ifoam'96 Book of Abstracts 11th IFOAM Scientific Conference 11-15 August 1996, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Workshop

Organic Matter for Soil Conservation and Crop Production on Sloping lands.W17/P2

Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya,Sri Lanka

Crop production in the smallholdings on sloping lands in wet regions of the tropics are characterized by heavy soil erosion. Crop yields decline rapidly, which makes farming unprofitable. Thus farmers abandon these degraded lands or strive to maintain some degree of productivity. A study evaluated the benefits of organic matter in such a system, over two seasons. Organic matter was applied to the soils as a mulch, and crop yields and erosivity were evaluated agronomically as well as economically. Application of the organic matter commonly found in the region, reduced erosion significantly, especially in the wet season. Crop yields were also enhanced. The possibilities of developing organic farming systems on these sloping lands to ensure the lack of erosion and maintenance of productivity over a long time is presented.

Carrol, C, M Littleboy and M Halpin 1992. Minimizing soil erosion and runoff by maximizing cropping opportunities. Mathematics and computers in simulation. vol. 33: 427 - 432

Sherchan, D P, S P Chand and P G Rood. 1995. Developingsustainable soil management technologies in the hills of Nepal.In Soil management in sustainable agriculture. Ed H K Cook andH C Lee. University of London, U.K.:399 - 409