Cover crops in hillside agriculture : farmer innovation with mucuna / Daniel Buckles, Bernard Triomphe, and Gustavo Sain.

"February 1998."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-206) and index.

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Electronic monograph in PDF format.

In the developing world, agriculture is essential to sustainable and equitable development. The rural poor often earn their living on small farms, and this is no different in Central America. A persistent bane of the small farm is land degradation, especially on hillsides. In finding solutions to this problem, the farmers of northern Honduras are at the forefront. Having been excluded from the prime coastal lands by the elite classes and large agroindustries, these farmers have been developing ways of managing an aggressive vining legume called velvetbean (Mucuna spp.) and adapting it to the needs of maize production. The practice that they have developed over the past 20 years both enhances productivity and conserves the resource base -- a rare combination in a hillside environment. This book provides a comprehensive evaluation of the use of velvetbean as a cover crop on the hillsides on northern Honduras. It sheds light on the opportunities and constraints presented by cover crops in the humid tropics and, perhaps most importantly, tells a story of successful farmer innovation.

Print version record.

Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- The dilemma of hillside agriculture -- Key methodological choices -- Book outline -- Chapter 1 Velvetbean: A New Plant with a History -- Origins and botanical features of velvetbean -- Velvetbean in the United States -- Velvetbean use in Mesoamerica -- Conclusions -- Chapter 2 The Enabling Environment -- Regional agroecology -- The seasonality of maize prices -- The availability of hillside land -- Shifting cultivation in northern Honduras -- Conclusions -- Chapter 3 Land, Labour, and Livelihoods

The multiple occupations of farming familiesThe classification of livelihood strategies -- Comparisons among livelihood strategies -- Conclusions -- Chapter 4 The Abonera System -- Measures of adoption -- Abonera management -- Main benefits of the abonera system -- Farmers' perceptions of the abonera system -- Conclusions -- Chapter 5 The Agroecology of the Abonera System -- Nitrogen cycling -- Long-term changes in soil properties -- Long-term changes in crop productivity -- Farmers' evaluation of long-term changes

Synthesis: how does the velvetbean system work?Conclusions -- Chapter 6 The Economics of the Abonera System -- Probabilistic cost-benefit analysis -- Field-level analysis -- Farm-level analysis -- Land-rental markets -- Comparative profitability of maize production -- Conclusions -- Chapter 7 Factors Influencing Adoption of the Abonera System -- Hypotheses regarding adoption -- Empirical analysis -- Discussion and conclusions -- Conclusion -- Main features of the abonera system -- Extrapolation from the abonera system in northern Honduras

Lessons for technology developmentThe quest for sustainability in hillside environments -- Exploring the limits of hillside agriculture -- Appendix I: Farm-survey Methods -- Appendix II: Visual Aids -- Appendix III: Materials and Methods Used To Collect the Agronomic Data -- Appendix IV: Model Specifications and Crop Budgets Underlying the Probabilistic Cost�Benefit Analysis -- Appendix V: Acronyms and Abbreviations -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S

Tu -- v -- w -- y

English.

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