Bases for farm resource allocation in the traditional farming system: A comparative study of productivity of farm resources in abakaliki area of Anambra State,Nigeria

A study was carried out to determine the returns in utilisation of farm-resources in the production of three crop enterprises. These returns determined the productivity of resources in yam-based crop mixture (YBCM), cassava-based crop mixture (CBCM) and rice enterprises.The results show that of the three crop enterprises considered in the survey year, YBCM received special attention in the resources allocated. Prime land, prime labour and a large proportion of household cash were allocated to the production of YBCM relative to other crop enterprises. Cost-return analysis indicated that all scarce resources such as labour, land and capital were more productive in monetary terms in CBCM and rice enterprises than in YBCM.The cultural value of yam in YBCM transcends the monetary and food security values. It includes intangible value such as social status. The special place of yam in the crop production system militates against practical solutions such as the transfer of farm resources from the less productive (YBCM) to the more productive enterprises. Thus it is that improved management techniques such as the use of higher-yielding yam varieties, increase in cropping densities and the use of fertilizers need to be explored as a means of improving the returns of the resources used in the YBCM enterprises.     

Productivity of yam under alternative cropping systems adopted by small-holder farmers of southeastern Nigeria

This study compares productivity of yam under mixed and sole cropping systems and determines the opportunity cost involved in the mixed cropping system preferred by small-holder farmers of southeastern Nigeria.The results show that output of yam per hectare, output/seed input ratio, as well as yield per yam crop stand, were all higher under yam sole cropping than under mixed cropping. Scarce resources of land, labour and capital were more productive under sole cropping. The opportunity cost of producing yam under a mixed corrping system was equivalent to

480·79 per hectare.Considering the labour and financial problems faced by the farmers, and given that the same level of social status is attainable by adopting either of the two cropping systems, it becomes rational to adopt sole cropping with less labour and cash requirements but higher output and returns.     

Decision-making processes for crop management on African farms. Modelling from a case study of cotton crops in northern Cameroon

Recent work on decision processes on French farms and irrigated systems in Africa has shown that farmers plan their cyclical (recurrent) technical operations, and that one can model this planning process. Taking the case of cotton crop management in North Cameroon, we show that with certain adjustments, modelling of this kind can also be done for rainfed crop farming in Africa. The adjustments are needed to take account of the differences in social status between different fields on one farm and the implications of the fact that farm work is primarily manual. This produces decision models with a similar structure to that described for technical management of an annual crop break in a temperate climate using mechanised implements. Not only do these models give us a detailed understanding of the variability of farming practices, we can also classify them into categories according to weather scenarios yield level as a function of weather scenario. We show that one can attribute farms to these types of model using simple indicators concerning work organisation. By analysing North Cameroon farmers' decision processes for managing cotton crops we can thus produce an effective tool for organising technical supervision of farmers at the regional level: advisers can work with these decision model types by measuring some simple indicators at farm level to predict which types of model are applicable, without the onerous work of constructing individual decision models.     

A systematic representation of crop rotations

Crop rotations are allocations by growers of crop types to specific fields through time. This paper aims at presenting (i) a systematic and rigorous mathematical representation of crops rotations; and (ii) a concise mathematical framework to model crop rotations, which is useable on landscape scale modelling of agronomical practices. Rotations can be defined as temporal arrangements of crops and can be classified systematically according to their internal variability and cyclical pattern. Crop sequences in a rotation can be quantified as a transition matrix, with the Markovian property that the allocation in a given year depends on the crop allocated in the previous year. Such transition matrices can represent stochastic processes and thus facilitate modelling uncertainty in rotations, and forecasting of the long-term proportions of each crop in a rotation, such as changes in climate or economics. The matrices also permit modelling transitions between rotations due to external variables. Computer software was developed that incorporates these techniques and was used to simulate landscape scale agronomic processes over decadal periods.     

