DENICH, M.

KANASHIRO, M.

SÁ, T. D. de A.

VIELHAUER, K.

RCAAP - Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal

The development of mulching and secondary vegetation enrichment technologies and first steps to participatory on-farm research in NE Amazonia.

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The development of mulching- and secondary vegetation enrichmenttechnologies and first steps to participatory on-farm research in NEAmazoniaVielhauer, K.1, Sá, T.D.A.2, Kanashiro, M.2, Denich, M.31 and 3 Institute of Agriculture in the Tropics Gõttingen-Germany, 2 EMBRAPA AmazôniaOriental Belém-BrazilThe present work is an overlook of the second phase of the project ENV 25 conducted inEastern Amazonia, in a region largely deforested and dominated by subsistence food cropproduction of smallholders using the shifting cultivation system. Traditionally, slash-and-burnis being used as a land preparation means and the fallow periods are left to growth ofspontaneous secondary vegetation (capoeira). Soil degradation has reduced productivityconsiderably. Together with growing population pressure this leads to an expansion of thecropped area within the limited total farmland of 25 ha, thus, accelerating the crop-fallowcycle in an unfavorable manner. The projects objectives are to break the vicious circle i) byreducing or stopping land degradation using fire-free land preparation and ii) by increasingcrop productivity per unit area admitting the shortening of the fallow period. These twoobjectives lead to the development of the following technologies:1) Mulching practice: Slash, chop and distribute the vegetation material in a feasiblemechanized manner with the following effects: Maintains organic matter and nutrients, gainsflexibility in planting date due to independence of dry season for burning and waterconserving mulch layer, requires adapted fertilization due to slowly releasing nutrients asopposed to ash fertilization, requires crop varietal selection and adaptation to low pHconditions, facilitates weeding practice due to a better weed suppression (especiallyGramineae) by the mulch layer, enhances resprouting of the non-burned shrubby vegetation.2) Tree enrichment: Plant fast growing tree legumes at the beginning of the fallow with thefollowing effects: supports biomass production of secondary vegetation; provides wood forstakes, building material, and charcoal; requires good choice of legume tree species(indigenous and introduced) and planting densities for best balance between biomassaccumulation, nitrogen fixation, maintenance of biodiversity, deep rooting capacity, anddecomposition quality; requires access to planting material (seed production, seed storage,nursery), requires management skills to decide on planting density and planting date ofenrichment trees, to avoid competition with crops.Most of the above mentioned activities are currently being conducted as researcher managedon-farm field experiments. An increasing farmers participation is being promoted for thefuture, to be guided towards farmers needs more effectively. An agro-socio-economic fieldstudy in collaboration with ENV 44, conducted recently, will give the required baseline datafor the participatory effort.Mailing address: 1 and 2_ EMBRAPA Amazônia Oriental, Trav. Dr. Eneas Pinheiro s/n,66.095-100 Belém-PA, Brazil, E-mail: milton@cpatu.embrapa.br.tatiana@cpatu.embrapa.br.and vielhau@supridad.com.br, 3-Institute of Agriculture in the Tropics (IAT), Grisebachstr. 6,37077 Gôttingen, Germany, E-mail: mdenich@gwdg.de

http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/bitstream/doc/394545/1/P2.pdf

The development of mulching and secondary vegetation enrichment technologies and first steps to participatory on-farm research in NE Amazonia.

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RCAAP - Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal

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