Diversity in the biophysical and socio-economic attributes of agricultural systems makes them uniquely niche based. Farmers are expert in local biophysical and socio-economic situations and can contribute in developin...Diversity in the biophysical and socio-economic attributes of agricultural systems makes them uniquely niche based. Farmers are expert in local biophysical and socio-economic situations and can contribute in developing pragmatic indicators of agro-environmental development. During evaluation of an agricultural research project in Yunnan, China, local farmers were capable of evaluating the effects of modified technologies on existing cropping systems and discussed their attitudes to the interventions using their own indicators. Farmers' response can be grouped into seven major aspects: i) effects on income, ii) effects on production resources, iii) effects on crop management, iv) existing local knowledge about the technology, v) availability of inputs, vi) access to information, and vii) socio-economic conditions of farming households. Farmers concluded that environmental conditions in the experimental catchment in comparison to an adjacent untreated catchment were better in terms of soil and water losses, vegetation cover and natural resources, infrastructures and catchment management, use of environmentally-friendly technologies, and crop productivity. Success in soil and water conservation programmes depends on the efforts of the farmers and other local users and their greater involvement helps to identify more pragmatic indicators. Furthermore, it increases ownership of the programme, enhances interactions with the project scientists, increases farmers' awareness of ago-environmental problems and their possible consequences. These development will enable scientists to develop better targeted interventions and increase the likelihood of adoption of tested technologies by local communities. The use of paired adjacent catchments improved evaluation activities and is proposed as good practice for future catchment improvement programmes.展开更多
Intercropping, as an overyielding system, can decrease soil erosion on sloping land through the presence of dense canopy covers. However, the structure mechanism in canopy is still unclear. We conducted a two-year fie...Intercropping, as an overyielding system, can decrease soil erosion on sloping land through the presence of dense canopy covers. However, the structure mechanism in canopy is still unclear. We conducted a two-year field experiment on runoff plots, exploring whether the interaction between vegetation layers reduce soil erosion in maize and potato intercropping systems. The maize, potato, and weed layers in the intercropping system were removed by a single layer, two layers and three layers, respectively(total of 8 treatments including all layers removed as the control). Then, throughfall, runoff and sediment were measured at the plot and row scale on a weekly basis. Based on the difference between each treatment and the control, we calculated and found a relative reduction of runoff and sediment by any combination of the two vegetation layers greater than the sum of each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 15.65% and 46.73%, respectively. Sediment loss decreased by 33.96% and 42.77%, respectively. Moreover, runoffand sediment reduced by the combination of all vegetation layers(no layers removed) was also larger than the sum of that by each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 7.32% and 3.48%, respectively. So, there were synergistic effects among multi-level(two or three layers) vegetation layers in terms of decreasing soil erosion on sloping land. Maize redistributes more throughfall at the maize intra-specific row and the maize and potato inter-specific, which is favorable for the synergistic effect of reducing soil erosion. This finding shows an important mechanism of maize and potato intercropping for soil and water conservation, and may promote the application of diverse cropping systems for sustainable agriculture in mountainous areas.展开更多
Significant achievements have been made in generating sustainable agricultural technologies in developing countries. Usually, these new technologies have been more effective in increasing production and productivity t...Significant achievements have been made in generating sustainable agricultural technologies in developing countries. Usually, these new technologies have been more effective in increasing production and productivity than existing technologies. However, many new technologies considered 'effective' have not been successful in alleviating the associated sustainability problems, due to poor adoption by targeted users. Success of any novel technical intervention should be judged on the basis of how widespread adoption is in the target area by targeted users. In this context, a case study identified the factors affecting farmers' adoption of improved technologies extended by an agricultural development project in a rural Village in Yunnan Province, China. Initial adoption/adaptation of project technologies was influenced by farmers' awareness of the technology. Farmers were more aware of polythene mulch, contour cultivation, intercropping and tree planting technologies than others. This led to a comparatively high initial uptake of polythene mulch, contour cultivation, sweet chestnut, and intercropping technologies. Farmers had inadequate knowledge about some Project technologies, the adoption of which was particularly low. This reveals the need for increasing farmers' awareness about the rationale for Project technologies to achieve greater adoption/adaptation of project technologies by farmers over wider areas. Farmers' testing of the technology leads to better adoption/adaptation compared to mere awareness. However, considerable time and resources are required for testing/trying technologies. This justifies the usefulness of comparatively quick and less resource demanding options for awareness creation. Development of effective cropping technologies is important for sustainable agricultural development. The success of any agricultural development project, especially in terms of improving sustainability, depends on how widely those improved technologies are adopted/adapted by farmers in the targeted region. Therefore, farmers' adoption of technologies should be a key criterion for judging the success of any project. The awareness-adoption matrix is a useful tool to guide research and development projects to achieve expected adoption/adaptation of technologies. Use of the matrix helps identification of weak and strong aspects of research and development projects and thus assists strategic decision-making.展开更多
Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will...Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will be lost within the next 100 years if current erosion rates continue. Considering these situations, an agro-environmental research and development project (Sustainable Highland Agriculture in South-East Asia- SHASEA) was conducted in a catchment in Yunnan Province, China, to address the objectives of increasing crop productivity in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways. A range of cropping practices was developed and implemented in a rural upland catchment (Wang Jia). At the end of the project, farmers were surveyed to evaluate project effectiveness. All farmers from Wang Jia Catchment, who were involved in project implementation, were surveyed. A sample of farmers working in an adjacent catchment (not associated with the project) was surveyed for comparative purposes. Farmers had different perceptions of the cropping practices employed. Contour cultivation was preferred and likely to be adopted. Others practices such as straw mulching and intercropping were seen as less appropriate and unlikely to be adopted. Polythene mulch was recognized as effective, but likely to be adopted only if financial returns were favourable. The availability of relevant information had an important impact on the extent of technology testing by farmers and their willingness to adopt the practices in the future.展开更多
基金Project supported by the University of Wolverhampton, UK.
