The development of sustainble cropping systems in the highlands of South-East Asia: general lessons for development projects

Abstract

Soil conservation in the highlands of South-East Asia is essential for sustainable
 agro-environmental development. The effectiveness of soil conservation treatments developed
 in runoff plots was investigated in farmer-managed plots on a natural catchment. This was
 achieved by the development and scientific evaluation of modified and novel cropping
 practices in a representative highland catchment in Yunnan Province, China. Wang Jia
 Catchment covers 40.1 hectares near Kedu, in Xundian County, north-east Yunnan (25o28'N,
 102o53'E). The initial project consisted of an evaluation of the effects of modified cropping
 practices on maize productivity and soil properties. This programme was extended to
 investigate ways of increasing the productivity of maize, wheat and soybean on fragile slopes
 in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way. The approach incorporates modified and
 novel agronomic and soil conservation measures, with the evaluation of their agricultural,
 environmental and socio-economic impacts using multidisciplinary approaches. This European
 Union funded project involved an international research team from Belgium, China, Ireland,
 Thailand and the U.K. Five co-ordinated work packages were implemented. Involving: (1)
 Background agricultural and environmental assessment of Wang Jia Catchment. (2)
 Implementation and evaluation of modified and novel cropping systems for wheat, maize and
 soybean in the catchment. (3) Cost-benefit analyses of the socio-economic impacts of the
 changed cropping practices. (4) Comparative scientific evaluation of the cropping techniques
 in the highlands of northern Thailand. (5) Dissemination of project outcomes and
 establishment of training programmes for best practice in highland rural development. The
 lessons of the Project for promoting sustainable agro-environmental development in tropical
 and subtropical highlands include: (1) Recognizing the importance of both 'north-south' and
 'south-south' co-operation in development projects, (2) Integrating local people as full partners
 in the research programme, (3) Matching the different 'time horizons' of the different
 stakeholders and (4) Developing multidisciplinary teams, including biophysical scientists and socio-economists.