Browsing by Author "SANREM CRSP"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 51
  • Aboveground and belowground competition between intercropped cabbage and young Eucalyptus torreliana
    Nissen, Todd M.; Midmore, David J.; Cabrera, M. (Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999)
    There is growing incentive for farmers in the uplands of the Philippines to develop agroforestry systems rather than strictly vegetable farms due to an increasing market demand for timber. Farmers view intercropping young timber crops with annual crops as advantageous, based on the assumptions that the small trees will not deprive the vegetable crops of adequate light or nutrients, and that the tree crops will thrive with the nutrient inputs and weed control used in the intercropping system. This paper reports on a study of these assumptions that assessed both above- and below-ground competition between the tree species Eucalyptus torelliana and a cabbage crop. The test plots were located in the uplands of Mindanao, the Philippines. The impact of intercropping on cabbage yields varied according to the proximity of the cabbage row to the tree, suggesting above ground competition for light and below ground competition for moisture. There did not appear to be detrimental competition for nutrients; intercropping increased overall nitrogen efficiency. Further research is needed to investigate the tradeoffs between reduced crop yields and increased nutrient efficiency and to explore management strategies that will reduce the negative competition impacts of intercropping.
  • Agricultural change, rural labor markets, and forest clearing: An illustrative case from the Philippines
    Shively, Gerald E. (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001)
    This paper investigates the relationship of agricultural employment and land use choices in upland tropical forest margins. The author combines models of lowland agricultural production and upland farm labor allocation to study the influence of labor productivity, agricultural wages, and economic returns on deforestation rates. Data collected from Philippine farms shows that adoption of lowland irrigation increased labor demand, providing employment to upland residents, and thus causing a small (but statistically significant) reduction in deforestation rates.
  • An analysis of commercial vegetable farms in relation to sustainability in the uplands of Southeast Asia
    Poudel, Durga D.; Midmore, David J.; Hargrove, W. (Great Britain: Elsevier Science Ltd., 1998)
    This paper examines the factors limiting vegetable crop yields in the uplands of Southeast Asia. A survey of farms and soil sampling conducted in the upper Manupali watershed, Mindinao, the Philippines found large differences in the yields of four common crops: tomato, cabbage, potato, and Chinese cabbage. Nitrogen application was most influential on tomato and cabbage yields; proportion of sand in the top soil and use of fungicide were the primary determinants of potato yields, and family labor availability had the greatest effect on Chinese cabbage yields. Based on multivariate data analysis, the farming systems were grouped into higher and lower external nutrient systems (HEN and LEN). Further application of soil conservation techniques, cropping sequences, and plant protection practices would increase the sustainability of both system types. LEN systems would benefit from increased nutrient application while use of labor saving technologies, crop diversification, and more efficient use of fertilizer would enhance HEN system sustainability.
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    Assessing the scientific knowledge base for ecoagriculture
    SANREM CRSP (Blacksburg, Va.: SANREM CRSP, OIRED, Virginia Tech, 2007)
    Continued population growth and urban expansion are reducing the availability per capita of land for agricultural purposes. Growing water scarcity is threatening agricultural production and creating challenges for farmers. As the severity of these problems increases, the world continues to demand that agriculture: feed the growing global population and reduce hunger; generate sustainable incomes and livelihoods; contribute to export growth strategies; reduce poverty; and support economic and social equity. These demands highlight the need for more productive agricultural production systems; however, there is growing concern that current systems are not sustainable and may be contributing to the degradation of ecosystems that are important to humans and other species. Out of this concern comes a new approach to farming that combines sustainable agriculture with the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. This approach, called ecoagriculture, promotes sustainable solutions to global malnutrition and hunger while protecting and enhancing the natural resources used in food production and wildlife conservation.
  • Biophysical and economic tradeoffs of intercropping timber with food crops in the Philippine uplands
    Nissen, Todd M.; Midmore, David J.; Keeler, Andrew G. (England: Elsevier Science Ltd., 2001)
    Rising demand and prices for timber have created economic incentives for upland farmers in the Philippines to incorporate fast-growing timber species into their farming systems. This paper examines the costs and benefits of agroforestry systems that intercrop trees and food crops with a study of the timber species Paraserianthes falcataria. Intercropped trees were 33% thicker at breast height and 21% taller than non-intercropped trees and required half the management costs. Although intercropping depresses food crop yields, the benefits of incorporating the trees exceed the costs. Labor scarcity, limitations on cash inputs, and increased tree value relative to annuals increase the benefits of intercropping.
