Adoption Of Soil Conservation Practices Research Articles

Adoption of soil conservation practices by mandarin (Citrus reticulata B.) farmers in Gulmi, Nepal

Mandarin has a tremendous potential for export and increased income for farmers of Nepal. However, in the recent years, soil degradation and erosion are the major challenges faced by the citrus enterprises especially in the hilly region of Nepal. The declining status of production and productivity cannot be checked without the transfer of site-specific and commodity-based knowledge and skills to the corresponding farmers. A study was carried out in 2023 to examine the soil conservation practices and status of technology adoption among the mandarin farmers. A total of 80 households from three wards of Dhurkot rural municipality of Gulmi district were selected on purpose for the study. Data were collected through interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussion, using semi-structured questionnaire, then the descriptive analysis was done using MS Excel and SPSS (Version 23.0). The results revealed that mainly three types of soil were presented in the study areas viz. luvisols, cambisols and sandy gravel, which are highly prone to soil erosion. The average area under mandarin cultivation was reported to be 0.74 hectare, with an estimated productivity of 7.6 metric tons per hectare. Approximately 95% of the respondents were familiar with soil degradation and its consequences in mandarin production. Accordingly, 96.2% of the respondents had adopted some forms of soil conservation practices like sod culture (40%), minimum tillage (36.2%), liming (40%), terracing and cover cropping (95%) and integrated plant nutrient system (31.2%), alongside the traditional stone bunds and mulching. The findings suggested that an increased participation in trainings and contact with extension agents has a significant influence on the importance of capacity building of the farmers regarding sustainable soil conservation technology, innovative cultivation practices, and ensuring frequent extension services to the farmers. Implementing these measures is expected to enable mandarin farmers in Nepal to check annual losses of soil fertility due to soil erosion and landslides, thereby contributing to commercialization of citrus.

Farmland Degradation in the Czech Republic: Drivers and Barriers of Mitigation Strategies in Agricultural Soils

ABSTRACTIn line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3, which aims to restore degraded land and soil, and the priorities of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to mitigate environmental issues caused by intensive agriculture, understanding the factors influencing farmers' adoption of soil conservation practices (SCPs) is crucial. However, there is still a limited understanding of these specific factors, particularly in the context of the Czech Republic. This study investigates the perceptions and determinants influencing the adoption of SCPs among farmers in the Czech Republic. We analyzed 358 randomly selected farm households using probit and multivariate probit models. Our results show that a significant number of farmers perceive soil degradation as an important problem, attributing it to factors such as low soil nutrient content, declining soil humus, water and wind erosion. The results of our analysis showed positive associations for perceived effectiveness and profitability, indicating that farmers tend to adopt practices such as minimum tillage, mulching, mixed cropping, cover cropping, and continuous soil cover when these methods are perceived to be effective and profitable. Conversely, negative associations are found for perceptions of soil degradation and education, suggesting potential barriers to adoption with higher levels of perceived soil degradation and education. The study also highlights the complex interplay of information sources on adoption, with both positive and negative trends. In light of these findings, we propose recommendations, including that awareness campaigns should be tailored to address perceptions of soil degradation, and that the use of peer networks and information dissemination from research institutions can bridge the gap between scientific recommendations and on‐farm practices. Policy makers and agricultural extension services should work together to develop targeted strategies that take into account regional differences in the factors influencing adoption and ultimately promote widespread adoption of SCPs.

Urban effects on the adoption of soil conservation practices in urban and peri‑urban vegetable production of Yaoundé, Cameroon

Rapid urbanisation has put farming systems under stress. Yet, conservation agriculture promotes environmentally friendly and productive agriculture. This paper therefore aims at estimating the effects of urbanisation on the adoption of soil conservation practices (SCPs) in urban and peri‑urban vegetable production in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Data from a survey conducted by the World Vegetable Center among 185 vegetable producers and Google Maps were analysed using a Multivariate Probit model with robust standard errors to investigate the adoption of four interdependent SCPs. Descriptive results showed that the most SCP adopted was organic manure (85 %), the least adopted was mulching (61 %), and that the adoption intensity was relatively high as the mean number of SCPs adopted was 2.87 out of 4. In addition, the regression results showed that urbanisation reduces the adoption of SCPs; in particular, proximity to city centre reduces the adoption of crop rotation, organic manure, mulching, and fallow, while population density decreases the practice of fallow. Henceforth, to ease the perverse effects of urbanisation on the adoption of SCPs, decision-makers and local authorities should ensure the preservation of productive agricultural zones by elaborating urban master and zoning plans that take into account agricultural purposes, and by formalising property rights on agricultural lands in urbanising areas.

