scholarly journals Ecological and social impacts of eucalyptus tree plantation on the environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
GK Bayle
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Harmful Effect ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Tree Plantation ◽  
Fuel Wood ◽  
Economic Implications

Eucalyptus is an ever green flowering tree and a shrub which belong to the family Myrtaceae, subfamily Myrotideae and consists of some 800 species. This tree is native to Australia and widely planted for various uses in the different parts of Ethiopia integrating into the various farming systems, and their planting has resulted in high economic profitability. It is over a century since eucalyptus was introduced in Ethiopia for multipurpose use and rescues the remaining indigenous forests from being destroyed, for controlling soil erosion, for replacing indigenous species for fuel-wood, thereby preventing further degradation of natural forests by quickly producing firewood, would eliminate the causes which frequently may have led to land degradation and desertification and also a food and habitat for wild animals. But, it also a harmful effect on the environment, uses a lot of nutrient which is leading to soil exhaustion and reduction of crop yields, secretion of allelochemical and decreasing crop production, but the trees are neither good nor bad, and careful analysis of the ecological and social implications should be undertaken before planting. Decisions, such as what, where, why and how to grow and how to manage it have to be made; and the social and ecological implications of each decision, as well as the economic implications, have to be weighted up. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2019, 5(1): 93-104

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Application of Remote Sensing in Agriculture

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Piekarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Remote Sensing Methods

AbstractWith increasing intensity of agricultural crop production increases the need to obtain information about environmental conditions in which this production takes place. Remote sensing methods, including satellite images, airborne photographs and ground-based spectral measurements can greatly simplify the monitoring of crop development and decision-making to optimize inputs on agricultural production and reduce its harmful effects on the environment. One of the earliest uses of remote sensing in agriculture is crop identification and their acreage estimation. Satellite data acquired for this purpose are necessary to ensure food security and the proper functioning of agricultural markets at national and global scales. Due to strong relationship between plant bio-physical parameters and the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected (in certain ranges of the spectrum) from plants and then registered by sensors it is possible to predict crop yields. Other applications of remote sensing are intensively developed in the framework of so-called precision agriculture, in small spatial scales including individual fields. Data from ground-based measurements as well as from airborne or satellite images are used to develop yield and soil maps which can be used to determine the doses of irrigation and fertilization and to take decisions on the use of pesticides.

Micro and Macro-level Analysis of Crop Diversification: Evidence from an Agrarian State West Bengal

2020 ◽  
pp. 489-499
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Structure Questionnaire ◽  
Crop Diversification ◽  
The Status ◽  
Block Level ◽  
Diversified Farming Systems

The farming system in West Bengal is being shifted by integration between the set of cash crops and the main food harvest process. This change in diversified farming systems, where smallholders have a production base in rice can complement production; affect technical efficiency and farm performance. The goal of this study was to investigate the status of crop diversification on smallholders in West Bengal. First, crop diversification regions were developed in West Bengal based on the Herfindahl index, which were categorized into three regions. Three sample districts were studied separately at the block level, and 915 small farmers from 41 sample villages of 9 sample blocks were interviewed through a good structure questionnaire for field studies from the sample districts. West Bengal was gradually moving towards multiple crop production. Furthermore, increasing rice production reduced the marginal use of inputs for the production of other crops. Farming and other vital factors such as HYVs area to GCA, average holding size and per capita income in some districts of West Bengal can be identified as determinants of crop diversification.

scholarly journals Economics of autonomous equipment for arable farms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lowenberg-DeBoer ◽  
Kit Franklin ◽  
Karl Behrendt ◽  
Richard Godwin
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Crop Agriculture

AbstractBy collecting more data at a higher resolution and by creating the capacity to implement detailed crop management, autonomous crop equipment has the potential to revolutionise precision agriculture (PA), but unless farmers find autonomous equipment profitable it is unlikely to be widely adopted. The objective of this study was to identify the potential economic implications of autonomous crop equipment for arable agriculture using a grain-oilseed farm in the United Kingdom as an example. The study is possible because the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) demonstration project at Harper Adams University has produced grain with autonomous equipment since 2017. That practical experience showed the technical feasibility of autonomous grain production and provides parameters for farm-level linear programming (LP) to estimate farm management opportunities when autonomous equipment is available. The study shows that arable crop production with autonomous equipment is technically and economically feasible, allowing medium size farms to approach minimum per unit production cost levels. The ability to achieve minimum production costs at relatively modest farm size means that the pressure to “get big or get out” will diminish. Costs of production that are internationally competitive will mean reduced need for government subsidies and greater independence for farmers. The ability of autonomous equipment to achieve minimum production costs even on small, irregularly shaped fields will improve environmental performance of crop agriculture by reducing pressure to remove hedges, fell infield trees and enlarge fields.

scholarly journals Community seed network in an era of climate change: dynamics of maize diversity in Yucatán, Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Fenzi ◽  
Paul Rogé ◽  
Angel Cruz-Estrada ◽  
John Tuxill ◽  
Devra Jarvis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Maize Diversity ◽  
Climatic Period ◽  
Small Holder Farmers

AbstractLocal seed systems remain the fundamental source of seeds for many crops in developing countries. Climate resilience for small holder farmers continues to depend largely on locally available seeds of traditional crop varieties. High rainfall events can have as significant an impact on crop production as increased temperatures and drought. This article analyzes the dynamics of maize diversity over 3 years in a farming community of Yucatán state, Mexico, where elevated levels of precipitation forced farmers in 2012 to reduce maize diversity in their plots. We study how farmers maintained their agroecosystem resilience through seed networks, examining the drivers influencing maize diversity and seed provisioning in the year preceding and following the 2012 climatic disturbance (2011–2013). We found that, under these challenging circumstances, farmers focused their efforts on their most reliable landraces, disregarding hybrids. We show that farmers were able to recover and restore the diversity usually cultivated in the community in the year following the critical climate event. The maize dynamic assessed in this study demonstrates the importance of community level conservation of crop diversity. Understanding farmer management strategies of agrobiodiversity, especially during a challenging climatic period, is necessary to promote a more tailored response to climate change in traditional farming systems.

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