scholarly journals Acacia Catechu Trees in Rice Fields: A Traditional Agroforestry System of Northern Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Md. Alamgir Kabir ◽  
K.M. Masum Billah ◽  
Md. Masud Parvez

Growing Acacia catechu trees on rice fields is one traditional crop-land Agroforestry system of Rajshahi region in Bangladesh. Farming system was explored with detailed information on farm operations and cropping calendar including system outputs. System dynamics was also evaluated. PRA exercises were conducted for a biophysical assessment. The information was collected on informant wise and cross-checked. Best growth of trees observed under rain-fed conditions. Higher density of trees found in un-irrigated fields. Trees were better managed in small plots. In general, density of khoir trees was found higher in small holdings (less than 2 ha) with secured land tenure. Trees on farms were of uneven age indicating the khoir + rice system biologically sustainable. The ease of establishment of Khoir seedlings, the low cost of its maintenance, and less vulnerability to any serious pest or disease, easy marketability of products rated high in the farmer’s preference for khoir. They appreciate the versatility of the wood for a variety of farm uses though its prime economic use to them is for production of lali for katha. They also get pitch khoir as by product of katha (red dyestuff for textiles and paper) production. The multiple products and services offered and the ease of managing the trees on crop fields without causing any immediate or long-term reduction in crop yield seemed to be the most important factors that encourage the farmers to continue this traditional practice. If farmers could be motivated to follow appropriately the silvicultural practices, production could further be increased.

1994 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lawry ◽  
D. Stienbarger ◽  
M. A. Jabbar

Alley farming was developed as a means of maintaining soil fertility in fields under permanent cultivation in Africa, as population pressure makes the traditional practice of slash-and-burn combined with fallowing unsustainable. It is an agroforestry system under which food crops are grown in alleys formed by hedgerows of leguminous trees and shrubs. Studies have shown that it works, but farmers are only taking it up very slowly. Recent work suggests that land tenure might be a factor in the spread of alley cropping.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 385
Author(s):  
Beatrice Nöldeke ◽  
Etti Winter ◽  
Yves Laumonier ◽  
Trifosa Simamora

In recent years, agroforestry has gained increasing attention as an option to simultaneously alleviate poverty, provide ecological benefits, and mitigate climate change. The present study simulates small-scale farmers’ agroforestry adoption decisions to investigate the consequences for livelihoods and the environment over time. To explore the interdependencies between agroforestry adoption, livelihoods, and the environment, an agent-based model adjusted to a case study area in rural Indonesia was implemented. Thereby, the model compares different scenarios, including a climate change scenario. The agroforestry system under investigation consists of an illipe (Shorea stenoptera) rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) mix, which are both locally valued tree species. The simulations reveal that farmers who adopt agroforestry diversify their livelihood portfolio while increasing income. Additionally, the model predicts environmental benefits: enhanced biodiversity and higher carbon sequestration in the landscape. The benefits of agroforestry for livelihoods and nature gain particular importance in the climate change scenario. The results therefore provide policy-makers and practitioners with insights into the dynamic economic and environmental advantages of promoting agroforestry.


2005 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. BUTLER ◽  
T. BERNET ◽  
K. MANRIQUE

Potatoes are an important cash crop for small-scale producers worldwide. The move away from subsistence to commercialized farming, combined with the rapid growth in demand for processed agricultural products in developing countries, implies that small-scale farmers and researchers alike must begin to respond to these market changes and consider post-harvest treatment as a critical aspect of the potato farming system. This paper presents and assesses a low cost potato-grading machine that was designed explicitly to enable small-scale potato growers to sort tubers by size for supply to commercial processors. The results of ten experiments reveal that the machine achieves an accuracy of sort similar to commercially available graders. The machine, which uses parallel conical rollers, has the capacity to grade different tuber shapes and to adjust sorting classes, making it suitable for locations with high potato diversity. Its relatively low cost suggests that an improved and adapted version of this machine might enhance market integration of small-scale potato producers not only in Peru, but in other developing countries as well.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rémi Cardinael ◽  
Bertrand Guenet ◽  
Tiphaine Chevallier ◽  
Christian Dupraz ◽  
Thomas Cozzi ◽  
...  