Soil carbon stocks as affected by land-use changes across the Pampa of southern Brazil

ABSTRACT The “campos” of the Pampa are unique Brazilian ecosystems, which provide key environmental services, including C storage. These grassy ecosystems have been rapidly converted to intensive land-uses, mainly intensive grain crops (soybeans) and Eucalyptus silviculture. These new land-uses could decrease soil C stocks, depending on soil management. This study aimed to assess soil organic carbon (SOC) changes after the conversion of native grasslands to cropland (soybeans/cover crops under no-tillage) and forestry (Eucalyptus). Eight representative sites in this biome were selected for soil sampling (Alegrete-ALE, Aceguá-ACE, Jari-JAR, Jaguarão-JAG, Pinheiro Machado-PIM, Lavras-LAV, Santo Antônio das Missões-SAM, São Gabriel-SAG). Soil sampling was conducted in dug pits (0.30 m wide × 0.30 m long × 0.40 m depth) spaced by 50 m at each site, to 0.30 m depth. Soil bulk density and SOC were obtained by samples obtained with volumetric rings. Soil organic C was analyzed by dry combustion. Soil C stocks were calculated per layer and cumulatively (0.00-0.20 and 0.00-0.30 m). Soil C content was higher under grasslands in soils from sites with finer, clayey texture (ACE, JAG), and lower in soils at sites with sandier topsoil. Land-use conversion to silviculture and cropland minimally affected SOC stocks. The same pattern was observed with soil N, because of the tight connection between C and N cycles. Soil bulk density was similar across sites and layers, but higher values were measured in sites with coarser texture. Mean SOC stock of the grassland sites was 62 ± 24.6 Mg ha -1 , similar to 66 Mg ha -1 reported for grasslands soils of Rio Grande do Sul State, and higher than that reported by IPCC for this region (55 ± 4.4 Mg ha -1 ). Adopting these default values would lead to underestimation of baseline SOC stocks in the region. Land-use conversion to cropland did not affect SOC stocks significantly, probably because of the adoption of no-tillage system with winter cover crops. Soil C stocks were lower in Eucalyptus stands in the 0.00-0.30 m soil layer, which could be attributed to intensive soil management at planting and lower soil fertility in some sites. This lack of effect of conversion on soil C was attributed to the short time since conversion and adoption of soil conservation practices (no-tillage) in cropland. The study contributed to reduce existing soil data gaps in the region and supports Brazilian public initiatives like the ABC Program and National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

Influence of crop rotation, irrigation, fertilization, and tillage on the aggregate property and soil wind erosion potential in the floodplain of the Yellow River

The floodplain of the Yellow River (FPYR) is threatened by severe soil erosion. Soils are often susceptible to wind erosion owing to their coarse-textures and weak aggregation, yet studies are yet to describe the ability of soils to resist wind erosion in this region. Accordingly, this study aimed to quantify how soil wind erosion potential is affected by soil aggregate properties, such as dry aggregate geometric mean diameter (GMD), aggregate geometric standard deviation (GSD), aggregate stability, and soil bulk density, and to assess the effects of soil type, crop rotation, irrigation, fertilization, and tillage treatments on these aggregate properties in the main wind erosion area across the FPYR. Significant differences in GMD and aggregate stability were found between crop rotation treatments, whereas crop rotation marginally affected the soil bulk density. Further, the impact of management practices on aggregate properties differed for each soil type. The soil aggregate erodible fraction (EF) in the FPYR ranged from 1.14 to 82.73% across sites, with a mean of 26.14% across soil types and management practices, which was lower than that previously reported in other wind erosion regions. We incorporated these measured EFs into the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) to evaluate the wind erosion risk of the FPYR. The results indicated that the central FPYR was more susceptible to wind erosion than the other regions, although the total wind erosion potential in the FPYR was small. Adoption of soil conservation practices could help minimize wind erosion and improve atmospheric quality in the region.

