The Challenge
Because soil and other conditions may vary greatly from one place to another, improved
systems must be carefully tailored to specific environments. International research can
speed this process by explaining the basic principles of the chemical, physical, and
biological processes that determine soil quality. Based on such information, researchers
can better determine whether a given system will remain productive over time and whether
it can be successfully transferred to other areas within an agroecosystem or even to
another agroecosystem. In order to manage such systems effectively, small farmers need
simple but reliable indicators of soil quality that enable them to monitor the impact of
new systems on soil quality. On this basis they can then make timely adjustments to
maintain natural soil fertility over the long term.
Objective
To promote more efficient and sustainable use of soil, water, and nutrients in
crop-livestock systems by providing a better understanding of the principles underlying
practices that protect and improve the quality of tropical soils.
Outputs
- Guidelines for selecting more productive and efficient combinations of crops and forages
- Principles for better managing nutrients, crop residues, and green manures; for
controlling erosion; and for improving soil structure
- Diagnostic kits consisting of methods and indicators that help farmers and extension
officers assess soil health and make decisions about resource management
- Strategies that better enable government and nongovernment organizations to address
issues in soil, water, and nutrient management
Benefits
This project primarily benefits small-scale crop and livestock producers by offering
them better ways to strengthen local food security, raise incomes, and ensure the
long-term productive capacity of the land. The research is especially relevant to farmers
occupying infertile acid soils in tropical hillsides, forest margins, and savannas.
Widespread adoption of improved resource management practices also benefits society at
large by creating a more reliable supply of food, by fueling economic growth outside
agriculture, and by preserving the natural resource base.
Strategy
Working in a coordinated fashion across representative research sites, the partners in
this project carry out soils research to better understand key biological, chemical, and
physical mechanisms in soil processes. Through this research they develop conceptual
models of soil-plant systems that make it possible to predict the performance of these
systems under variable conditions over time and space. The project also examines the soil
productivity and quality effects of integrating multipurpose legumes, crops, and animals.
In addition, the project develops simple soil quality indicators for small farmers.
In pursuing this strategy, the project works closely with the Soil, Water, and Nutrient
Management (SWNM) Program of the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIAT is co-convener of SWNM with the International Board of
Soil Resources and Management (IBSRAM)
in Thailand.
Project Partners
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia
The Center has considerable experience in research on acid soils in Latin America.
Other international institutions
France's Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development
(CIRAD) and the French Institute of
Scientific Research for Development and Cooperation (IRD, ex-ORSTOM) have a long history of contributing to rural
development through research. The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in the USA has worked closely with
CIAT in research on the nature of soils and their improvement.
Universities in developing countries
The National University of Colombia, the University of Cauca in Colombia, and the University of Uberlāndia in Brazil
collaborate actively with CIAT in soils research.
Universities in developed countries
The University of Paris in France, the University of Bayreuth in Germany, the University of Complutense of Madrid in
Spain, and the Cornell University
and Ohio State University
in the USA all have specialized capacities and a strong interest in research on tropical
soils.
National agricultural research institutions
The Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (CORPOICA), the National Federation of Colombian
Coffee Growers (FEDECAFE),
the Brazilian Agricultural Research Enterprise (Embrapa), and the various members of two research
consortia in the Andean zone are all active in developing sustainable production systems
for marginal environments.
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Across much of the tropics, soil
degradation keeps small-scale farming essentially stagnant. In many places, even fertile
soils have been damaged so badly that they no longer respond to fertilizer application.
Farmers' best hope for achieving lasting gains in agricultural productivity lies in mixed
cropping systems with innovative practices for better managing the soil and water.