scholarly journals Nutrient Flows and Balances in Mixed Farming Systems in Madagascar

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 984
Author(s):  
Marie Lucia Fanjaniaina ◽  
Fabien Stark ◽  
Noelly Phostin Ramarovahoaka ◽  
Jeanny Fiononana Rakotoharinaivo ◽  
Tovonarivo Rafolisy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Nutrient Balance ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Liquid Manure ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Nutrient Flows ◽  
Mixed Farming

Mixed farming systems are still prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In these systems, the recycling of nutrients through crop-livestock integration (CLI) practices is crucial for the sustainability of soil fertility and crop production. The objective of this study was to analyze nutrient (N, P, K) flows and balances of mixed farming systems to assess CLI contribution to the performance of those systems. We hypothesized that more intensive farms had a better nutrient balance at the farm level, and that improved biomass management methods improved their nutrient balance. Nine farms in the Madagascar highlands were selected, some corresponding to poor traditional farms with only draft cattle; some small or medium-sized, more intensive farms with a dairy herd; and some of the latter with some improvement to management methods of livestock effluents (manure composting, liquid manure collection). The nutrient balance of the farming systems was determined, and performance indicators were calculated at both farming, livestock, and CLI levels. Results showed that nutrient recycling through CLI is significant in the functioning of the systems studied, contributing primarily to circulating nutrient flows (up to 76%) and leading to greater efficiency and productivity. Nutrient flows resulting from these practices mainly concerned animal feeding (higher than 60% of nutrient flows), even if manure management was central for crop fertilization and that manure remained a desired animal product of these types of farms (up to 100% of animal products). Large negative balances of N and K (up to 80% of inputs) were observed in traditional livestock systems with draft cattle. They were smaller (39–68%) in more intensive dairy farms. Composting of manure did not decrease negative balances, whereas their magnitude was significantly reduced by the collection of liquid manure (19% for N; 42% for K). Better management of biomass at the farm level, in particular the collection of liquid manure, seemed to substantially reduce nutrient losses in MFS.

scholarly journals Energy and the Evolution of Farming Systems: The Potential of Mixed Farming in the Moist Savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa

1996 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jabbar
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Sub Saharan

The moist savannah zone in sub-Saharan Africa is regarded as a high potential area for crop and livestock production. Currently, human labour is the principal source of power for crop production and the level of commercial energy use is very low. Agropastoralism and pastoralism are the principal methods of livestock production. Crop-livestock mixed farming, in which manure and animal power are important energy sources in the production process, is only now emerging. The integration of crops and livestock and the implications for agricultural energy sources are related to population pressure and labour intensity, the intensification of crop production with and without livestock, the role of traction in general and in specific niches, the contribution of livestock to the development process in terms of food or other inputs, and the role of public policy and intervention in development.

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.

Evidence of farm-level synergies in mixed-farming systems in the Australian Wheat-Sheep Zone

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Villano ◽  
Euan Fleming ◽  
Pauline Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Australian Wheat

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.

URBANIZATION: IMPACTS ON THE EVOLUTION OF ‘MIXED FARMING’ SYSTEMS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

2006 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARY TIFFEN
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Participative Research ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Livestock Products

During the past two decades or so, rural population in Africa has increased slowly while urban population has grown dramatically. The hugely increased urban demand for cereals and pulses (which produce crop residues for livestock) and for livestock products is now the main force stimulating mixed farming systems in the semi-arid and sub-humid areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Grazing land has diminished, crop residues are becoming a more important element in raising livestock and fattening penned livestock has become profitable. The changes in land use, land tenure and the shift of livestock raising southwards in West Africa are illustrated. Farmers' adaptation to rapidly changing markets for their products and the factors of production are illustrated with examples from Senegal, Nigeria, Niger, and, by way of contrast, Kenya. The main challenges this sets to agricultural scientists are described. The livestock element in mixed farming system now requires careful economic analysis and participative research if scientists are to meet the evolving needs of farming as the urban sector enlarges.

