Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (JARTS)
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Fruticultura orgánica en el trópico: Situación y ejemplos de Mesoamérica
Get PDFLa situación en la fruticultura orgánica de Mesoamérica no es fácil a cualificar y cuantificar. Indudablemente existen áreas certificadas sin embargo faltan datos exactos. En otra manera muchos campesinos cultivan frutas y vegetales sin el uso de fertilizantes inorgánicos y sin aplicaciones de pesticidazas por falta de insumos propios. Este estudio esta basado en ejemplos y practicas conocidas y trata a reflejar filosofías practicas del campesinado y las fortalezas y debilidades correspondientes. De lo mas énfasis se ha dedicado al chayote en Costa Rica y México, a la pitahaya en Nicaragua, a la papaya en el Estado Tabasco y al mango, rambutan y caña de azúcar en el estado Chiapas, México, y a las huertas familiares en Cuba. Resultados de una encuesta entre consumidores reflejan el interés para consumir productos orgánicos, establecer la interacción agricultores-consumidores como parte del proceso de desarrollo agroecológico y fortalecer la educación de los consumidores y productores en los aspectos agroecológicos y de salud
A Research on the Impacts of Tourism on Rural Household Income and Farm Enterprises: The Case of the Nevsehir Province of Turkey
Get PDFThis article is aimed at investigating the impact of tourism activities on the income and living conditions of rural households, and reflecting the views of both households and tourists on tourism related activities. An economic assessment of households that deal both with agriculture and tourism in the Nev¸sehir Province (Cappadocia) has been carried out based on primary survey data. Agriculture is the main economic activity in Nevsehir, and households generally have the characteristic structure of small family enterprises. While 59.8% of household labour forces are utilised in agriculture, 7.0% are engaged in tourism activities. The agricultural and tourism related activities, such as pottery making, handicrafts and lodging, are often in competition for the generally insufficient working capital of households, as well as time and labour. Total average household income in the region has been determined as 7,315 (73.5%) is drawn from agriculture and $2,587 (26%) from tourism-related activities. Tourism cannot be regarded as an activity that constitutes an alternative to agriculture, but rather a complementary source of income
Frutos de rambután (Nephelium lappaceum L.) no son hospederos de moscas de la fruta: Anastrepha spp. y Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) – resultados de 10 años en el Soconusco, Chiapas, México
Get PDFEl rambután todav´ıa es un cultivo exótico para los países latinoamericanos. A México fue introducido desde hace 40 años, con gran expectativa para el futuro, sin embargo el área comercial todavía es mínima, debido a un desconocimiento del cultivo, por parte de investigadores y productores, y por falta de promociones profesionales en cuanto al cultivo, manejo de poscosecha y comercialización de este cultivo. Un obstáculo importante fueron las restricciones en cuanto a contar durante d´ecadas este cultivo como planta hospedera para Ceratitis capitata y el complejo de moscas de la fruta Anastrepha spp. En estudios minuciosos y a largo plazo algunos fruticultores trataron a entregar el comprobante científico que el fruto del rambután nunca es infestado por estas plagas. Desde 1993 hasta 2002 fueron realizados estudios de muestreo de frutos y de trampeo en plantaciones frutícolas con rambután. Los resultados demuestran de manera significativa que se puede encontrar moscas mediterráneas y del complejo Anastrepha spp. en las plantaciones sin embargo no se ha reportado ningún caso de un fruto de rambután infestado con larvas de estas moscas. Por esto fue posible lograr en septiembre de 2003 la cancelación de la ley que prohibió la exportación de frutas de rambután a Japón y a las EE.UU
Estimates of Carbon Reservoirs in High-Altitude Wetlands in the Colombian Andes
Get PDFThe observed increase in emission of greenhouse gases, with attendant effects on global warming, have raised interests in identifying sources and sinks of carbon in the environment. Terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration involves capture of atmospheric C through photosynthesis and storage in biota, soil and wetlands. Particularly, wetland systems function primarily as long-term reservoirs for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and as sources of atmospheric methane (CH4). The objective of this study was to evaluate the patterns of carbon reservoirs in two high-altitude wetlands in the central Andean mountain of Colombia. Carbon cycle in both systems is related mainly with the plant biomass dynamics from the littoral zone. Thus, total organic carbon concentrate an average up to 329 kg of N ha-1 and 125 kg of P ha-1 every year vs only 17 kg N ha-1 and 6 kg P ha-1 in the water column of the limnetic zone in the wetland, evidencing spatial differences in carbon concentrations for these types of ecosystems. Results revealed that these systems participate in the balance and sequestration of carbon in the Colombian Andes
Smallholder group certification in Uganda – Analysis of internal control systems in two organic export companies
