Nutrient flows and balances at the field and farm scale: Exploring effects of land-use strategies and access to resources |
| |
Authors: | Amare Haileslassie Joerg A Priess Edzo Veldkamp Jan Peter Lesschen |
| |
Institution: | 1. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia;2. Institute of Soil Science and Forest Nutrition, University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany;3. Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, Kurt-Wolters-Str.3, D-34109 Kassel, Germany;4. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht, 166 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| |
Abstract: | Nutrient flux and balance studies are valuable tools to assess the sustainability of agro-ecosystems and potential consequences for agricultural productivity. This paper presents results from a study at the field/farm scale representing mixed farming systems typical for the East African Highlands. We selected catchments in the Dega (cool highlands and Woina Dega (warm-to-cool mid-highlands) of the Central Highlands of Ethiopia, to get more insight on how individual land use strategies and access to resources affect the magnitude of nutrient flows and resulting balances and to explore some of reasons of the variability within and between farming systems at different altitudes. Our results show that environmental condition, farming system (e.g. choice of crop), access to resources (e.g. land, livestock and fertilizer) and smallholders’ source of off farm income influence the magnitude of nutrient fluxes and the degree to which nutrient fluxes may be imbalanced. |
| |
Keywords: | East Africa Ethiopia Highland agriculture Soil fertility Spatial scales Socio-economic and environmental factors |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|