A Review on Challenges and Opportunities in Management of Soils of Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of Kenya

Arid and semi-arid lands occupy currently 88% of arable land mass in Kenya, a region with significant diversity of production systems and economic opportunities. However, these areas are characterised by low and erratic rainfall, hence challenges to agriculture and socioeconomic development in the wake of an increasing population and the impacts of climate change. This review seeks to identify key challenges and opportunities associated with the management of agricultural soils in these arid and semi-arid communities. Arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya are dominated by 10 soil types; Solanchaks, Solonetz, Cambisols, Arenosols, Leptosols, Vertisols, Fluvisols, Phoezems, Calcisols, and Gypsisols. Among the main soil fertility challenges in these soils are moisture stress, high erodibility, and low organic matter content, salinity, and sodium toxicity, the deficiencies of mainly N, P, Zn, and Fe, hence the vulnerability of over 14 million inhabitants to the shocks of low crop and pasture production. Moreover, the adoption of soil conservation practices remains low as existing soil fertility management technologies have been criticized for being too abstract and not providing context and site-specific solutions. Improving soil fertility and moisture levels enhances soil ecosystem functions and food and pasture production in these regions. Encouraging farmers to join soil and water conservation groups, while providing economic incentives, could potentially accelerate the adoption of soil and water practices at the farm level through pulling resources together. Future research to validate a site and context-specific integrated soil fertility improvement technologies for these soils is evitable to enhance soil functions, agricultural production and livelihood at house hold level.

AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS AND ADOPTION OF SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

<p><strong>Background</strong>. As part of efforts to reduce soil degradation and improve agricultural yield, farmers in the study area learned about various soil conservation practices through agricultural organizations. <strong>Objective.</strong> This study, therefore, investigated the impact of agricultural organizations on the adoption of soil conservation practices. <strong>Methodology.</strong> Through a multi-stage sampling procedure, the data collected were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics and a double hurdle regression model. <strong>Results. </strong>The descriptive results revealed that three conservation practices were majorly adopted in the study area, namely, cover crop (25 adopters), vegetative fallow (63 adopters) and mulch (83 adopters). The result further revealed significant differences in some socioeconomic characteristics between the categories of adopters in the study area, such as the age of the farmers, off-farm income, farming experience and the household size. However, the study concluded that the majority of the smallholder farmers were male, small scale and at their productive age. According to the first hurdle, the factors responsible for the adoption of the three soil conservation practices were; off-farm income, extension contact, farm size, years of education and membership in the agricultural organization. In the same vein, the factors that contributed to the intensity of soil conservation practices were membership of the agricultural organization, farm size, location of a valley on the farm land and household size. <strong>Implications.</strong> The paper adds evidence for a better understanding of the nexus between the agricultural organisation and the adoption of soil conservation practices<strong>. Conclusion.</strong> Based on these findings, the study recommends encouraging the training and strengthening of agricultural organizations for better adoption of soil conservation practices. In addition, effective strategies, programs and institutional structures that improve farmers' education, the frequency of extension contacts and off-farm income should be established.</p>

Factors supporting the adoption of soil conservation practices: Evidence from Ecuadorian smallholder farmers

AbstractThe modernization of agricultural practices has been widespread in South America since the 1970s. The main practices implemented included the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary control based on synthetic elements, and agricultural mechanization for plowing. These activities affect soil quality and make soils more dependent on fertilizer imports throughout the continent. At the same time, the intensification of agricultural activity also increased CO2 emissions in South America from less than 150 thousand gigagrams in 1977 to more than 280 thousand gigagrams in 2017, which translates into a greater burden of agriculture on the environment. Ecuador is one of the South American countries that share several social, climatic, and topographic characteristics common in the region; therefore, it is interesting to study the factors that help mitigate soil erosion processes resulting from agricultural activity. For this purpose, this study performs the estimation of a Tobit model with the information of the agricultural units with seasonal crops present in the Continuous Agricultural Surface and Production Survey of 2018. For the model approach, the number of soil conservation practices (SCP) in each farm is considered as the dependent variable. The estimation results show that there is a positive relationship between farms that are managed by women and the number of SCP implemented: the same result was obtained with respect to agricultural investment by local governments. However, it was found that farms with government technical assistance implemented fewer SCPs, which opens the debate on the importance of soil conservation in public policy.