The potential contribution of forage shrubs to economic returns and environmental management in Australian dryland agricultural systems

In face of climate change and other environmental challenges, one strategy for incremental improvement within existing farming systems is the inclusion of perennial forage shrubs. In Australian agricultural systems, this has the potential to deliver multiple benefits: increased whole-farm profitability and improved natural resource management. The profitability of shrubs was investigated using Model of an Integrated Dryland Agricultural System (MIDAS), a bio-economic model of a mixed crop/livestock farming system. The modelling indicated that including forage shrubs had the potential to increase farm profitability by an average of 24% for an optimal 10% of farm area used for shrubs under standard assumptions. The impact of shrubs on whole-farm profit accrues primarily through the provision of a predictable supply of ‘out-of-season’ feed, thereby reducing supplementary feed costs, and through deferment of use of other feed sources on the farm, allowing a higher stocking rate and improved animal production. The benefits for natural resource management and the environment include improved water use through summer-active, deep-rooted plants, and carbon storage. Forage shrubs also allow for the productive use of marginal soils. Finally, we discuss other, less obvious, benefits of shrubs such as potential benefits on livestock health. The principles revealed by the MIDAS modelling have wide application beyond the region, although these need to be adapted on farm and widely disseminated before potential contribution to Australian agriculture can be realized.     

气候变化影响下作物模型的不确定性

作物生理生长过程准确描述及产量的精确估计在社会食品安全和农业生产中起着至关重要的作用.作物生长模型作为一种监测作物生长的数值模拟方法,已被证明是作物生长、产量预测和情景分析的有力工具.然而,在当前气候变化背景下,气候走向的不确定性以及极端气候事件的增加,都对粮食生产产生了重大影响,如何对作物生长进行准确模拟成为当前的热点关注话题.同时,除了气候变化的不确定性外,由于作物模型本身是实际作物生长过程的简化,物理结构并不完美,同时数据采集的随机性和初始条件的区域异质性,导致模拟结果不确定性较大.因此,在论述作物模型的国内外研究进展的基础上,探讨气候变化的不确定性对作物模型的影响以及作物模型本身的不确定性,概述了模型-数据融合方法的类型及特点,以及区域尺度上作物模型与遥感数据结合所采用的减小不确定性的方法,以期为相关研究提供一定参考.     

An integrated modelling toolbox for water resources assessment and management in highland catchments: Model description

Water and land resource competition and environmental degradation pose difficult questions for resource managers. In particular, the ensuing trade-offs between economic, environmental, and social factors and their spatiotemporal variability must be considered when implementing management policies. This paper describes an integrated modelling toolbox that has been developed for highland catchments – specifically the Mae Chaem catchment in Northern Thailand. This toolbox contains models of crop growth, erosion and rainfall-runoff, as well as household decision and socioeconomic impact models. The approach described advances and complements previous approaches by: considering more complex interactions between land-use decisions and the hydrological cycle; modelling household decisions based on uncertain expectations; and assessing impacts of changes not only on flows and household income, but also on subsistence production and erosion. An example of the types of trade-offs and scenarios that can be assessed using the integrated modelling toolbox is also presented. This demonstrates that for the scenarios presented, the magnitude and direction of impacts simulated by the model is not dependent on climate. Further testing of the model is demonstrated in a companion paper. Overall, the plausibility of the model is shown.     

椭圆类齿轮CAD系统的研究

在提取椭圆类齿轮设计共性的基础上,以具有椭圆普遍性质的高阶变性椭圆为基本数学模型,可视化面向对象的编程语言VB6.0为开发工具,建立了椭圆类齿轮CAD系统。阐述了该CAD系统的构成、主要模块功能及软件系统的实现。系统具有设计与测绘参数校核两大功能。     

Determining superior cropping patterns for small farms in a dryland rice environment: Test of a methodology

