Innovating Traditional Production Systems Through On-Farm Conservation Agriculture and Agroforestry Research

Frontiers in Agronomy

Angel Ramos Sanchez¹  Fernando García Dávila¹  Juan Pablo Torres Zambrano¹  Columba Silva Avendaño¹  Alejandrina García Dávila¹  Zenaida Pérez Martínez¹  Nele Verhulst²  Simon Fonteyne²  Luis Castillo Villaseñor² 

[1] Agencia Mexicana para el Desarrollo Sustentable en Laderas SC (AMDSL), Oaxaca, Mexico;International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Texcoco, Mexico;

关键词: maize (Zea mays L.);    beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.);    squashes;    multicropping;    crop rotation;    milpa;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fagro.2021.787507

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Maize (Zea mays L.), the staple crop of Mexico, is often produced by smallholder farmers on sloping terrains. Historically, little agronomic research has been performed under the conditions of these farmers to support them in the sustainable intensification of their production systems. We set up trials at two locations in the state of Oaxaca to evaluate conservation agriculture and agroforestry in collaboration with local farmers. Crop diversification through crop rotations, multicropping, relay cropping or agroforestry increased system yields the most, by up to 1.4 t ha−1 in Teopoxco and 1.7 t ha−1 in Tamazulapam. Increased input use through increased fertilization or liming did not increase profitability enough to justify their use. Zero tillage and residue retention increased yields and reduced production costs. Conservation agriculture with agroforestry was a high-yielding, profitable system that also reduced farmers' risk by providing several harvests per year. The most profitable combinations of agroforestry and conservation agriculture could produce up to $4,854 USD ha−1 in Teopoxco and $2,143 USD ha−1 in Tamazulapam, while the control treatments in the same sites and years produced $175 USD ha−1 and $92 USD ha−1 respectively. In several years the main crop failed, while the trees were able to produce due to their different growing season compared to maize. Through adaptive investigation under farmers' conditions, sustainable intensification of traditional production system is possible with low-cost changes that are locally adapted and within farmers' possibilities.

【 授权许可】

Unknown