1st Edition

Better Land Husbandry From Soil Conservation to Holistic Land Management

By Jon Hellin Copyright 2006
    330 Pages
    by CRC Press

    330 Pages
    by CRC Press

    This book is a timely contribution towards the debate on the most effective way to bring about sustainable farming in marginal areas. It offers a detailed analysis of the social, economic, and agro-ecological characteristic of both Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) and Better Land Husbandry (BLH) and an analysis of case studies of BLH from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia.

    Series Preface
    Preface
    Acknowledgements
    1. Introduction to Better Land Husbandry
    1.1 Land and Soil Degradation
    1.2 Soil Conservation Technologies
    1.3 Better Land Husbandry Approach
    1.4 Winning the Debate?
    2. Social and Economic Components of Better Land Husbandry
    2.1 Conventional Soil Conservation Approach
    2.2 Farmers’ Realities
    2.3 Putting Farmers First
    2.4 Unlocking the Complexity of Farmers’ Realities
    2.5 Farmers’ Priority Needs
    2.6 Obstacles to Better Land Management
    2.7 Farmers’ Relationship with Outsiders
    2.8 Tapping into Farmers’ Resourcefulness
    3. Agro-ecological Components of Better Land Husbandry
    3.1 Questioning the Soil Conservation Approach
    3.2 Soil Erosion Processes
    3.3 Are the Data Reliable?
    3.4 Testing the Soil Conservation Approach
    3.5 Measuring Rainfall
    3.6 Impacts of Conventional Agriculture
    3.7 Effectiveness of Soil Conservation Technologies
    3.8 Soil Conservation and Site Variability
    3.9 Time for a Rethink
    4. Better Land Husbandry: A New Paradigm
    4.1 Soil Conservation Versus Better Land Husbandry
    4.2 New Perspectives on Soil Erosion and Land Degradation
    4.3 Importance of Soil Quality
    4.4 Maintaining and Improving Soil Quality
    4.5 Lessons for Outsiders
    4.6 Better Land Husbandry: Why has It Taken so Long?
    5. Better Land Husbandry in Practice
    5.1 Introduction to Case Studies
    5.2 Zero Tillage in South America
    5.3 Soil Cover in Honduras
    5.4 Farmer Participation in Honduras
    5.5 Soil Moisture and Yields in Africa
    5.6 Hurricane Mitch: From Soil Erosion to Landslides
    6. Better Land Husbandry and Policy
    6.1 A New Approach to Land Management
    6.2 Future of Smallholder Farming
    6.3 A New Professionalism
    6.4 From Production to Markets
    6.5 Broadening the Policy Agenda
    6.6 Better Land Husbandry and Future Research
    Appendix 1—Impact Monitoring and Assessment
    References
    Index
    Colour Plates 1–8

    Biography

    Jon Hellin