Conservation farming on steep lands - USAid

244 JEFFREY VONK
rnation and education, technology, and data.
In the Peru project. an ntternpt was madc to ad(1rcss all of thcse simultaneously.
Wc placed heavy cn~phosis on infbrmation ant1 education. A rncdia
specialist was on stal'f at the central oflicc: in Lima who used all media
fhrms nvailable, both nationally and regic~~ally. Radio was used both for
pron~otional purposes (radio spots) and for announcing regional and national
meetings. Newspapers, both local :ind national, willingly provided space
to proniotc soil conservation, announce meetings, and rcport the results
of the mccr;ngs and progrcss being made in the licld.
In thc policy arena. the ultimntc goal fronl the beginning was to develop
ii national soil conservation system and establish that system by law. For
this reason. kcy political figures were always kept abreast of program
dcvclopments and accomplishnlcnts. Special cffbrts were made to personally
brief' thcse individuals and provide thcm with copies c~i' any manuals,
bulletins, and newsletters producccl by the project.
A proven technology and n~cthodology was used that allowed for continuous
testing, revision, and improvement. It also required active pnrticipation
by all fitrmers involved with the program and allowcd them, through
their own efforts, to evaluate the w~rth of soil and water conservation practices.
The prqject in Peru. a governmcnt-sponsorcd program aimcd at isolated
comrnunitics in the Peruvian Andes, also touched on some social and
political concerns and values. For thc small, isolated high-mountaiil cornmunities.
soil conservation providctl a social focal point and activity area.
Table 1. Average crop yields obtained in the Sierra of Peru.
Yield on Yield on
Test Plot Treated Plot Ir~crease Number of
Crop fkg/ha) (kg/ha) kg/ha 010 Plots
Level terraces
Potato Fertilizer ! 2,206 17,436 5,230 43 71
No fertilizer 4,581 11,091 6,550 142 41
Wheat Fertilizer 2,432 3,603 1,161 48 8
No fertilizer 723 1,113 390 54 25
Rye Fertilizer 1,333 1,910 577 43 56
No fertilizer 740 093 253 34 97
Contour <strong>farming</strong>
Potato Fertilizer 14,312 17,539 3,227 23 99
No fertilizer 4,750 6,628 1,678 40 15
Corn Fertilizer 1,121 1,577 456 25 11
Note: Drama!ic results were obtained from all crops examined, but the number
of repetitions was small in many tests. The complete data can be obtained from
the publications cited.