  • Buffer zone management and agroforestry
    Garrity, Dennis P.; Glynn, C. (ed.); Banaynal, R. (ed.) (Bukidnon, Philippines: International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, 1996)
  • Community participation for conservation and development of natural resources: A summary of literature and report of research findings
    Gasteyer, S.; Flora, Cornelia B.; Fernández-Baca, Edith; Banerji, D.; Bastian, S.; Aleman, S.; Kroma, M.; Meares, Alison (2002)
    This paper reviews the available literature on participatory approaches to natural resource management, identifying nine specific elements that are common in literature. The authors explain how these elements are applied in several case studies. The paper also discusses the results from implementation of participatory approaches in community-based water quality protection initiatives, which illustrate the necessity of community participation in natural resource management.
  • Conflict, Social Capital and Managing Natural Resources: A West African Case Study
    Moore, K. M. (ed.) (Wallingford, Oxon ; Cambridge, Mass.: CABI Publishing, 2005)
  • Costumbres del ayer, Tesoros del mañana: Plantas de herencia, conocimientos ancestrales y bancos de memoria
    Nazarea, Virginia; Piniero, M. C.; Rhoades, Robert E.; Alarcón, R.; Camacho, J. (Quito, Ecuador: Abya Yala Press, 2003)
    This resource provides memory banking protocol and teaching packet in Spanish for local students.
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    Developing social infrastructure for effective NRM
    SANREM CRSP (Blacksburg, VA: SANREM CRSP, OIRED, Virginia Tech, 2005)
    Effective natural resource management (NRM) in Mali must address methods of conflict avoidance and management. Collaborating with local Natural Resource Management Advisory Committees (NRMACs), SANREM researchers have outlined a process for improving conflict and natural resource management at the commune/multi-village level.
  • Development and the environment in Asia
    Coxhead, Ian (Canberra: National Centre for Development Studies, Australian National University, 2003)
    This paper examines the complex, non-linear relationships between economic growth and environmental degradation that are apparent in the variety of experiences in the recent history of many tropical Asian economies. Numerous factors influence the growth-environment interactions, including the production composition, new techniques and environmental policies, security of natural resource property rights, and pollution regulation and liability. Furthermore, environmental and economic policies are not distinct; any environmental policy also has economic impacts, making it an economic policy by default. Likewise, economic policies must also be assessed as environmental policies; the influence of globalization on Asian economies has had significant environmental impacts. There is growing consensus in economic analyses that environmental degradation harms regional economies. The available literature identifies some of the numerous links between economics and environmental resources.
  • Development policies, resource constraints, and agricultural expansion on the Philippine land frontier
    Coxhead, Ian; Shively, Gerald E.; Shuai, X. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002)
    This paper addresses the interactions between development policies and upland agriculture expansion with a model of household-level responses to economic and technical factors, based on characteristics of the household and farming system. The authors assess the validity of the model with data from farm households in the region bordering the Mt Kitanglad Range National Park in southern Mindanao, using results of surveying low income corn and vegetable farms. Crop prices and productivity influenced land allocation within a farm, though the different crops generated different influences. Crops were expanded primarily through land substitution and increased input levels, but when prices or productivity of other crops changed, the expansion occurred in the total farm area. The constraints of land and family labor also have varying influences for different crops. The complex interactions and influences of different factors and policies suggest that environmental policies must correspondingly include multiple conditions if they are to effectively mitigate incentives for land expansion.
  • Erosion and productivity of vegetable systems on sloping volcanic ash-derived Philippine soils
    Poudel, Durga D.; Midmore, David J.; West, L. (Madison, Wisc.: Soil Science Society of America, 1999)
    Soil erosion is a significant threat to agricultural productivity on sloped lands. This paper assesses the effectiveness of several different soil conservation practices for vegetable systems on sloped volcanic ash-derived soils. A field experiment was conducted to test the authors' hypothesis that contouring, strip cropping, and high-value contour hedgerows (asparagus, pineapple, pigeonpea, and lemongrass) would reduce soil loss relative to the traditional up-and-down farming method. They found that up-and-down cultivation had the greatest annual soil loss, followed by high-value contour hedgerows, strip cropping, and contouring. For all test plots there was a large gradient in the soil characteristics and productivity between the upper and lower bounds of the plots; crop yields in the downslope sections were significantly higher. The contour hedgerow method caused rapid formation of bioterraces, which also showed much greater productivity in the bottom portions.
