Management of Sloping Lands for Sustainable Agriculture in Sichuan
IPNI-1997-CHN-SC22
28 May 2001
1998 Annual Interpretive Summary
Management of sloping lands for sustainable agriculture in Sichuan province, 1998
Alley cropping is a new and effective conservation system in southern China, wherein hedgerow crops are planted across sloping lands in order to prevent soil loss due to erosion. Alley cropping without potassium (K) fertilizer was compared to the traditional practice of no alley cropping without K. All treatments had nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) applied at 207-120, 65-65, and 150-75 kg N-P2O5/ha in corn, sweet potato, and wheat, respectively. Results in 1998 found 44 percent less in Janyang and 82 percent less soil erosion in Ziyang when alley cropping was used. Soil loss was reduced by an additional 1 percent at Janyang and 4 percent at Ziyang when alley cropping was combined with respective K applications of 150, 65, and 120 kg K2O/ha for corn, sweet potato, and wheat. This integrated soil conservation technique increased yields of corn, sweet potato, and wheat-barley by 21, 31, and 96 percent, respectively. Net profits at Janyang averaged US$139/ha and at Ziyang reduced US$55.9/ha due to the extra investment in alley crop establishment in the first year. Any technology that reduces erosion and concomitantly water and nutrient loss will help the farmer's long-term income potential and will increase use of inputs. Farmer's acceptance of this technology in Janyang resulted in 22 neighboring farmers adopting these practices after just one year. There are about 3 million ha in Sichuan and neighboring Chongqing where this technology can be applied. SICHUAN-12A