FARM-LEVEL ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN ECUADOR

Autor:	Michael Bertelsen, Daniel B. Taylor, Víctor Hugo Barrera, George W. Norton, Jeffrey Alwang, Abigail M. Nguema
Rok vydání:	2012
Předmět:	No-till farming Geography Agriculture business.industry Agroforestry Conservation agriculture Soil retrogression and degradation business Livelihood Agronomy and Crop Science Environmental degradation Soil quality Natural resource
Zdroj:	Experimental Agriculture. 49:134-147
ISSN:	1469-4441 0014-4797
Popis:	SUMMARYFarm households in the Andean region of South America face serious livelihood challenges, including a poor natural resource base and declining agricultural yields. Conservation agriculture has been identified as a potential solution to environmental degradation and the associated poverty and food insecurity in the region. This study analyses the potential economic impact of conservation agriculture in two sub-watersheds in central Ecuador utilizing a linear programming model and data from experiments in farmer fields. The model found that specific cover crops, crop rotations and reduced tillage designed to reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic matter can lead to increased incomes for farm households in a time period of as short as two years. It appears that conservation agriculture practices have the potential to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor in Ecuador because conservation agriculture activities entered the revenue-maximizing model solution for both sub-watersheds.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::f6d63b649718c5743eca261a444814b3 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479712001044 Zobrazit plný text záznamu