Browsing by Author "Miller, W. P."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Plant-water relations in an Andean landscape: Modelling the effect of irrigation on upland crop production
    Zehetner, Franz; Miller, W. P.; Zapata Ríos, X. (Cambridge, MA: CABI Publishing, 2006)
    Chapter 13 models the potential impact of expanding the availability of irrigation in Cotacachi. While Cotacachi receives enough rain to cultivate a number of crops in the rainy season, during the dry season production is severely limited by the availability of water. Thus the chapter argues that irrigation systems in Cotacachi should be expanded.
  • Shaping an Andean landscape: Processes affecting topography, soils and hydrology in Cotacachi
    Zehtner, F.; Miller, W. P. (Cambridge, MA: CABI Publishing, 2006)
    This second chapter introduces the topography and field scale characteristics of soil and water types, processes, and uses. Important concepts regarding the variation of climate and agricultural production systems duet to elevation are also discussed, providing a context for water use and soil erosion issues regularly confronted by indigenous communities in Cotacachi.
  • Toward sustainable crop production in Cotacachi: An assessment of the soils' nutrient status
    Zehetner, Franz; Miller, W. P. (Cambridge, MA: CABI Publishing, 2006)
    In Chapter 12, soil nutrients and soil quality in Cotacachi are thoroughly examined to evaluate historic, current, and future capacity for crop production. The Cotacachi soils are composed of volcanic ash, which gives them capacity to support both subsistence and commercially scaled models of agricultural production. However, these soils have been cultivated for over 4000 years, meaning that they must be carefully managed to ensure not to deplete the soil of one nutrient or another. Moreover, the soils vary in quality across Cotacachi, demanding that specific solutions be created to address problems of sustainability and nutrient conservation.