A methodology for cropping systems research was proposed in 1975. It involved the farmer as an active participant in the research, with test patterns grown on his land under joint farmer-research management. Experience with the use of this methodology in developing a dryland rice-based cropping systems test site in the Philippines is discussed.The potential for increased crop productivity in the major dryland rice-producing region of eastern Batangas province, where the predominant cropping pattern involves dryland rice followed by field corn, was studied by testing the impact of these cropping pattern alternatives: following rice with field crops other than the local Orange flint corn, an intercrop pattern, and a three-crop-per-year pattern. Cooperating farmers applied the alternative patterns on 1000 m² plots adjacent to their rice-corn plots. Some patterns showed yield instability and poor pest resistance. None had any adverse effect on the yield of the next rice crop when compared with the traditional pattern.The research opened several directions in which dryland rice-based patterns may be improved. A shift to an improved corn variety showed promise as an effective means of increasing pattern productivity. Soybeans and sorghum were the outstanding alternative crops to follow rice. Intercrops with corn were productive, but may fit only if labour requirements are not excessive and labour productivity is fairly high.     

Systematic design and evaluation of crop rotations enhancing soil conservation, soil fertility and farm income: a case study for vegetable farms in South Uruguay

Rapid changes in the social and economic environment in which agriculture is developing, together with the deterioration of the natural resource base threatens sustainability of farm systems in many areas of the world. For vegetable farms in South Uruguay, survival in the long term depends upon the development of production systems able to reduce soil erosion, maintain or improve physical and biological soil fertility, and increase farmer’s income to socially acceptable levels. We propose a model-based explorative land use study to support the re-orientation of vegetable production systems in South Uruguay. In this paper we present a new method to quantitatively integrate agricultural, environmental and socio-economic aspects of agricultural land use based on explicit design objectives. We describe the method followed to design and evaluate a wide variety of land use activities for Canelón Grande (South Uruguay) and we illustrate the usefulness of this approach in an ex-ante evaluation of new farming systems using data from 25 farms in this region. Land use activities resulted from systematic combination of crops and inter-crop activities into crop rotations, different crop management techniques (i.e., mechanisation, irrigation and crop protection) and animal production. We identified and quantified all possible rotations and estimated inputs and outputs at crop rotation scale, explicitly considering interactions among crops. Relevant inputs and outputs (i.e., soil erosion, balance of soil organic matter and nutrients, environmental impact of pesticides, labour and machinery requirements, and economic performance) of each land use activity were quantified using different quantitative methods and following the target-oriented approach. By applying the methodology presented in this paper we were able to design and evaluate 336,128 land use activities suitable for the different soil types in Canelón Grande and for farms with different availability of resources, i.e., land, labour, soil quality, capital and water for irrigation. After theoretical evaluation, a large subset of these land use activities showed promise for reducing soil erosion, maintaining soil organic matter content of the soil and increasing farmer’s income, allowing improvement of current farming systems in the region and providing a widely diverse set of strategic options for farmers in the region to choose from. This method can be used as a stand-alone tool to explore options at the field and farm scale or to generate input for optimisation models to explore options at the farm or regional scale.     

BANAD: A farm model for ex ante assessment of agro-ecological innovations and its application to banana farms in Guadeloupe

The ex ante assessment of innovative agro-ecological innovations is a key step in the development of more sustainable crop management systems. To this end, models are useful tools because they make it possible to rapidly assess numerous innovations in different contexts. Whereas many farm optimisation models focusing on the farmer’s strategic decision to adopt new crop management systems have been published, little attention has been given to the ex ante modelling of the dynamic operational impacts of innovation adoption at the farm level. BANAD, a mechanistic model for such applications, is proposed. It allows the ex ante assessment of innovative management systems including new agro-ecological techniques, while taking into account different farming contexts and policy and market conditions. It includes three components: (i) a crop management system model, (ii) a crop model (SIMBA) and (iii) a farming system model. Our results applied to the ex ante assessment of six innovative banana management systems for three contrasted farm types in Guadeloupe showed that the impacts of agro-ecological innovations, which include rotations, improved fallow, intercropping, pest-resistant cultivar, and an integrated organic system, can vary considerably according to (i) the farm type in which the innovation is integrated, (ii) the nature of the agro-ecological innovations, and (iii) the criteria considered and the temporal horizon of the assessment. Innovative intercropping systems that were effective at the field level in terms of the yield improvement and decreased pesticide use could be problematic at the farm level because they increased the workload and decreased income. The adoption of rotations or improved fallow seemed to be relevant for smallholders but could induce a critical period of 1.5-2.5 years during which income decreased drastically. Under certain conditions of markets and subsidies, very environmentally friendly innovations that are less productive can however be economically effective.     

