarious and vulnerable situation of smallholder farming systems, the predominant type of the agricultural output worldwide, is emphasized. These farmers represent 98% of the farmers in the world that sustain the local production of staple crops such as rice, maize, cassava, groundnut and millet. Although there is some disparity in the figures, recent data estimates that there are between 380 and 500 million smallholder farming households globally. The productivity of the smallholders' farms depends on soil health and quality, agroecological conditions (irrigated versus rainfed), access to agricultural inputs and new technologies. These last two also critically influence smallholders' ability to manage pests and diseases, including plant parasitic nematodes (PPN). This chapter discusses the epidemiological perspective, diagnostics and surveillance, alternate host and in-field spread of PPN. Breeding programmes for PPN resistance, seed delivery system, importance of clean planting material, influence of land availability to smallholders' ability to practice fallow and rotation for nematode management are described. The use of trap crops, cover crops, nematicides and biological control agents for nematode suppression are also discussed. Future developments aimed at promoting the progress of smallholder farming systems are also mentioned.


2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junior Aristil ◽  
Giovanni Venturini ◽  
Alberto Spada

ABSTRACT Subsistence farming and poor storage facilities favor toxigenic fungal contamination and mycotoxin accumulation in staple foods from tropical countries such as Haiti. The present preliminary study was designed to evaluate the occurrence of toxigenic fungi in Haitian foodstuffs to define the mycotoxin risk associated with Haitian crops. The objectives of this research were to determine the distribution of toxigenic fungi in the Haitian crops maize, moringa, and peanut seeds and to screen Aspergillus section Flavi (ASF) isolates for production of aflatoxins B1 and G1 in vitro. Maize, moringa, and peanut samples were contaminated by potential toxigenic fungal taxa, mainly ASF and Fusarium spp. The isolation frequency of Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium spp. was influenced by locality and thus by farming systems, storage systems, and weather conditions. Particularly for ASF in peanut and maize samples, isolation frequencies were directly related to the growing season length. The present study represents the first report of contamination by toxigenic fungi and aflatoxin in moringa seeds, posing concerns about the safety of these seeds, which people in Haiti commonly consume. Most (80%) of the Haitian ASF strains were capable of producing aflatoxins, indicating that Haitian conditions clearly favor the colonization of toxigenic ASF strains over atoxigenic strains. ASF strains producing both aflatoxins B1 and G1 were found. Understanding the distribution of toxigenic ASF in Haitian crops and foodstuffs is important for determining accurate toxicological risks because the toxic profile of ASF is species specific. The occurrence of toxigenic fungi and the profiles of the ASF found in various crops highlight the need to prevent formation of aflatoxins in Haitian crops. This study provides relevant preliminary baseline data for guiding the development of legislation regulating the quality and safety of crops in this low-income country.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 132-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Karangwa ◽  
Guy Blomme ◽  
Fenton Beed ◽  
Celestin Niyongere ◽  
Altus Viljoen

1998 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. SUBEDI

Experiments were conducted during the winter seasons of 1992–93 and 1993–94 at the Lumle Agricultural Research Centre and its off-station research site at Lopre in Nepal to study the agronomic performance and profitability of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and peas (Pisum sativum) mixed intercropping (that is, without any row arrangement) in the subsistence farming systems of the Nepalese hills. Sole crops of barley (cv. Bonus and Local) at 100kg seed ha−1 were compared with a pure stand of peas (cv. Tikot Local) sown at 60kg seed ha−1 and with peas intercropped with both varieties of barley at 100:40 or 100:20 kg seed ha−1. Results across two locations for two seasons showed that the barley+peas intercropping was advantageous in terms of overall grain yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), monetary advantage, economic return and dietary provision in the subsistence farming system. It also provided yield stability under adverse climatic conditions. Barley genotypes differed in their suitability for intercropping with peas. The yield of Local barley was reduced when peas were intercropped with it at both seed rates but this was not so with Bonus. The most appropriate combinations to realize the maximum advantage from intercropping were Bonus barley+peas at 100:20 kg seed ha−1 and Local barley+peas at 100:40 kg seeds ha−1. A combination of Bonus barley and peas at 100:20 kg seed ha−1 enabled farmers to harvest an additional 400 kg grains ha−1 from peas without significantly reducing the grain yield of barley. The study also verified through formal experimentation that the traditional practice of mixing barley and peas is advantageous.


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