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Fragile Lands of Latin America Strategies for ... - PART - USAID

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Indigenous Soil Management in Amazonia<br />

Table 3<br />

Agriculture Formations <strong>of</strong> the Kayap6<br />

Village gardens<br />

1. Household gardens<br />

2. Swidden plots (Puru)<br />

3. Successional plots derived from swidden<br />

4. Grave sites<br />

5. Marantaceae gardens on hill slopes (Krgi kam puru)<br />

Planting associated with travel<br />

6. Trails between villages and gardens<br />

7. Trails between villages<br />

8. Hunting/trekking trails<br />

9. Planting around old camp sites<br />

Forest planting<br />

10. Natural ecosystem gaps (BA kre tl)<br />

1 1. Man-made gaps<br />

12. Plantations in mature <strong>for</strong>est (viz Euterpe, Bertholetia)<br />

13. Fruit groves "in memory <strong>of</strong> the dead<br />

Cerrado plantings (Apse)<br />

Source: Adapted from Hecht and Posey (in press).<br />

cropping systems, crop rotations, crops with scandent habits, concen-<br />

trated tillage, direct additions <strong>of</strong> nutrients in the <strong>for</strong>m <strong>of</strong> applications<br />

<strong>of</strong> ashes, mulches, residues, dung and enriched soils, complex coplant-<br />

ing, transferring <strong>for</strong>est litter, composting, and controlled periodic, in-<br />

field burning. There are clearly points <strong>of</strong> similarity in the Yurimaguas/<br />

Kayapb systems in the use <strong>of</strong> crop residues, relay planting, nutrient<br />

additions and short fallows. However, the active "arsenal" <strong>of</strong> the Kay-<br />

apo agricultural system is much richer, and requires no purchased<br />

inputs.<br />

The Kayapb designate 14 types <strong>of</strong> land us as "agriculture" (Table<br />

3). These various land uses are complex, and include ceremonial plant-<br />

ing, re<strong>for</strong>estation, trek gardens, as well as swidden plots. The Kayapb<br />

practice concentric ring/crop segregation agriculture based on sweet<br />

potatoes, manioc, yams, and perennials, periodically intercropped with<br />

maize, beans, cucurbits, introduced rice, and numerous other minor<br />

crops and ritual plants. Kayapb swiddens stay in active root crop<br />

production <strong>for</strong> about five years and continue to contribute these prod-<br />

ucts at reduced levels <strong>for</strong> as long as eleven years. This is an exceptionally<br />

long production period be<strong>for</strong>e an agricultural plot goes into fallow. This<br />

protracted production period is a fbnction <strong>of</strong> a 8 main factors:

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