Conservation farming on steep lands - USAid

WATERSI-IED MANAGEMENT IN JAVA'S UPLANDS 261
filrlllcrs also hiivc wctli~~ncl piltlcly ant1 honlc g;irtlcns, which ;ire 111o1.c SI;IIII~:
in terms ol' soil erosion ant1 protluctivity.
Fcrture directions
1
m
Wiitcrshctl lllanngclllcnt in J~Iv~ poses trc~iic~~cloi~s dil'li~ultics bcci~iisc
01' the isliincl's high population tlcnsity, rapid rate 01' soil erosion, anti tllc
clivcrsity of ~)hysicul iinti sociocconor~li conclitions. 'l'hc cxpcric!lcc gainccl
ill Incloncsia to cope with this cllallcngc is pertinent to other Asian countics
ancl clscwhcrc in the hunlid tropics. 'The fhllowing rcscnrch issues arc
cnlcrging as the most importitnt to tackle il' li~rrning systelns research is
to proviclc UACP with the necessary irlfi>l.mi~tion itnd guitlancc to stil~lulatc
soil conservation and to ilnprove far111 income.
Developittg- srtitahle farnritrg- ,sy.stettt ttroclels jbr cliffiret~t uplatrd cotrcliiiotrs.
The conccpc of a single agricultural package tl~:!t ciui be easily
disseminated throughout the uplnncls has proved unrealistic. Instcatl, the
great variability in topographic, soil, ant1 other physical condi:ions neetls
to be accounted fbr in planning a system. Of special importal~ce is the
dcvelopmcnt of bettcr crit~ria for determining appropriate soil conservation
technologics ir: the uplands. Additional field studies are needed to
dcvclop alternatives to bench terracing on problc~latic soils. Of particular
interest is the potential of clif'lkrcnt leguminous cover crops li~r lancl stabilieition
and fodder production.
~Chre atlention to "ir~direct " tneatis of watersired protectiotz. The importance
of upland fields as one component of a larger hrn~ing system is
convincing us that niore attention needs to be placed on lowering the risk
of agricultural intensilication. This requires a rcconsideration of where
agricultural interventions should bc focused, including the potential for improving
home garden and sawah production. This would meet upland
household subsistencr and other financial needs without increasing pressure
on critical uplands. For this reason, we are devoting more attention to lowinput
agrofbrestry and silv~pasture systenis that can stinlulate rural induairics
in, for example, postharvest processing.
Understatzdirtg koztselrold decisioti-making. One of the recurrent
weaknesses i f watershed management programs in Java has bccn the lack
of understanding about why farmers are not always eager to adopt superior
soil corlservation technologies that protnise to increase upland productivity.
We are discovering that conventional surveys cannot provide the answer