Conservation agriculture is seen as an effective way of combining ecological sustainability and economic viability while maintaining or even increasing agricultural productivity. However, for small-scale farmers in the South, it is often difficult to implement, since during the transitional phase, it calls for financial means that they do not have. Under these conditions, how can they adopt such systems and what types of soil cover may be economically worthwhile for them?
Researchers from CIRAD and their Brazilian counterparts have designed a simulation model to answer these questions in the case of the mixed family crop-livestock farms of the Cerrado in Brazil. The Cerrado is a region of Brazil comprising savannahs with particularly dense vegetation, which are very rich in terms of biodiversity. The farms in the region, which are most family-run, are concentrated on a small area. The model served to understand overall farm functioning and simulate changes in crop and livestock production systems.
In particular, it showed that a system on a pigeon pea cover crop was economically worthwhile for all the types of farms and of livestock production (dairy- or meat-oriented). This result can primarily be put down to the high protein value of pigeon pea when used as fodder. Not forgetting the other benefits of any type of mulch-based system: provision of biomass, soil protection against erosion, weed control, improved mineral and water balances.
via CIRAD - Actualités / News http://ift.tt/2e2vPc0
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