scholarly journals Mixing specialized farming systems in Flevoland (The Netherlands): agronomic, environmental and socio-economic effects

1999 ◽  
pp. 185-200
Author(s):  
J.F.F.P. Bos ◽  
G.W.J. Van De Ven
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Balance ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Nutrient Balances ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Labour Income ◽  
Key Factor

Mixed farming systems have potential agronomic, environmental and socio-economic advantages over specialized farming systems. This paper attempts to quantify these advantages for the Dutch province Flevoland. A mixed farming system at regional level is characterized by intensive cooperation between two or more specialized farms, each producing crop or animal products. To test the hypothesis that such a mixed farming system might improve sustainability of agriculture in Flevoland, nutrient balances, labour requirements and labour income were quantified for a specialized arable farm, a specialized dairy farm and both combined into a mixed farming system, exchanging land, labour and machinery. Scope for reduced biocide use in the mixed farming system was assessed in a qualitative way. In the mixed farming system, labour income per ha was 25% higher. Seventy percent of this increase could be explained through higher yields per ha of the profitable crops ware potato (Solanum tuberosum) and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris). The remaining 30% resulted from lower costs, mainly through a better utilization of available labour. Differences between the combined nutrient balance of both specialized farms and that of the mixed farming system were small. Indications of reduced biocide use in the mixed farming system could not be found. It was concluded that in a mixed farming system, it is possible to realize a higher income without increasing environmental pollution. Key factor is the ratio between animal and arable production, determining the extent to which crop rotations can be widened and the relative amounts of slurry that can be applied to grassland.

scholarly journals Flood-based Farming as Affected by Hydrological Deficit in the Semiarid Lowlands of Northern Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emnet Negash ◽  
Jan Nyssen ◽  
Girmay Gebresamuel ◽  
Tesfa-alem Embaye ◽  
Alick Nguvulu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Flash Flood ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Northern Ethiopia

<p>Agriculture remains the dominant source of food production and the livelihood foundation for majority of the rural poor in the sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. Access to agricultural-water is, however, a limitation hindering crop productivity and end food insecurity in the drylands. In rain-deficit lowlands such as in the Raya-valley, flood-based farming is a means of improving crop production. Such spate irrigation systems grow in importance; though the effects of headwater hydrological deficit on flood-farming systems are lacking evidence. The present work investigates the impacts of headwater hydrological deficit on spate-irrigated agriculture in Tsge’a spate systems. Canal length and area of spate-irrigated agriculture along Guguf river for the 1980s and 2010s were tracked using Global Positioning System; while runoff trend analysed using linear regression. Annual volume of flash-flood shrunk by 7.36x10<sup>6</sup> m<sup>3</sup>. This is mainly due to changing climate and increasing water retention by the soil and humans at the escarpment. As a result, length of canals and area of spate-based farms downstream declined by 1.37 km (35%) and 1540 ha (57.5%), respectively, only in three decades time. This corresponds to an average withdrawal of -44 ha yr<sup>-1</sup>. A 1x10<sup>6</sup> m<sup>3</sup> decline in flash-flood caused a 366.4 ha decline in spate-based farms. Moreover, farm fields located next to the river course are less affected, as compared to farms on the tail of the scheme. If the current trend continues, there is likely a high risk that the remaining farms currently receiving flood may run out of spate systems. Therefore, flood management technologies are needed to optimize the efficiency of soil moisture in the spate system.</p><p>The abstract is based on Negash, E., Gebresamuel, G., Embaye, T., Nguvulu, A., Meaza, H., Gebrehiwot, M., Demisse, B., Gebreyohannes, T., Nyssen, J., & Zenebe, A. (2020). Impact of headwater hydrological deficit on the downstream flood-based farming system in northern Ethiopia. <em>Irrigation and Drainage</em>, In Press.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document