Journal ArticleDOI
Polyculture and monoculture: Contrast and analysis
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TLDR
In this paper, economic and ecological consequences of these two cropping alternatives in a densely-populated area of eastern Nigeria suggests that a focus on monoculture as a panacea for increasing productivity and food supply is questionable.Abstract:
Although polyculture or interplanting is a dominant production method used by traditional cultivators in the tropics, there has been increasing emphasis on monoculture in agricultural development planning. Analysis of the economic and ecological consequences of these two cropping alternatives in a densely-populated area of eastern Nigeria suggests that a focus on monoculture as a panacea for increasing productivity and food supply is questionable. Polyculture is held to be ecologically superior to monoculture and, in the field area examined, economically more productive as well. Thus further investigation of polycultural approaches to agricultural development would appear to be warranted.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Compound farms of southeastern Nigeria: a predominant agroforestry homegarden system with crops and small livestock.
J. C. Okafor,E. C. M. Fernandes +1 more
TL;DR: Compound farms are a homegarden-type of agroforestry system involving the deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in a multistoried association with agricultural crops and small livestock within the compounds of individual houses.
Journal ArticleDOI
Supporting Agricultural Ecosystem Services through the Integration of Perennial Polycultures into Crop Rotations
TL;DR: In this article, the potential role and long-term effects of field perennial polycultures (mixtures) in agricultural systems, with the aim of reducing the trade-offs between provisioning and regulating ecosystem services, are analyzed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Traditional agriculture and water use in the sokoto valley, nigeria
TL;DR: In this article, the ecology of traditional agricultural practices in the floodplain of the River Sokoto in north-west Nigeria is described, and surveys of flooding based on interviews with farmers, together with a study of cropping practices, reveal a complex and highly developed agriculture based on the cultivation of rice and sorghum varieties of known flood-tolerance.
Book ChapterDOI
Alternative Farming Techniques for Sustainable Food Production
K. Padmavathy,G. Poyyamoli +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive review on sustainability of alternative farming systems and their relative advantages over conventional, chemicalized and hi-tech agriculture for decision making at various levels is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI
Earthworm activities in cassava and egusi melon fields in the transitional zone of Benin: linking farmers’ perceptions with field studies
TL;DR: It is suggested that farmer's criteria are context-dependent, with earthworm casting activity being relevant when judging whether a field can be intensively cropped again, and the amount of nutrients recycled in casts is relatively low.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Rationalising mixed cropping under indigenous conditions: The example of Northern Nigeria
Abstract: In spite of the prevalence of mixed cropping throughout the developing world little effort has been expended on its investigation particularly under indigenous conditions. This paper attempts to partially rectify this with empirical data collected at the farmer's level in part of northern Nigeria. Mixed cropping is shown in this area of limited rainfall to be under indigenous technological conditions a rational strategy both in terms of profit maximisation and risk minimisation. Indeed when improved technology at present available on sole crops is considered in a programming framework mixed cropping under indigenous conditions is still dominant. This is an important reason why extension agents have great difficulty convincing farmers to change to a sole crop strategy which in fact may not be justified. It also supports the desirability of research into mixed cropping under improved technological conditions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecological Balance in Tropical Agriculture
TL;DR: For example, this article pointed out that Nigeria is chronically short of staple foodstuffs and let most of its agricultural land lie idle or be seriously underutilized while pouring borrowed capital into the erection of a $10 million "national monument" (as Congo-Kinshasa is doing).
Journal ArticleDOI
Dooryard Gardens of Martinique
TL;DR: Dooryard gardens as human constructs are assemblages of plants about a dwelling which reveal much of the culture history of places and of management decisions by individual holders as discussed by the authors, and provide places for recreation during leisure periods and aesthetic experiences for those who plant and maintain them.