Low-Input Cropping for the Humid Tropics
Low-input cropping systems are being developed to serve as a transition
technology between shifting and continuous cultivation for acid
soils of the humid tropics. Principle features are slash-and-burn
clearing, rotation of acid-tolerant upland rice and cowpea cultivars,
maximum residue return, no tillage, and no lime or fertilizer
applications.
When yields decline as a result of increasing weed pressure and
nutrient deficiencies, a tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides)
fallow is grown for one year. Subsequent options include fertilizer-based
continuous cultivation, pastures, or agroforestry. The system
preserves some agroecosystem diversity and contributes toward
a sustainable level of production and income for farmers in humid
tropical regions.
Pedro Sanchez and Jose Benites, Science, Vol. 238, #4833;
pp. 1521-1527.