  • Farmer participatory research to minimize soil erosion on steepland vegetable systems in the Philippines
    Poudel, Durga D.; Midmore, David J.; West, L. (Amsterdam ; New York, N.Y.: Elsevier, 2000)
    Soil erosion is a significant threat to agricultural productivity on sloped lands. This paper assesses a farmer participatory research project to evaluate the effectiveness of high-value contour hedgerows (of pineapple, asparagus, pigeon peas, lemongrass, and tea) as a method of steepland erosion control. The study compared researcher plots with high-value contour hedgerows to farmer-managed plots cultivated in the traditional up-and-down method. Measurements were made of soil loss, nutrient loss, and water runoff. The researchers applied the Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC) model to simulate the effects of annual crop sequences in conjunction with contour hedgerows. Tomato - cabbage - tomato sequences lost significantly more soil than cabbage - tomato - cabbage sequences. Because an average of two thirds of total soil loss occurred between September and December, the authors suggest that cropping sequences during that period should include corn or cabbage rather than tomato. The effectiveness of this research in producing accurate predictions of soil loss and enhancing farmer awareness of the magnitude of soil lost in their tradition cultivation methods affirm the value of farmer participatory research.
  • Flora y Vegetación de Cuicocha
    Peñafiel Cevallos, M. (Quito, Ecuador: Abya Yala, 2003)
    Ecuador is one of 17 countries in the world considered to have the greatest biodiversity. The research presented here constitutes the most important scientific contribution to the knowledge of botanical resources in the region, particularly around Lake Cuicocha. It facilitates understanding and appreciation of the Andean vegetation, which is increasingly being altered and destroyed. This study provides an indispensable resource for reference and support in future research.
  • How do national markets and price policies affect land use at the forest margin? Evidence from the Philippines
    Coxhead, Ian; Rola, Agnes C.; Kim, K. (Madison, Wisc.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001)
    Deforestation, land degradation, and watershed degradation commonly result from expansion of upland agriculture in the developing countries of the tropics. This paper examines the influence of market factors on farmers' decisions by evaluating market integration and the linkages between policy and markets. The authors suggest that if market factors do significantly influence agricultural management choices, market policy instruments may be very effective for addressing upland sustainability issues. Their findings support the efficacy of increased dissemination of information from the national level and policy advocacy.
  • Improving the water distribution uniformity of a low-cost drip irrigation system using adjustable pressure-loss lateral takeoff valves
    Ella, Victor B.; Keller, J.; Reyes, Manuel R.; Yoder, R. (2010)
    This presentation explains a study conducted at the University of the Philippines Los Baños which measured the effect of using Adjustable Pressure-Loss Lateral Takeoff Valves (APLTVs) on the water distribution uniformity of a low-cost drip irrigation system under sloping conditions. These researchers used many calculations and graphs to show that in general, the inclusion of APLTVs as a built-in component of the low-cost drip irrigation system can potentially increase crop productivity and yield.
  • Landscape systems framework for adaptive management
    Moore, Keith M. (Ankeny, IA: Soil and Water Conservation Society, 2009)
    This chapter introduces landscape systems and why they are effective as a framework for understanding multiple systems across various scales. Landscape systems are helpful when observing the interconnections between actions and consequences in a complex adaptive system (CAS). A few main themes of landscape systems are adaptive management, open participatory communication among multiple stakeholders, the reinvestment of knowledge, innovation, and transformation. There is an interrelation between all factors in a CAS, but it can be difficult to see the effects different factors have on others. In order to bring a sense of organization, landscape systems are used to classify different scales or levels. These are field, farm enterprise, community watershed, ecosystems, and governance or policy. This classification helps to categorize different contributing factors, which can help explain the consequence of an action in a CAS and how it affects different levels in the system. Learning about these effects and considering macro-system factors helps guide development by targeting a project at the appropriate level. A landscape systems approach can allow for innovation and improvement through the use of adaptive management.
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    Lowland irrigation practices benefit upland farms
    SANREM CRSP (Blacksburg, VA: SANREM CRSP, OIRED, Virginia Tech, 2006)
    The recent expansion of lowland irrigation practices in the Philippines has highlighted the economic and environmental ties between lowland and upland farms. Increased lowland production is providing additional off-farm employment opportunities for upland households, resulting in improved upland land management and decreased upland erosion.
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    Managing Natural Resources Locally: An Overview of Innovations and Ten Initial Steps for Local Governments
    Queblatin, E.; Catacutan, Delia C.; Garrity, Dennis P. (Bukidnon, Philippines: International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, Southeast Asian Regional Research Programme: International Fund for Agricultural Development, 2001)
    This publication reports on the devolution and growth in community-based resource that is taking place in the Philippines. The authors suggest effective, innovative approaches for enabling local governments to manage resources.