Optimal spacing of soil conservation barriers: Example of rock bunds in Burkina Faso

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dc.contributor.authorZougmoré, R.en
dc.contributor.authorKaboré, D.en
dc.contributor.authorLowenberg-DeBoer, J.en
dc.contributor.departmentSustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Knowledgebaseen
dc.coverage.spatialBurkina Fasoen
dc.coverage.temporal1992 - 1994en
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-19T18:09:12Zen
dc.date.available2016-04-19T18:09:12Zen
dc.date.issued2000en
dc.descriptionMetadata only recorden
dc.description.abstractA mathematical model is presented for computing the economically optimal spacing of conservation barriers or bunds. Crop yield is generally greatest immediately upslope of bunds. However, labor and availability of rocks or other materials limits the practicality of narrow bund spacings. The authors assumed a quadratic response of yield to distance from the bund and used sorghum yield data from test fields on a 1% slope to develop model coefficients. Three labor scenarios were investigated: local citizens working together on a community land management project (maximum construction cost), a farm family assisted by an NGO to transport rocks, and a farm family with a nearby supply of rocks and their own tools (minimum construction cost). For the various scenarios studied, optimum bund spacing was determined to be 23-40 m. The authors state that the method could be used for spacing terraces, windbreaks, or other types of conservation barriers. Further research should include incorporating risk, environmental aspects, rock bund age, as well as interactions with fertilizer and other inputs.en
dc.format.mimetypetext/plainen
dc.identifier586en
dc.identifier.citationAgronomy Journal 92: 361-368en
dc.identifier.issn0002-1962en
dc.identifier.issn1435-0645en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/65633en
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherAmerican Society of Agronomyen
dc.relation.urihttp://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/reprint/92/2/361en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2000 American Society of Agronomyen
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectSoil conservationen
dc.subjectNongovernmental organizations (NGOs)en
dc.subjectArid zonesen
dc.subjectNet present valueen
dc.subjectEconomic optimizationen
dc.subjectSorghumen
dc.subjectField Scaleen
dc.titleOptimal spacing of soil conservation barriers: Example of rock bunds in Burkina Fasoen
dc.typeAbstracten
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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