Public communication of soil conservation practices: A large-scale content analysis of Wisconsin’s agricultural trade publications

The adoption of soil conservation practices by farmers offers the potential to greatly improve soil health and water quality at large geographic scales. In considering the potential benefits of soil conservation practices to improve ecological outcomes on farms, it is important to ascertain where farmers get their information about soil conservation and what type of information they are exposed to and by whom. One primary way that farmers learn about soil conservation practices is via agricultural trade publications (ATPs). We conducted a content analysis using a computational text analysis method to analyze all the online soil conservation coverage from four influential ATPs in Wisconsin. We focused on 10 different soil conservation practices and found that the most frequently covered soil conservation practices were tillage, manure, and grazing. Additionally, we analyzed the thematic categories for how each soil conservation practice was covered in terms of agricultural, environmental and economic benefits. Generally, articles tended to mention environmental and economic benefits more than agricultural benefits across all soil conservation practices. We also unpacked the subcategories of environmental benefits using cover crops practice as an example to demonstrate how it was covered in terms of subcategories such as biodiversity, sustainability, climate change, water quality, and soil health. Our analysis also looked at how agricultural technology was featured in the stories about soil conservation and found that this category was regularly mentioned for each practice. Finally, we examined the message sources for stories on soil conservation and found that extension and the federal government were the most the frequently cited entities. We also discussed how this form of computational content analysis can provide longitudinal insights about trends in a particular soil conservation practice like cover crops, which showed a clear upward trend in coverage in ATPs for the time period studied. These nuanced content analyses provide insights into what types of thematic categories are featured about soil conservation practices covered in ATPs in Wisconsin. Advocates of soil conservation practices can use our results to determine if some practices could benefit from more attention in ATPs as well as which benefits and themes have received more media coverage. Additionally, stakeholders from entities that serve as different message sources can determine how their organizations are doing as the spokespeople for the soil conservation practices being advocated.

Smart subsidies for sustainable soils: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in southern Malawi

Conventional agricultural practices – especially conventional tillage – are a major driver of soil erosion globally. While soil may not frequently considered a vulnerable natural resource, the erosion and degradation of soils poses a serious threat to food production and the production of numerous otherin situ andex situ ecosystem services. This study provides some of the first evidence on the effectiveness of a payments for ecosystem services (PES) program to encourage the adoption of soil conservation practices, specifically conservation agriculture (CA). Through minimized soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and diversified crop mix, CA is believed to enhance soil fertility and rehabilitate soil structure, with the resulting preservation of ecosystem service flows. By providing calibrated financial incentives, we demonstrate that it is possible to substantially increase the extent and intensity of CA adoption. What is more, we show that a novel incentive mechanisms that leverages social networks for the consolidation of fragmented land may be more effective at bringing more land under conservation objectives, even if some of the additional land does not officially fall under the purview of the PES program. We also demonstrate that some of the supposed weaknesses hindering the adoption of CA – lower yields in the short-run and higher expenditures on weed control – were not necessarily obstacles in our study area, perhaps suggesting that the provision of subsidies need not continue into perpetuity, but may only be needed to overcome short-term transition costs.

Impact of multiple soil conservation practices on rice yields and chemical fertiliser use in China

PurposeThis paper analysed survey data of 715 rice-producing households in China to assess the determinants of adoption of five mutually exclusive soil conservation practices (SCPs) and their impact on rice yield and chemical fertiliser use.Design/methodology/approachThe multinomial endogenous treatment effects model was used to account for selection bias and endogeneity arising from both observed and unobserved heterogeneity.FindingsFarms that adopted SCPs as a package experienced an increase in rice yield and decrease in chemical fertiliser use. Adoption of SCPs as a package led to a 12.0% increase in yield and 15.2% decrease in chemical fertiliser use; these results have policy implications for the non-point source pollution control in the agricultural sector. In contrast, adoption of straw retention only significantly reduced yield by 4.9% and increased chemical fertiliser use by 18.1%.Originality/valueThe authors evaluate and compare multi-type of SCPs, such as straw retention, deep tillage and use of organic fertiliser, separately or in combination, and their impacts on smallholder farmers’ rice yield and chemical fertiliser usage.

