Browsing by Author "Barrios, E."

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  • Highlights of research activities in Latin America
    Barrios, E. (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, 2004)
    This report gives some highlights of TSBF (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility) work being carried out in Latin America including legume-based pasturing, dual purpose live barrier systems, and slash and mulch agroforestry systems.
  • Identifying and classifying local indicators of soil quality
    Barrios, E.; Bekunda, M.; Delve, R.; Esilaba, A.; Mowo, J. (International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), 2001)
    The increasing interest in local soil knowledge is largely due to the realization that farmer communities that have been interacting with their soils for a long time can provide many insights into the sustainable management of tropical soils. A participatory approach, in the form of a methodological guide, has been developed and used in Latin America and Africa to identify and classify local indicators of soil quality related to permanent and modifiable soil properties. This methodological tool aims to empower local communities to better manage their soil resources through improved decision making and monitoring of their environment. It is also designed to steer soil management towards developing practical solutions to identified soil constraints and monitoring the impact of the management strategies implemented to address such constraints. The methodological approach presented here constitutes one tool to capture local demands and perceptions of soil constraints as an essential guide to relevant research and development activities. A significant component of this approach is the collaboration between technical officers and farmers to build an effective communication channel with each other. The participatory process also places considerable emphasis on consensus building among farmers to determine those soil-related constraints that should be tackled first. Such consensus is an important step toward collective action by farming communities if improved soil management strategies are to be adopted at a landscape scale.
  • Implications of local soil knowledge for integrated soil management in Latin America
    Barrios, E.; Trejo, M. (Elsevier, 2003)
    The increasing attention paid to local soil knowledge in recent years is the result of a greater recognition that the knowledge of people who have been interacting with their soils for a long time can offer many insights about the sustainable management of tropical soils. This paper describes two approaches in the process of eliciting local information. Case studies show that there is a consistent rational basis to the use of local indicators of soil quality and their relation to improved soil management. The participatory process used is shown to have considerable potential in facilitating farmer consensus about which soil-related constraints should be tackled first. Consensus building is presented as an important step prior to collective action by farming communities in integrated soil management at the landscape scale. Taking advantage of the complementary nature of local and scientific knowledge is highlighted as an overall strategy for sustainable soil management.