Evaluating crop-livestock-based farming systems: A village level study in the dry zone rainfed district of Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka cropping enterprises interact with livestock production on peasant farms. This analysis of the crop-livestock farming system aims at understanding the existing constraints and interactions between crops and livestock in these farms. The main objective of the study is to describe the crop-livestock integrated farming systems in three rainfed villages in the Moneragala district of Sri Lanka, and to evaluate these systems in terms of maximizing farm incomes from the different crop and livestock components of the systems. A field survey was conducted to collect data from 153 farming families for the Maha season of 1982/83. A linear programming model was formulated to test the hypothesis.The results show that in general the activities for lowland rice, highland rice, sugar cane, labour, farm cash cost, and MVP (compost) are higher in the optimal farm plan than in the actual farm situation. The livestock in the optimal plan is mainly confined to milch cattle. However, with the present high level of manutrition among rural livestock industry emphasis should be placed on the expansion of the rural livestock industry in the study villages. The optimal plan also suggests the use of crop residues as a substitute for compost for farm crops. Hence, in the context of escalating prices of chemical fertilizers, research is required to find the suitability of crop residues and household residues as substitutes for compost. Increases in supplementary irrigation may result in the expansion of the farm area and hence the farm income. Other methods of increasing farm income include: replacing hired labour with non-utilized family labour, increased agricultural research, and extension activity regarding the use of modern inputs by farmers on crops.     

Hydraulic-hydrological simulations of canal-command for irrigation water management

A modelling system that combines the hydraulic simulations of the canal and hydrological simulations of the irrigated command is introduced. It uses MIKE 11 and MIKE SHE, two well-established modelling systems, for the hydraulic and hydrological simulations respectively. In addition, it also has an irrigation scheduling module and a crop growth module. The modelling system is applied to the Mahanadi Reservoir Irrigation Scheme, a large irrigation project in Central India. The results show that presently a significant amount of water is wasted in the command during the monsoon season. It is demonstrated that the minimization of this wastage could lead to a substantial crop production in the subsequent dry season. Furthermore, the simulations illustrate the versatility of the modelling system for planning and analysing the various aspects of an irrigation project.     

Exploring changes in world ruminant production systems

In the past 30 years world production of ruminant meat and milk has increased by about 40%, while the global area of grassland has increased by only 4%. This is because most of the increase in ruminant meat and milk production has been achieved by increasing the production in mixed and landless production systems and much less so in pastoral systems. Pastoral systems depend almost exclusively on grazing, while mixed and landless systems rely on a mix of concentrates (food crops) and roughage, consisting of grass, fodder crops, crop residues, and other sources of feedstuffs. A model was developed to describe these two aggregated production systems for different world regions, each having typical production characteristics, such as milk production per animal for dairy cattle, and off-take rates and carcass weights for non-dairy cattle, sheep and goats. The energy needed by the animals for the production of meat and milk is calculated on the basis of requirements for maintenance, grazing and labour, pregnancy, and lactation. We implemented the FAO Agriculture Towards 2030 projection for crop and livestock production and assumed that the past trend in the area of grassland will continue in the coming three decades. This assumption implies a rapid intensification of grassland management with a 33% increase in global grass consumption, which will only be possible with increasing fertilizer inputs, use of grass-clover mixtures and improved grassland management.     

基于辐射照度的作物冠层光分布计算系统设

以玉米为例,使用C++语言和OpenGL图形函数库,在Windows平台下,开发基于辐射度-图形学结合模型(RGM)的作物冠层光分布计算系统.以相对成熟的RGM方法提取模型参数,并针对作物冠层特点对方法做适当改进.在冠层三维模型基础上,通过用户交互指定参数,可计算出冠层内每个面元的光分布状态.该系统所需模型参数少,且参数均具有较为明确的植物学和农学意义,便于与传统作物模型相结合,操作界面友好、使用方便.     

