Ensuring the use of sustainable crop management strategies by small-scale wheat farmers in the 21st century
1999
Sayre, K.D.
Nearly all current strategies to implement modem, sustainable crop management production practices generally involve conservation/zero tillage prior to seeding, some form of retention and management of crop residues from preceding crops, fertilizer application methodologies that minimize nutrient losses and integrated insect, disease and weed management practices that rely on minimal or no use of pesticides. In nearly all instances, the use of these modern, sustainable crop management strategies has by-passed most small farmers ( especially small wheat farmers ) in developing countries because of several factors including: 1) the lack of appropriate small-scale planters for planting with reduced or zero tillage into residues which are compatible with the use of two-wheel or small four-wheel tractors or with draft animals2) the need by many farmers to remove or pasture crop residues for livestock feed or to remove residues for cooking fuel3) the lack of knowledge by small farmers ( and most researchers) about how best to apply fertilizers (when and where with main emphasis for nitrogen fertilizers) to minimize losses while complementing farm level nutrient sources, including farm yard manure/composts and/or green manures, especially when combined with reduced or zero tillage systemsand 4) the largely unknown ramifications of these practices to modify insect, disease and weed occurrences. Research, however, is underway at different institutions in several countries to address these problems to help insure that technologies for sustainable crop management practices relevant to small wheat farmers can become a reality. Some of these efforts will be discussed here including the work at CIMMYT concerning application of bed-planting for wheat production systems.
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