Restoring the Soil - Canadian Foodgrains Bank

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34Decision Tree42.Are some ofthe fields notintercropped?YesMaize, sorghum or milletNoDry-seasonrotation43.Would youprefer a rotation orhedgerows?44. Use S14S20, S50, S51,S55, S70,S71 or S75Hedgerows45. UseS21, S25,S58 or S8241.What are thedominantcrops?WastelandRice46.Is it uplandor paddy rice?Paddy48. Use S74S76, S78, S79,S80 or S81Othercrops60. UseS77Upland47. UseS72 or S7338. Use S1, S2, S3,S8, S9, S18, S22,S24, S30, S52, S53,S58, S64, S69, S70,S71, S75 or S85Go to #5Vegetables& root crops50.Are they rootcrops, vegetablesor perennials?Perennials51.Are theyirrigated orrainfed?Irrigated55. Go to #2or do someresearch.56.What are themain perennials?RainfedCoffeeOil palm,coconut,cacaoFruit trees52.Do youwant to use anintercrop or arotation?Rotation54. Use S48,S74 or S7557. UseS16, S28,or S2958. UseS26or S2759. UseS26,S37,S38, or S67Intercrop53. Use S10, S11,S42, or S43Go to #5
Decision Tree Guide35Decision Tree GuideEach of the points below refers to a numbered box in the decision tree. Each pointprovides additional information on the decision tree boxes and will assist in selectingoptions as one moves through the decision tree.1. Farmers’ priorities. If farmers do not include soil fertility or the need for fertilizersas one of their two or three most important problems, and don’t seem toshow much interest in working on soil fertility, go to #2. If they do identify soilinfertility as a major problem and show a strong interest in trying to solve theproblem, go to #4.2. The importance of gm/ccs. Seriously consider the possibility of not working insoil fertility. If the decision is not to work in soil fertility, go to #3. If you stillbelieve strongly that soil fertility is a major problem in the area and success intackling it is still definitely possible, go to #4.3. The end. This is the end of the program’s work in gm/ccs. Maybe something willchange (for instance, people’s soils become poorer, so they will have more motivationto improve them) that will make gm/ccs more attractive or easier to managein the future, but for now, gm/ccs will not be part of the program’s agenda.4. A successful system nearby? Is there a successful gm/cc system near the projectlocation or in an area of roughly similar farming systems and ecological environment?Or do the farmers know of such a system, and are they interested in it?Are more smallholder farmers adopting this gm/cc system, or are they graduallyabandoning it? Are they adopting it in the absence of any artificial subsidies orany program that is promoting it? If the answer is yes to most of these questions,go to #5. If there is no such system, go to #10.If there is such a system, but you cannot answer yes to the questions, interviewthe farmers that are using it, being careful not to just take their answers at facevalue. Analyze the system’s economics and its pros and cons, both according tothe farmers and according to your own analysis. If the system does not seem toprovide more benefits than costs, go to #10. If it does, go to #5.5. Field trials. Organize at least three or four trials of the technologies in question.Preferably, trials can be done on the land of the best farmer leaders, or of thosefarmers who will do the best job of managing the experiments and whose farms,if possible, are accessible. If there is not a strong relationship with the farmers, orthe farmers may not properly manage the experiments, conduct a trial on a smallplot of rented or borrowed land.Keep very close records of the costs and benefits as compared to traditional systems,being especially careful to include all labor costs. Far too often those of us
Page 3: A timely and extremely valuable boo
Page 8 and 9: Restoring the SoiliiAcknowledgement
Page 10 and 11: Restoring the SoilivHow To Use This
Page 12 and 13: 2the best of my knowledge, only two
Page 14 and 15: 4The Definition of Green Manure/Cov
Page 16 and 17: 6A Brief History of Green Manure/Co
Page 18 and 19: 8Existing Green Manure/Cover Croppi
Page 20 and 21: 10Existing Green Manure/Cover Cropp
Page 28 and 29: 18Improving Soils: The Basic RulesF
Page 30 and 31: 20Choosing The Right GM/CC Cropping
Page 38 and 39: 28Using The Decision Treewhich has
Page 40 and 41: 30Decision Tree7. Decision TreeIntr
Page 42 and 43: 32Decision Tree13.What isthe domina
Page 46 and 47: 36Decision Tree Guidewho work in ag
Page 48 and 49: 38Decision Tree Guide12. Altitude a
Page 50 and 51: 40Decision Tree Guideleast a week o
Page 52 and 53: 42Decision Tree GuideLeucaena trees
Page 54 and 55: 44Decision Tree Guidegrow well and
Page 56 and 57: 46Decision Tree Guide25. Honduras.
Page 58 and 59: 48Decision Tree Guidec) Pigeon peas
Page 60 and 61: 50Decision Tree Guideeties should n
Page 62 and 63: 52Decision Tree Guidenot dry-season
Page 64 and 65: 54Decision Tree Guideat least once,
Page 66 and 67: 56Decision Tree GuideHowever, if fr
Page 68 and 69: 58Green Manure/Cover Crop Systems30
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Page 78 and 79: 68Green Manure/Cover Crop SystemsAf
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Page 82 and 83: 72Green Manure/Cover Crop SystemsAs
Page 86 and 87: Annex 1: Glossary of Agricultural T
Page 88 and 89: Annex 2: The Evidence79Annex 2: The
Page 90 and 91: Annex 2: The Evidence81The Amount o
Page 92 and 93: Annex 2: The Evidence83this level o
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Annex 2: The Evidence85content of a
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Annex 3: List of Recommended Green
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Annex 3: List of Recommended Green
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Annex 4: Seed Sources for Green Man
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Annex 4: Seed Sources for Green Man
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Roland Bunch has worked in agricult
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