Farming system research approach for small farms of Central America

The report first outlines the goals, strategy, and methodology of CATIE"s small farmers" cropping systems research project, as well as the design, testing, and evaluation of technological alternatives. Project experiments include testing water and soil conservation practices in El Salvador and Nicaragua and using velvet bean as a cover crop in lowland areas. Similar information is given for the other two projects - one aimed at using crop byproducts to develop an integrated small farm crop-cattle (milk and beef) production system, and one designed to counteract deforestation by developing alternative production systems that combine agricultural and tree crops, forest plants, and animals. Experiments for the first of these projects include using maize-bean combinations and sweet potatoes as cattle food sources; for the second, simultaneous planting of trees with annual crops and interplanting maize and common beans between rows of fast-growing tree species. A brief note on integrating and extrapolating from research results concludes the report.