More than rice
Integrated farming in the humid lowlands brings to mind the image of small, intensive and diversified agricultural production systems. In this issue, we refer to humid lowland tropics as rainfed or irrigated farm lands that are flat or gently undulating, usually at an altitude near sea level (Durno et al, 1992).
The production system which characterises lowland humid tropics in Asia is rainfed and irrigated rice, often in combination with fish, livestock, vegetable and tree crops. In the case of Africa or Latin America, lowland production systems are more varied and more difficult to characterise in general terms. But in either case, there is more than just rice.
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4 - 5written by ILEIA editorial teamIntegrated farming in the humid lowlands brings to mind the image of small, intensive and diversified agricultural production systems. In this issue, we refer to humid lowland tropics as rainfed or irrigated farm lands that are flat or gently undulating, usually at an altitude near sea level (Durno et al, 1992). The production system which characterises lowland humid tropics in Asia is rainfed and irrigated rice, often in combination with fish, livestock, vegetable and tree crops. In the case of Africa or Latin America, lowland production systems are more varied and more difficult to characterise in general terms. But in either case, there is more than just rice.
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6 - 8written by Elske van de Fliert , WiyantoThis article presents the farming experience of Pak Yanto, a rebellious farmer from Indonesia who has learned to distill the valuable lessons from all the different technology packages that have passed by his farm gate over the years. The Farmer Field School of Yayasan Mitra Tani, a local NGO, has helped him systematize his judgement. Pak Yanto s experience in learning and trusting his own judgement turned out to be the key to improving the ecological and economical sustainability of his farm.
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9 - 11written by Reg NobleSome farmers in Malawi (Central-Southern Africa) are beginning to manage their wet lands in ways which are improving the ecological sustainability of their farms and ultimately their economic viability. The case studies presented in this article illustrate how farmers have designed their own integrated pond-crop systems for converting marginal wet lands into ecologically sound and highly productive land units.
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12 - 13written by Arnold V VelardeThe rice-fish farming system is one of the approaches to Low-external Input Rice Production (LeIRP). This is a low cost method of producing rice and at the same time the stocked fish provides an environmentally friendly way of controlling pests and grass and it provides nutrients for farm needs. This farming method promotes maximum utilisation of the farm resources. For example, farm-based crops are used as fish feed and as components of farm-waste recycling to produce organic fertiliser. Rice-fish farming makes the farmer more self-reliant and less dependent on outside farm inputs like chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Finally, integration minimises risks while providing a greater variety of nutritious food for the family.
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14 - 15written by Stephen HF DowallThe SCALE Project in Cambodia introduces fish culture to small scale rice farmers. Over recent years access to the fishery resource (with the exception of the rice field fishery) in many areas has been increasingly restricted by fishing lot leaseholders and high fishing taxes. For the rural communities in these areas, and for those where the fish stock is depleted, the potential of undertaking a low cost innovation which provides an on-farm supply of fish is attractive. Another reason for the project s success is the Farmer Research strategy. Farmers are responsible for managing their own trials, innovations and adaptations. Stephen Dowall explains how a sense of ownership motivates farmers to introduce their neighbours to the new system.
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16 - 16Cyperus is an old Greek name for the sedges. Usually they are perennial, grass like herbs with simple stems and narrow leaves in three rows at the base of the stem. Cyperus is cosmopolitan in habit and thrives in almost all kinds of soil even under very varying conditions of moisture and temperature. In wet lands the plant is robust sometimes as high as three feet. Its roots are fibrous and clothed with bent hairs. It is one of the most noxious weeds of cultivation and its spread is so great and its ravages are so serious that in certain places, fields have been actually abandoned in despair. It occurs in 52 crops and in 92 countries.
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17 - 19Cambodia is well known for one of the most productive lakes in Asia, the Great Lake. This lake provides nearly 60% of the country's freshwater fish production which is estimated to be about 70,000 tonnes per year. However, changing environmental conditions coupled with increasing population have resulted in the declined availability of fish from about 25 kg/person/year in the 1960s to less than 11 kg/person/year today. Still, the basic diet of Cambodians continues to be rice and fish. In order to fill this gap of requirement and availability, aquaculture is recognised and recommended as an important sector to be developed.
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20 - 21written by Rick Gregory , Hans GuttmanFish cultivation can be one of the tools to help farmers manage uncertainty better. However, it is up to the farmer to decide when cultivating brings greater benefits than capturing. Many factors influence the farmer s choice, like rainfall and migration to cities (relieving the pressure on wild fish stock). In most cases, capturing wild fish remains an important strategy. The authors argue that field workers assisting lowland rice farming communities should focus on the real need for fish culture, rather than on the availability of suitable resources for aquaculture.
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22 - 23written by Kevin Kamp , Fahmida BegumDue to high population pressure and limited land resources, rice fields in Bangladesh are small. The smaller the fields, the more land is taken up by dikes. In addition, rice straw and animal manure are the main sources of animal fodder and household fuel and thus cannot be used to fertilise the fields. These are two important reasons why soils degrade and yields decline. To halt this negative development, rice farming needs to be diversified. Dikes can be used to grow fuelwood, and food security can be enhanced by introducing, for example, fish culture. Kevin Kamp and Fahmida Begum report on recent developments.
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24 - 24written by Nora C QuebralA communication specialist from the Philippines comments on the ILEIA Strategy. The author and two colleagues from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños helped ILEIA organise several focus group discussions to obtain feedback from its readers on the ILEIA Newsletter. Developing an interactive strategy with input from many partners has advantages, but Nora Quebral also signals the risks. There is a need for a further integration of the ILEIA Strategy and the effort to track readers opinion. This is not a surprising statement, especially as it comes from a communication specialist: a custodian of information exchange.
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25 - 25written by Carlos S. BasilioRepresentatives of the working groups in Ghana, Peru and the Philippines travelled to China to participate in the International Training Course on Chinese Ecological Agriculture. The course was organised by the Zhejiang Provincial Commission of Science and Technology and the Agroecology Institute of Zhejiang Agricultural University. It provided the first opportunity to bring ILEIA pilot site partners together to share face to face their learnings and experiences. In the evenings sessions were organised to discuss the working group approach, agroecological resources mapping, stakeholder analysis and Chinese ecological agriculture.
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26 - 27In many places in this world, farmers follow a logic which is quite different from the conventional scientific rationale. In their world view or cosmovision not only the material but also the spiritual world is considered relevant. Thus, farming also includes activities that structure the relationship with the spiritual world. Last April, the project for Comparing and Supporting Indigenous Agricultural Systems (COMPAS) organised an intercultural dialogue in the farmers community of Capellani, near Cochabamba, Bolivia. This article summarises the main findings.
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30 - 31The traditional food uses of mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) and canavalia or jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis) in Ghana make these cover crops an option for farmers with limited land, labour or rainfall. This article describes traditional food uses which make these two nitrogen-fixing crops more interesting for for small farmers.
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