文摘Diversity in the biophysical and socio-economic attributes of agricultural systems makes them uniquely niche based. Farmers are expert in local biophysical and socio-economic situations and can contribute in developing pragmatic indicators of agro-environmental development. During evaluation of an agricultural research project in Yunnan, China, local farmers were capable of evaluating the effects of modified technologies on existing cropping systems and discussed their attitudes to the interventions using their own indicators. Farmers' response can be grouped into seven major aspects: i) effects on income, ii) effects on production resources, iii) effects on crop management, iv) existing local knowledge about the technology, v) availability of inputs, vi) access to information, and vii) socio-economic conditions of farming households. Farmers concluded that environmental conditions in the experimental catchment in comparison to an adjacent untreated catchment were better in terms of soil and water losses, vegetation cover and natural resources, infrastructures and catchment management, use of environmentally-friendly technologies, and crop productivity. Success in soil and water conservation programmes depends on the efforts of the farmers and other local users and their greater involvement helps to identify more pragmatic indicators. Furthermore, it increases ownership of the programme, enhances interactions with the project scientists, increases farmers' awareness of ago-environmental problems and their possible consequences. These development will enable scientists to develop better targeted interventions and increase the likelihood of adoption of tested technologies by local communities. The use of paired adjacent catchments improved evaluation activities and is proposed as good practice for future catchment improvement programmes.
基金financially supported by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China(Grant No.201503119)the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China(Grant No.2015BAD06B04)the Scholarship Award for Excellent Doctoral Student granted by Yunnan Province
文摘Intercropping, as an overyielding system, can decrease soil erosion on sloping land through the presence of dense canopy covers. However, the structure mechanism in canopy is still unclear. We conducted a two-year field experiment on runoff plots, exploring whether the interaction between vegetation layers reduce soil erosion in maize and potato intercropping systems. The maize, potato, and weed layers in the intercropping system were removed by a single layer, two layers and three layers, respectively(total of 8 treatments including all layers removed as the control). Then, throughfall, runoff and sediment were measured at the plot and row scale on a weekly basis. Based on the difference between each treatment and the control, we calculated and found a relative reduction of runoff and sediment by any combination of the two vegetation layers greater than the sum of each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 15.65% and 46.73%, respectively. Sediment loss decreased by 33.96% and 42.77%, respectively. Moreover, runoffand sediment reduced by the combination of all vegetation layers(no layers removed) was also larger than the sum of that by each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 7.32% and 3.48%, respectively. So, there were synergistic effects among multi-level(two or three layers) vegetation layers in terms of decreasing soil erosion on sloping land. Maize redistributes more throughfall at the maize intra-specific row and the maize and potato inter-specific, which is favorable for the synergistic effect of reducing soil erosion. This finding shows an important mechanism of maize and potato intercropping for soil and water conservation, and may promote the application of diverse cropping systems for sustainable agriculture in mountainous areas.
文摘Significant achievements have been made in generating sustainable agricultural technologies in developing countries. Usually, these new technologies have been more effective in increasing production and productivity than existing technologies. However, many new technologies considered 'effective' have not been successful in alleviating the associated sustainability problems, due to poor adoption by targeted users. Success of any novel technical intervention should be judged on the basis of how widespread adoption is in the target area by targeted users. In this context, a case study identified the factors affecting farmers' adoption of improved technologies extended by an agricultural development project in a rural Village in Yunnan Province, China. Initial adoption/adaptation of project technologies was influenced by farmers' awareness of the technology. Farmers were more aware of polythene mulch, contour cultivation, intercropping and tree planting technologies than others. This led to a comparatively high initial uptake of polythene mulch, contour cultivation, sweet chestnut, and intercropping technologies. Farmers had inadequate knowledge about some Project technologies, the adoption of which was particularly low. This reveals the need for increasing farmers' awareness about the rationale for Project technologies to achieve greater adoption/adaptation of project technologies by farmers over wider areas. Farmers' testing of the technology leads to better adoption/adaptation compared to mere awareness. However, considerable time and resources are required for testing/trying technologies. This justifies the usefulness of comparatively quick and less resource demanding options for awareness creation. Development of effective cropping technologies is important for sustainable agricultural development. The success of any agricultural development project, especially in terms of improving sustainability, depends on how widely those improved technologies are adopted/adapted by farmers in the targeted region. Therefore, farmers' adoption of technologies should be a key criterion for judging the success of any project. The awareness-adoption matrix is a useful tool to guide research and development projects to achieve expected adoption/adaptation of technologies. Use of the matrix helps identification of weak and strong aspects of research and development projects and thus assists strategic decision-making.
文摘Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will be lost within the next 100 years if current erosion rates continue. Considering these situations, an agro-environmental research and development project (Sustainable Highland Agriculture in South-East Asia- SHASEA) was conducted in a catchment in Yunnan Province, China, to address the objectives of increasing crop productivity in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways. A range of cropping practices was developed and implemented in a rural upland catchment (Wang Jia). At the end of the project, farmers were surveyed to evaluate project effectiveness. All farmers from Wang Jia Catchment, who were involved in project implementation, were surveyed. A sample of farmers working in an adjacent catchment (not associated with the project) was surveyed for comparative purposes. Farmers had different perceptions of the cropping practices employed. Contour cultivation was preferred and likely to be adopted. Others practices such as straw mulching and intercropping were seen as less appropriate and unlikely to be adopted. Polythene mulch was recognized as effective, but likely to be adopted only if financial returns were favourable. The availability of relevant information had an important impact on the extent of technology testing by farmers and their willingness to adopt the practices in the future.