Factors To Consider in Site Selection and Choice of Crops Enterprise
Factors To Consider in Site Selection and Choice of Crops Enterprise
Factors To Consider in Site Selection and Choice of Crops Enterprise
2. SA is experiential
does not impose a simple model or package
farmers and local communities must be able to adapt and allowed to change
3. SA is participatory
farmers are active participants
incorporates recent innovations originating from scientists, farmers or both
relies on continuous innovation by farmers and local communities
4. SA is proactive
forward-looking
concern of short and long-term sustainability
dynamic and innovative
Features/ attributes/ dimensions of SA
1. Continuously evolving
non-permanent
dynamic
2. Gender sensitive
3. Location specific
appropriate/practical technology
4. Resource-based
community-based management of resources
control of resources
enhanced/protect what is available or remaining
use of indigenous technical knowledge
5. Holistic Approach
holistic/integrated
diversified farming
location specific
system with no leak
6. Enhances human values
What is sustainable agriculture?
An alternative agricultural development framework that has emerged in
response to the various problems associated with conventional agriculture.
Means showing a net profit in the income statement of the farming enterprise
Practice should provide food sufficient for the family
Means minimal or no cost of externalities by the farming operation
Minimize dependence on foreign loans for various agricultural practices
economically viable system and practice
What is diversity or biodiversity?
Totality of genes, species, and ecosystems in a region
Levels of diversity
Genetic diversity within crop cultivars
Variation of genes within species or among crop cultivars
Crop species diversity
Variety of species within a region
Ecosystems diversity
All of the organisms in a given place in interaction,
Farm landscape with ecosystem diversity has ff sections:
Perennial crops or fruit orchard section
Livestock/feed section
Intensive food or cash production area
What is productivity?
Yearly output of the physical product per unit area (e.i. crop yield) of the
cultivated land
Rate at which biomass (organic matter) is accumulated by a crop per unit
area of land per unit time
Biomass
Total weight of plant materials per unit of ground area at a given point in
time
Indices of productivity
Weight of biological yield -All the biomass harvested from the crop
Weight of economic yield -Include grains or tubers
Other economically important parts of the plant
Monetary value -Net income of farmers
What does LER value mean?
LER = 1, means the monocroping and intercropping are the same
LER =<1, means, monocropping is better than intercropping
LER =>1, means intercropping is better than monocropping
What is stability?
Resistance of a landscape or system to disturbance and its recovery from
disturbance
Environmental variability - Results in yield instability
In multiple cropping system -The productivity is relatively stable due to the
presence of several crop species
Resource conservation regeneration
- or permanent culture was coined by Bill Mollison in 1970 which is a unique design that produce efficient
low-maintenance integration of plants, animals, people and structure applied at the scale of a home
garden, all the way to a large farm
Organic Farming
was first used by Lord Northbourne, is a production system which avoids or largely exclude the
use of synthetically. compounded fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock additives
Organic agriculture
is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people.
It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather
than the use of inputs with adverse effects.
Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment
and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.
Regenerative agriculture
a form of agriculture that aims to enhance regeneration of renewable resource to achieve a
sustainable form of agriculture
Precision farming/agriculture/ Prescription Farming /Site Specific Management
A management strategy that employs detailed site-specific information to precisely manage
production inputs; to know the soil and crop characteristics
unique to each part of the field, and to optimize production within small portions of the field that
uses computers, telecoms and global positioning systems (GPS), etc.
Agroforestry
GREEN MANURING
Green manuring is the planting of seasonal crops usually legumes like beans and
plowing them under at their tender age during flowering and early fruiting when they are
rich in nutrients.
Bio-N is solid inoculants in powdered form that contains any of the two important strains
of bacteria isolated from the roots of talahib grass that can convert the nitrogen from the
air into ammonia. It can substitute 30-50% of the nitrogen requirement of rice and corn.
Bio-N increases the yield of rice and corn by as much as 35% compared with
unfertilized treatments, maintains the natural soil properties and fertility, and makes
plants healthy and green even in drought and in the presence of pests.
Mycogroe is
a soil-based bio-fertilizers tablet form that promotes
survival and growth of forest species like eucalyptus, pines, agoho and
dipterocarps. The tablet is inoculated into tree seedlings during their nursery
stage. Some 60-80% of the fertilizer requirements of the trees in the fields are
replaced by using this microb inoculant.
Mycovam on the other hand, is in powdered form, soil inoculant
effective for agricultural crops like rice, corn potatoes, eggplant, fruit trees and
forest trees.
We set the 5 principals to carry out Mokichi Okada’s Nature Farming.
1. Production of safe and nutritious food to enhance human health
2. Development of economic and spiritual benefits to both farmers and
consumers
3. Sustainability and ease of practice by every person
4. Production of sufficient food of high quality for the increasing populations
5. Conservation of the environments
Site selection for crop production
Location and Site
1. Location – the actual geographic position of an agricultural site.
2. Site – the localized area and microenvironment of an agriculture
enterprise.
Two (2) possible cases in starting a crop production enterprises:
Case 1. the crop enterprise is first decided upon then a location is
chosen.
Case 2. the area is an existing farm property or a chosen base of
operation, then the most suitable crops identified, matching the potentials
of the land with the suitability of certain crops
Case 1. For example, a farmer already decided to grow rice as his crop. Thus, will select
a location and site with the following conditions:
1. Temperature –rice requires temperature between 20 and 35 degree Celsius and a
minimum of 6 to 8 hours of exposure to sunlight per day.
2. Total rainfall - well distributed rainfall.
3. Soil type- ideal soil type for growing rice is clay loam
clay loam have a goo water holding capacity.
4. Topography
5. Accessible to market or packinghouses.
Case 2. the site is already given and the suitable crop must still decided upon.
Factors to consider in site evaluation
6. Climate
a. Amount of rainfall (annual and monthly pattern)
b. Frequency of typhoons passing in the area
c. Wind velocity and direction
2. Physical factors
3. Biological Factors
a. Cropping pattern of the community (synchronized planting)-
pest and disease management.
b. Production practices in the area and facilities/amenities
adoption of existing practices in the area with best yields.
c. Pest and diseases problem in the area
neighborhood should be free from transmissible diseases/ epidemic.
4. Socioeconomic factors
a. Labor supply situation and level of skills
b. Accessibility of farm to transportation facilities
c. Nearness to population centers as markets
d. Local market situation and preferences of the populace
e. Political factors-peace and order situation
Shukran and assalamo alaykum