crop-livestock integration through no-tillage on cover

1

Crop-livestock integration throughno-tillage on cover-crop

in Vietnam

O. Husson a , Ha Dinh Tuan b

C.Martin a, J.C Castella b,c, Ph. Lecomte a , A. Chabanne a and L. Séguy a

a CIRAD, Montpellier, France; b VASI, Hanoi, Vietnam; c IRD, Paris, France and IRRI, Los Banos, Philippines.

Context

• Northern Viet Nam• 50 inh./km2: “empty”• Farm size: 2-3 ha• Increasing population • Various ethnic groups

Inh./ km2

10

30

50

1960 1980 2000

Ban Cuon "DAO"

Ban Dieu "TAY"

Document obtenu sur le site Cirad du réseau http://agroecologie.cirad.fr


2

Sub-tropical climate

0

2,5

5

7,5

10

Ave

rage

dai

ly ra

infa

ll (m

m)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

Jan.Feb.

MarchApril

MaiJune

JulyAug.

Sept.Oct.

Nov.Dec.

Max.

Min.

Average: 1 800 mm/year, high variability in space and timeHot rainy season : April to SeptemberCold dry season: October to March

• Acid ferralsols (pH KCl: 4)• Steep slopes (30 °)



3

Strong erosion

Context

• Mountainous area (remoteness, no access to market or information, low investment capacity, etc.)• De-collectivisation • Land tenure reforms

==> Fast changes in production systems



4

• Irrigated ricein lowlands (Tay)

• Maize (Tay)Rice and cassava in upland (Dao)

Agricultural systems

Fast changes in production systemsReturn to slash and burn



5

Cattle raisingFree grazingMarket (meat, not milk)Traction

Tay Dao

• Poor performances (crops and animals) • Mining of the environment• Vicious cercle of soil degradation and declining yields

No longer sustainable under the present situation

The crisis



6

SAM (Moutainous Agrarian Systems) ProjectVASI/CIRAD/IRD/IRRI

Initial objective (1998):Finding alternatives to slash-and-burn systemsin order to stop de-forestation

The only hope relied in adaptation of CA (DPPSC) to the difficult environment of mountainous areas (1999)

Competition crop/livestock

Destruction of crops by animalsCompetition for limited natural resources

Free grazingForage/mulch

A real revolution Need of an important work at all scalesFrom competition to integration crops/livestock



7

Finding technical solutions at field level

Developing sustainable and profitable cropping systems



Simple mulching: risk on steep slope



8



Producing mulch in the field: crop residues or cover crop


Maize and Arachis pintoï Maize and Brachiaria ruziziensis


Living mulch- Miniterraces



9


Growing in difficult conditionsHigh biomass production

Soil regeneration by plants


Strong root systemSoil regeneration by plants



10


Increasing biomass production and forage quality

cutting interval : 28 daysunit surface : 4 m²

cut at : 5 cm

Fodder trials (5 plots) 48 grasses & 2 legumes species4karstic & ferralitic soils 4young fallows & degraded meadow4with or without fertilisation


0200400600800

100012001400

Brachi

aria bri

z.

Brachi

aria ruz

.

Brachi

aria de

c.

Brachi

aria hu

.

Paspa

lum atr

.

Panicu

m max.

Penni

setum

pur.

Stylos

anthes

guy.

Cassia r

otundi

folia

Natural

vegeta

tion

Average monthly fodder production from April to October

Kg DM/ha/month



11


Forage value

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1UFL

PD

IB. briz

B. dec

B. humB. ruz

NativeP. purp

P.max

P. atratC. rotun

S. guy

Legumes

Grasses

PDI = Digestible Protein content (g/kg dry fodder) ; UFL = Energy Unit.


3 main systems enabling increase and share of produced biomass:

Perennial systems: Meadows , cover crops in orchards and plantations



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3 main systems enabling increase and share of produced biomass:Perennial systems: Meadows , cover crops in orchards and plantations

Intercropping, associations

Maïs /Arachis pintoïMiniterraces

Cassava + Stylosanthes guy.


3 main systems enabling increase and share of produced biomass:Perennial systems: Meadows , cover crops in orchards and plantationsIntercropping, associations

Relay cropping, rotations (use of winter periods)

Brachiaria ruzi . after maize Oats in paddy fields



13


Forage conservation

Bana grass on hedgerows

Finding technical solutions at field levelA set of alternatives, including crops and forage production



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• Farm typology• Need to jointly design solutions, adapted to farmers ’ strategy and based on opportunities given by DPPSC•Need a common understanding of the problems

• Need to have a common spatial representation of the territory as tool for awareness raising and mediation

Everyone acts firstly as an individual, according tohis own project and strategies

We rarely perceive fully the impact of the sum ofindividual behaviors at the scale of a village

Integrating solutions at farm and village levels

Expert meetings

Participatorymapping

Villagers’ view point

Household typologies

Land use maps, SIG

Researchers’ viewpoint

Reconciling…

….into a common spatial language



15

Elevation 3D model

Extracting and representing information

Spatial data transfer

Lowland (rice)

Village & gardens

Piedmonts

Slopes

Communalpasture

Graphic representation with simple

symbols



16

Land cover 2001

0%

50%

100%1

2

3

1

2

3

Simplified quantitative representationModel with compartments

Graphic representation

Feeding animals by playing on resources complementarity, spatialyand timely…

Natural resourcesArachis pintoï in orchards Associated

trees and fodder

Oats OatsIrrigated lowland rice

Oats in paddy field

Designing feeding systems at farm level

Stylosanthes guyanensisunder cassava

Improved meadowsMini-terraces

Rotated orintercropped

fodder production

Plu

ri-a

nn

ual

syst

ems

An

nu

alsy

stem

sP

eren

nia

lsy

stem

s

Riz pluvial Bracharia sp.Brachiaria ruzi. Brachiaria ruzi.Rainfall upland rice

J F M A M J J A S O N D



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nbu/2 bung 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 zone notesbrachiaria 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.2brach.ass 0.5 1 1 1 1 1.2

stylosanthes 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.2 1 year to settlearachis 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.2 1.5 years to settle

treated maize straw 1.0 1 1 1 1 1.2 need 5kg of urea for 100 kg of strawavoine 1.0 1 1 1 1 3 no water logging

treated rice straw 2 1 1 1 1 3 need 5kg of urea for 100 kg of straw

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3

WinterSummer

4321

WinterSummer

4321

RS

BTX

Arac.

Oat

Farmer’s Field boundaries



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Farmers experimentsWork on management and practices

Fencing or not fencing?

populationforest

Individualbehavior

Aggregated result

1

2

3

77

120

43

1

2

3

1

2

3

7777

120

4343

Raises awarenessMediation tool

Integrating solutions at village levels

MAS

Role play



19

Conclusions

• Technical solutions (even if economicaly attractive) often are not sufficient

• But necessary: DPPSC brings solutions for integration of animals, crops and trees

Benefited to animals, crops, farmers, trees, and soils



20

Conclusions

• The conflict over the resources sharing between animals and crops became a strength for extension of DPPSC

•For very different situations ( South America, Africa, Asia), solutions are based on the same principles. Only the application conditions change. Behind heterogeneity, some universal processes exist. Importance of exchanges and transmission of experiences.

Muito Obrigado!Xin Cam On!



crop-livestock integration through no-tillage on cover

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