COORDINATION IN DEVELOPMENT, INC.
Environmentally sound small-scale agricultural projects : guidelines for planning
Environmental issues involved in planning and implementing small agricultural projects are examined in this manual, with emphasis on the problems of deforestation and loss of biological diversity.
Altieri, Miguel A., ed. · 1970
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Abstract
Introductory sections discuss key environmental concepts and their agricultural importance and present environmental guidelines for planning sustainable agricultural projects. The bulk of the manual presents technical information for use in planning five types of agricultural projects. The first section discusses various soil erosion control methods, including use of plant residues, improved tillage methods, crop rotation, contouring, contour strip cropping, and terracing. The next section examines water supply and management, emphasizing both surface and groundwater irrigation. The relationships between irrigation and the aquatic environment, farmland, human health, salinization, and alkalinization are analyzed. A section on soil nutrient management covers plant nutrient sources and their evaluation, the environmental effects of fertilizers, the effects of movement or loss of soil nutrients, management of nutrient-related factors, and alternatives for nutrient control. Various pest management practices are then examined, followed by a discussion of the effects of pesticide use. The final section discusses various agroforestry methods, including alley cropping, contour planting, establishment of fodder banks, fruit improvement, hedges, mixed intercropping, multi-storey planting, tree planting around water places and dams, selective clearing, and woodlot planting for fuelwood and poles.