Abstract. Agroforestry is an increasingly popular farming system enabling agricultural diversification and providing several ecosystem services. In agroforestry systems, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks are generally increased, but it is difficult to disentangle the different factors responsible for this storage. Organic carbon (OC) inputs to the soil may be larger, but SOC decomposition rates may be modified owing to microclimate, physical protection, or priming effect from roots, especially at depth. We used an 18-year-old silvoarable system associating hybrid walnut trees (Juglans regia × nigra) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum), and an adjacent agricultural control plot to quantify all OC inputs to the soil – leaf litter, tree fine root senescence, crop residues, and tree row herbaceous vegetation –, and measure SOC stocks down 2 m depth at varying distances from the trees. We then proposed a model that simulates SOC dynamics in agroforestry accounting for both the whole soil profile and the lateral spatial heterogeneity. OC inputs to soil were increased by about 40 % (+1.11 t C ha−1 yr−1) down to 2 m depth in the agroforestry plot compared to the control, resulting in an additional SOC stock of 6.3 t C ha−1 down to 1 m depth. The model described properly the measured SOC stocks and distribution with depth. It showed that the increased inputs of fresh biomass to soil explained the observed additional SOC storage in the agroforestry plot. Moreover, modeling revealed a strong priming effect that would reduce the potential SOC storage due to higher organic inputs in the agroforestry system by 75 to 90 %. This result questions the potential of soils to store large amounts of carbon, especially at depth. Deep-rooted trees modify OC inputs to soil, a process that deserves further studies given its potential effects on SOC dynamics.


2005 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bodil Elmqvist ◽  
Lennart Olsson ◽  
Eltighani Mirghani Elamin ◽  
Andrew Warren

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.24) ◽  
pp. 509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uppu Shasi Kiran ◽  
Shanu Arya ◽  
M Rajasekaran

Using the idea of IOT this project explain the multi-task farming system using Arduino. The system uses a Wi-Fi module in which system is connected to the internet. A motor and two valve are controlled by this module for transporting the water to the farm on  receiving the signal from a water level sensor and soil moisture indicator. This system explain the illustration of Internet of Things (IOT). This concept does the work like weeding, spraying water, harvesting, etc. The system also does the work like determining the humidity of the soil and measuring the physical environmental factor which can be monitored by any individual from anywhere they want and the data gets recorded in the database of the webpage or the app through IOT connection and the individual gets a notification on their cellular phone through message so that he can operate the system through a push message or can be done through the mobile app if there is any requirement to the field that to be taken care of.  


Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Tien Tsai ◽  
Chien-Hung Hsu ◽  
Yu-Quan Lin

The use of biochar in the horticulture and crop fields is a recent method to improve soil fertility due to its porous features and rich nutrients. In the present study, dairy manure (DM) was used as a biomass precursor in the preparation of highly porous biochar (DM-BC) produced at specific conditions. Based on N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, the resulting biochar featured its microporous/mesoporous textures with a BET surface area of about 300 m2/g and total pore volume of 0.185 cm3/g, which could be a low-cost biosorbent for the effective removal of methylene blue (MB) from the aqueous solution. As observed by the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the primary inorganic nutrients on the surface of DM-BC included calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), silicon (Si), sulfur (S), sodium (Na) and aluminum (Al). Furthermore, the resulting biochar was investigated in duplicate for its biosorption performance of cationic compound (i.e., methylene blue, MB) from the aqueous solution with various initial MB concentrations and DM-BC dosages at 25 °C. The findings showed that the biosorption kinetic parameters fitted by the pseudo-second order rate model with high correlations were consistent with its porous features. These experimental results suggested that the porous DM-based biochar could be reused as a biosorbent, biofertilizer, or soil amendments due to the high porosity and the abundance in nutrient minerals.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1540-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neema Bisht ◽  
V. K. Sah ◽  
Kavita Satyawali ◽  
Salil Tiwari

Field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2013-14 on an established plantation at old site of Agroforestry Research Centre, Patharchatta of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantna-gar, District Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, India to evaluate the effect of poplar based agroforestry system and open system (without poplar) on yield of different wheat varieties and soil physico-chemical properties.The experi-ment was laid out in randomized block design with 4 treatments and each replicated thrice under both the growing conditions. The crop treatments are wheat varieties viz. UP-2572, PBW-550, DBW-711 and PBW-373. The highest grain yield of all the wheat varieties was obtained under open farming system. Highest grain yield of wheat was rec-orded in UP-2572 (45.3 q/ha) under open farming system. Agroforestry is proven land use system for vertically en-hancing soil health against unsuitable weather condition. The distribution of soil properties was detected from the depth 0-15 cm in poplar based agroforestry system and as well as in open system. During the experiment it was found that agroforestry add more nutrients to the soil compared to open system i.e. highest pH (7.9), EC (0.43 dSm-1), available soil nitrogen (253.48 kg/ha), potassium (219.63 kg/ha) were achieved with UP-2572 while organic car-bon (1.07%) and available soil phosphorus (22.72 kg/ha) were attained with DBW-711.


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