Agrarian policies for sustainable land use: bio-economic modelling to assess the effectiveness of policy instruments

This article presents a bio-economic modelling approach for the assessment of the effectiveness of different agrarian policies to improve farm household income and soil fertility. Farm household decisions on allocation of land, labour and capital resources for crop and production technique choice are simulated, taking into account resource availability, household objectives and prevailing market conditions. The modelling framework relies on a combination of three procedures: (1) farm household modelling, (2) linear programming, and (3) partial equilibrium analysis. These procedures are applied to evaluate the impact at farm household and regional level of technology improvement and a variety of policy instruments: improvement of infrastructure, price support, land policy and credit schemes. Regional aggregation allows prices to be determined endogenously on regional markets. The approach is applied to the Cercle de Koutiala in Mali, for which selected results are given as an example. Results indicate that technology alone cannot sufficiently induce farmers to adopt sustainable production systems. Additional economic incentives are necessary to foster technological change.     

面向对象的玉米收获机系统优化可行性分析

为深度提升我国玉米收获机的整机作业效能与运行效率,采用面向对象的软件设计开发方法,对其作业系统展开可行性优化设计.以整机的作业机理为基础,融合ETL技术与面向对象的设计方法,把系统划分为不同的对象进行系统建模,并构建完整的系统运行体系展开可行性验证试验.试验结果表明:经面向对象方法设计优化,收获机系统的数据冗余度可降低...     

西藏高寒牧区(燕麦、青稞)作物-水模型确定

依据田间试验,以西藏高寒作物燕麦、青稞为对象,对于高寒牧区作物水分生产函数的确定进行了初步研究。结果表明,燕麦水分函数模型为Stewart模型,水分敏感程度顺序为:拔节～抽穗、分蘖～拔节、抽穗～刈割、出苗～分蘖;青稞水分生产函数模型为Jensen模型,水分敏感程度顺序为:分蘖～拔节、拔节～抽穗、抽穗～刈割、出苗～分蘖。为西藏高寒地区制定灌溉制度提供了理论依据。     

A global benchmark map of water productivity for rainfed and irrigated wheat

The growing pressure on fresh water resources demands that agriculture becomes more productive with its current water use. Increasing water productivity is an often cited solution, though the current levels of water productivity are not systematically mapped. A global map of water productivity helps to identify where water resources are productively used, and identifies places where improvements are possible. The WATPRO water productivity model for wheat, using remote sensing data products as input, was applied at a global scale with global data sets of the NDVI and surface albedo to benchmark water productivity of wheat for the beginning of this millennium. Time profiles of the NDVI were used to determine the time frame from crop establishment to harvest on a pixel basis, which was considered the modelling period. It was found that water productivity varies from approximately 0.2 to 1.8 kg of harvestable wheat per cubic metre of water consumed. From the 10 largest producers of wheat, France and Germany score the highest country average water productivity of 1.42 and 1.35 kg m⁻³, respectively. The results were compared with modelling information by Liu et al. (2007) who applied the GEPIC model at a global scale to map water productivity, and by Chapagain and Hoekstra (2004) who used FAO statistics to determine water productivity per country. A comparison with Liu et al. showed a good correlation for most countries, but the correlation with the results by Chapagain and Hoekstra was less obvious. The global patterns of the water productivity map were compared with global data sets of precipitation and reference evapotranspiration to determine the impact of climate and of water availability reflected by precipitation. It appears that the highest levels of water productivity are to be expected in temperate climates with high precipitation. Due to its non-linear relationship with precipitation, it is expected that large gains in water productivity can be made with in situ rain water harvesting or supplemental irrigation in dry areas with low seasonal precipitation. A full understanding of the spatial patterns by country or river basin will support decisions on where to invest and what measures to take to make agriculture more water productive.