Case Study: From Slash and Burn to ‘Slash and Mulch’
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Dated: June 2015
Author: Georges Félix
A case study adapted from an article published by ILEIA in Farming Matters magazine, www.farmingmatters.org. By Georges Félix, published by the Alliance for Food Safety in Africa (AFSA), supported by Agro Ecology Fund.
Summary:
In the semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This has led to the depletion of soil organic matter, severely threatening soil fertility and damaging soil structure. In the worst cases, crops hardly yield anything anymore. But this is not an option for family farmers. In Burkina Faso, some have found ways to restore their soils by reviving a traditional system dubbed ‘slash and mulch’. The improvement and spread of ‘slash and mulch’ techniques through farmer-agronomist collaboration underscores the importance of partnerships between farmers and researchers in developing locally suited practices.
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resources from the now defunct CCRP Sphaera platform, and is still
awaiting a comprehensive review and quality check.
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Slash-and-Burn-to-Slash-and-Mulch-Burkina-Faso.pdf
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