No full textThe organic agricultural sector of Uganda is among the most developed in Africa in terms of its professional institutional network and high growth rates of number of certified farmers and land area. Smallholder farmers are certified organic through contract production for export companies using a group certification scheme (internal control system - ICS). The ICS is a viable and well-accepted tool to certify small-scale producers in developing countries all over the world. Difficulties in certification are still stated to be among the main constraints for Ugandas organic sector development. Therefore, this paper reports a qualitative case study comprising 34 expert interviews in two organic fresh-produce export companies in central Uganda, aiming to explore the challenges which underlie organic certification with ICS. The study shows that farmers cannot be labelled as organic by default but deliberately engage in organic production as a marketing strategy. The small quantities purchased by the organic companies lead to a difficult marketing situation for the farmers, causing production and infiltration risks on the farm level. These risks require increased control that challenges the companies organizationally. The risks and control needs are a reason to involve farmers in ICS procedures and innovatively adapt the ICS by means of a bypass around formal perspective restrictions. The paper discusses different perspectives on risks, risk control and certification
Performance of Different Tomato Genotypes in the Arid Tropics of Sudan during the Summer Season. II. Generative Development
Get PDFEleven tomato genotypes of diverse origin were grown in Shambat, University of Khartoum, Sudan, in a randomized block design with three replications for two successive seasons (2002/2003, 2003/2004). The same genotypes were firstly evaluated under glasshouse conditions at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany during 2002. Highly significant differences were encountered among the different genotypes for most of the generative characters, such as number of days to flowering, number of flowers per plant, number of fruits per plant, fruit fresh weight per plant and fruit set percentage. Based on results obtained from this study, the genotype ‘Summerset’ proved to be high yielding under high temperature conditions in comparison to other genotypes
Agricultural Research for Development in the Tropics: Caught between Energy Demands and Food Needs
Get PDFWe have shown in this analysis, that there is no easy answer to the question: is biofuel out competing food production for natural resources. We feel that when addressing this issue future discussions need to include a broader view on the global consequences of regional and national actions. It is necessary to base decisions not on short-term political or economic arguments but on the long term balance for resources and environmental health, both providing the basis for the livelihood of future generations. Therefore, efforts must be made to calculate the real carbon balance and water foot prints for every item and process involved in the production chains and base decisions on the least detrimental approach to crop and energy production and not on the most economical, which basically means cheapest by today’s definition
The Biofuel Debate – Status Quo and Research Needs to Meet Multiple Goals of Food, Fuel and Ecosystem Services in the Tropics and Subtropics
Get PDFThe current biofuel debate is characterized by concerns about the environmental effects of large-scale biofuel plantations, controversies about GMO-based feedstocks and the recent global food crisis. Predictions for the development of the biofuel sector are either departing from the supply-side or the demand-side, but are mostly based on modelling efforts with an unclear experimental basis and only broadly defined economic settings. Results vary widely and tend to undervalue technical progress in processing efficiency or management-related increases in biomass yields. Moreover, calculations often neglect the impact of climate change, the need for irrigation and processing water, for soil fertility maintenance and the importance of socio-economic issues. Against these shortcomings and in view of several decades to centuries of Ecosystem Carbon Payback Times of most biofuel plantations, their future as a large-scale replacement for hydrocarbons will strongly depend on improved matter conversion efficiencies and successful prevention mechanisms for conflicts over land use
How Do “Renewable Products” Impact Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – The Example of Natural Rubber in China
Get PDFThis paper aims to present the implications brought by the expansion of “renewable products” plantation systems in the tropics with cultivation of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) as a main focus. Throughout South East Asia, natural forest is being replaced by rubber or oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations, with severe consequences for the local flora and fauna. Main aspects of this review are: i) The provision of an overview over renewable resources in general and rubber in particular, with eco-physiological and agronomical information concerning rubber cultivation. ii) The effect of rubber plantations on biodiversity and species composition under different rubber farming approaches. In addition we debate the possible influences of such large scale land cover transformations on ecosystem services. iii) The conversion of natural forests into rubber plantations releases considerable amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. We estimated these values for different land cover types in southern China and assessed the carbon sequestration potential of local rubber plantations
Jatropha curcas L.: Visions and Realities
Get PDFSince several years Jatropha is experiencing a renaissance. The main drivers for this development are the biofuel boom in general and the special attributes of Jatropha itself. This paper discusses the current knowledge as well as expectations of Jatropha and the consequential outcomes starting with data availability and quality followed by economic and political needs and constraints