A multi‐university cohort model for teaching complex and interdisciplinary problem‐solving using system dynamics

AbstractThe complexity of agricultural and natural resources (AGNR) systems continues to thwart long‐term management efforts to address root causes of problems. Unfortunately, capacity building in systems thinking and system dynamics (SD) modeling by AGNR educational programmes has not kept pace with other disciplines, stalled by accelerated specialization and disciplinary fragmentation. Here, we describe a 1‐year, interdisciplinary cohort programme aimed at SD capacity building for AGNR education. Student cohorts investigated unresolved, real‐world management problems following the SD approach. Problems included weed herbicide resistance in cultivated agriculture, land acquisition for biodiversity conservation and adoption of soil conservation practices by farmers. The fellowship process is outlined followed by descriptions of each cohort's model and insights they generated. Exit interviews illuminated valuable reflections regarding team cohesion, the role of SD in enhancing traditional graduate studies and structural adjustments to enhance future fellowship delivery. We conclude with recommendations to others interested in delivering similar programmes.

Farmers’ Organisations and Its Contribution to the Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices: A Case Study of Smallholder Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Farmers’ Organisations and Its Contribution to the Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices: A Case Study of Smallholder Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

The Effect of Labor Migration on Farmers’ Cultivated Land Quality Protection

Since the reform and opening up, a large proportion of the Chinese rural labor force has transferred to urban and non-agricultural industries. Rural labor transfer not only changes the allocation of household labor in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors but also affects the utilization of other agricultural production factors. Based on data from 818 households in three counties in northern Jiangsu province, this paper analyzed the impact of labor migration on farmers’ adoption of cultivated land quality protection (CLQP) behaviors. The survey results showed that farmers’ awareness of CLQP was still very weak, and the proportion of farmers adopting measures such as subsoiling, straw application, cover crops and green manures and the complementary use of organic fertilizers was still relatively low. The empirical results showed that perennial out-migration for work can constrain households’ protective inputs into soil conservation, but part-time farming locally can promote households’ inputs. The results also showed that farmer characteristics, farming conditions and external environment also significantly affected the farmers’ adoption of soil conservation practices. According to these conclusions, this paper puts forward the corresponding policy implications.

Understanding the Interdependence and Temporal Dynamics of Smallholders’ Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices: Evidence from Nigeria

The adoption of soil conservation practices is widely recognized as essential in improving soil fertility and promoting climate-smart agriculture in general. Yet, smallholders’ adoption of soil conservation practices in Sub-Saharan Africa has not been adequately documented, especially in relation to the interdependence and temporal dynamics of adoption decisions. In this paper, we analyze the interdependence and temporal dynamics of smallholders’ adoption of soil conservation practices, such as animal manure, crop residue retention, intercropping, and crop rotation in northern Nigeria. We use data from two rounds of a farm-household panel survey among maize-based farming households and estimate econometric models, including pooled multivariate probit and random effects ordered probit. We found that there is a significant positive correlation between the soil conservation practices, suggesting that adoption decisions for these practices are interrelated and the practices are considered complements by the farmers. We found evidence of inter-temporal variability in the adoption of soil conservation practices, which suggests that some farmers do switch in and out of these practices and may likely explain the often-reported variability in maize yields. Also, we found that the farmers’ decisions to adopt soil conservation practices and the intensity of adoption are influenced by several factors, including farmer-, household-, farm-, institutional-, and biophysical-level factors. Yet, the factors that significantly influence the likelihood of adoption differ slightly from those that influence the intensity of adoption. Policy interventions to enhance the adoption intensity of conservation practices should strongly leverage important factors, such as contract farming, crop–livestock integration, and off-farm income diversification.

How to improve the adoption of soil conservation practices? Suggestions from farmers' perception in western Sicily

