Soil And Water Conservation And Management In Farming Systems Research For The Semi Arid Tropics

The setting; A program for resource management research; The program at ICRISAT; The international program; Summary and conclusions.

The problems of agriculture in the semi-arid regions; Assessing the possibilities for improving agriculture; Soil conservation; Water conservation; Water harvesting and use; Applications of water conservation.

Chapter 3 gives a review of the various tillage systems as they may be applied for soil and water conservation, based the soil characteristics and on different mechanization levels.

Agricultural extension / Agroforestry / Farmers’ associations / Non-governmental organizations / Fertilizers / Soil fertility / Water storage / Pitcher irrigation / Spate irrigation / Sugarcane / Bunds / Cropping systems / Ridging / Tillage / Terraces / Water harvesting / Water conservation / Soil conservation

Introduction; Basic aspects of soil and water conservation; Characterization of soils and climates in relation to the erosion hazard; Management for erosion control; Farming systems and erosion hazard in Africa; Farming systems and erosion hazard in the far east; Farming systems and erosion hazard in Latin America; Towards erosion control in the humid tropics; Appendix; Author index; Subject index.

Bringing together case studies from Kenya, Benin, Cameroon and the Philippines, this volume provides a multidisciplinary overview of the economics of natural resource management in Tropical regions, at household and village level. By comparing a wide array of climatic and economic conditions, it examines the effect of location and access to the market - as well as the importance of national policies - have on soil and water conservation. The book not only analyzes the benefits of soil and water conservation based on econometric studies, but also assesses the costs involved. In doing so it challenges commonly held assumptions about poorer community's ability to finance such measures.

In response to increasing concerns about the degradation of natural resources and the sustainability of agriculture, many research programmes have been established in natural resource management (NRM). However, although methods for evaluating the impacts of crop improvement technologies are well developed, there is a dearth of methods for evaluating the impacts of NRM interventions. This is partly due to the complexity of interactions among natural resources, spatial and temporal dimensions of impact, and the valuation of direct and indirect environmental costs and benefits. This book discusses the unique features and methodological difficulties of NRM impact assessment. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of various impact assessment approaches, including econometric, bio-economic, and more direct methods. It also assesses and identifies data requirements for developing impact indicators and recommends suitable methodologies for assessing the impacts of NRM technologies on issues such as soil and water conservation and watershed and biodiversity management.

Watershed management ; Catchment areas ; Water resource management ; Land management ; Natural resources ; Resource management ; Erosion ; Land use ; Soyabeans ; Soil degradation ; Rain-fed farming ; Food security ; Satellite surveys ; Remote sensing ; Rain ; Statistical analysis ; Runoff ; Soil management / Asia / South East Asia / India / Vietnam / Thailand