Restoring the Soil - Canadian Foodgrains Bank

24Choosing The Right GM/CC Cropping System For A Specific Areaspecies that can be eaten, fed to animals, or provide some other benefit for which astrong felt need exists among the farmers.In general, good gm/cc species should establish themselves easily and grow rapidlyunder local conditions; be able to cover weeds quickly; and be able to fix plenty ofnitrogen. They also should be resistant to insects, diseases, grazing animals, bush fires,droughts, or any other problem they may have to face within the cropping system. Aswell, they should produce enough seed for future plantings. If the gm/ccs are to beused for intercropping, they should withstand shade and fit in with the growing cycleof the main crops.Note that virtually all of the gm/cc systems recommended in this book fall within theabove rules that favour easy adoption by farmers.Gm/ccs have also become very useful for large-scale farmers who cultivate as much as100,000 ha of land in Brazil. However, among smallholder farmers, gm/ccs tend to bemost useful for those who have between 0.25 ha to 10 ha of land. Farmers who havemore than 10 ha can still use fallows to maintain the fertility of their soils. It is fairlydifficult, though definitely possible, for gm/ccs to compete with fallowing, becausegm/ccs require more labor. For farmers who have less than 0.25 ha, the use of the landis usually so intense that there are virtually no times or places when the farmers aren’tusing the land. Thus, there is much less opportunity to use gm/ccs. In these cases, it isoften better for farmers to make compost or buy organic or chemical fertilizer.Farmers who dedicate their land to year-round paddy rice production also may nothave any good way to use gm/ccs.Collecting the Necessary InformationThe first step in choosing one or more gm/cc system(s) for a particular area is to getto know the area well. Some information is absolutely essential before you can choosethe best systems for a given area. This includes:1.2.3.4.5.Do the farmers have any preferences as to how they want to solve the soil fertilityproblem, and if so, what are they? Have they tried some techniques already?What were the results? Why?At what elevation above sea level is the area? Zero to 800 metres (m) above sealevel, 800 to 1,500 m, 1,500 to 3,000 m or above 3,000 m?What leguminous grains or leaves do people already know and eat?For what leguminous plants is there a good market?When asked what their major agricultural problems are, do farmers (men andwomen) see soil fertility as one of the top two or three? Take care not to bias thisquestion by former comments, by how the question is asked, or even by such