The knowledge of farmers' perception about the value of natural resources in agricultural management should have a central role in the orientation of decision-making processes in the rural policy. The final goal of such knowledge is to involve the population in the management of the territory with a bottom-up approach for a sustainable use of natural resources. Taking as case study the agricultural district of Western Sicily (Italy), which is one of the most important agricultural areas of Europe and is affected by soil degradation processes, our study pursued the following objectives: 1) to measure the adoption of the soil conservation practices (SCP) promoted by the Region inside the Rural Development Programs, with respect to some personal and farm features; 2) to find out the relationship between the personal and farm characteristics and the perceived environmental, aesthetic, productive, and management advantages, deriving from the adoption of SCP. The analysis was carried out using a ‘multiple choice’ answer questionnaire, administered to 125 farmers. Univariate statistics, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), and Chi-square test were used. Minimum tillage resulted the most adopted among the SCP not included inside Rural Development Program at the study time, while organic manuring the most adopted among SCP included inside Rural Development Program. The interviewed farmers revealed an inclination to perceive the production benefits (increased yield, and crop quality) and management benefits (production costs reduction, and working time reduction), stronger than the environmental and aesthetic ones. Farmers perceiving management advantages also perceived production benefits. Similarly, farmers perceiving environmental advantages also perceived aesthetic benefits. Effective profitability resulted the main efficient stimulus to the adoption of SCP, much larger than farmers' ecological attitudes, or the presence of subsidies. MCA and Chi-square test indicated that the farm size had the strongest influence on the choice of the SCP, and on the type of perceived advantages. Farmers asked to the Regional Authorities an improvement in technical advice services on the implementation of SCP, in order to make them profitable.

Impact of Human Activities and Natural Processes on the Seasonal Variability of River Water Quality in Two Watersheds in Lampung, Indonesia

This study identified seasonal water quality characteristics in two adjacent mountainous rivers (Sangharus and Sekampung Hulu Rivers) in Lampung, Indonesia and determined the impacts of fertilizer application on river chemistry as a result of social forestry management. In 2016, we measured water chemistry and conducted a farmers’ questionnaire survey to obtain information on fertilizer application. The water quality results indicated that several parameters, including nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4), were significantly higher in the Sangharus River than in the Sekampung Hulu River. In addition, several parameters were influenced by dilution from high river flow in the rainy season. Some parameters were likely influenced by the weathering of parent materials. By contrast, electrical conductivity (EC) and NO3 were higher in the rainy season, which was likely linked to the dominant timing of urea fertilizer application during this season. Despite the application of fertilizers in the watersheds, NO3 levels remained below the recommended standard. However, aluminum and iron concentrations were higher than the recommended level for drinking water, which was likely due to elevated soil erosion from improper land management. Therefore, we recommend that effective land management policies be implemented through the adoption of soil conservation practices for nutrient loss prevention.

English

Top-down and centralized soil conservation programs have caused low adoption of sustainable practices. The adoption is a multistage and adaptive process that relies on the management of local knowledge. The results of 61 surveys were analyzed in order to systematize experiences of soil knowledge governance involving social organizations and farmers. Soil knowledge governance was done mainly through the sharing of experiences among farmers. This path resulted both in the strengthening of existing institutions and in the creation of new associative forms and rules. The incentives for farmers to maintain soil conservation practices went beyond the financial ones and reflected the diversity of their views and expectations: eating healthy food, diversifying agricultural production, and improving their social position in the community. The increased adoption of soil conservation practices that resulted from this approach led to the rethink the kind of public policies that would better help soil conservation in Mexico. Key words: Public policy, soil conservation, soil knowledge governance, sustainable land management.

Soil Conservation Practices and Stakeholder’s Participation in Research Projects—Empirical Evidence from Southern Italy

Adoption of soil conservation practices is promoted by increased engagement between researchers and stakeholders. By reporting a case study from southern Italy where farmers have been involved in research projects dealing with soil conservation over several years, we demonstrated that the rate of adoption of conservative technologies is positively linked to the degree of stakeholder participation in the project and that farmers (and other stakeholders) have been driven toward more conscious perception of the complex link between agricultural practices, environmental impacts and socioeconomic effects. The results of this study reinforce the pivotal role of effective participatory processes in soil conservation—evidencing the importance of (i) time required to build relationships and (ii) intensity (and persistence) of collaboration among similar initiatives. Empirical evidence highlights the need to combine different approaches to deal with soil degradation. As well as the participatory time length, the synergies between the methods utilized, and the range of interacting mind sets are also very important.

Temporal and Spatial Uncertainty of Erosion Soil Loss from an Argisol Under Sugarcane Management Scenarios

ABSTRACT The identification of erosion-susceptible areas is fundamental for the adoption of soil conservation practices. Thus, the best way to estimate the spatial pattern of soil erosion must be identified, in which the process uncertainties are also taken into consideration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal uncertainty of soil loss under two scenarios of sugarcane harvest management: green cane (GC) and burnt cane (BC). The study was carried out on a 200-ha area, in [...]