Files
Abstract
Abstract
Soil nutrient loss due to soil erosion
and removal in harvest with traditional
farming methods where farmers do not
use any fertilisers threatens the
sustainability of vegetable productions
in the Philippine uplands.
Consequently, poor farmers are losing
incomes due to declining yields. The
situation is reaching crisis point. A
bio-economic analysis is used in this
research to investigate the economic
returns in terms of gross and net
annual income over time for upland
farmers from adopting alternative soil
management options. Cost benefit
analysis is used to compare the net
returns to farmers from potential
management options. A bio-physical
model, SCUAF, is used to simulate the
long-run tomato yields and associated
soil erosion, over a seven-year period,
for different soil management options
which are both income enhancing and
soil nutrient preserving. Data obtained
through experiments and surveys of
upland farmers in Claveria in the
Philippines island of Mindanao, are
used to derive yearly production
budget for tomato farming on one
hectare of land. The analyses reveal
that significantly higher economic
returns are achievable a combination
of organic and inorganic fertiliser
additions. This combination seems to
be most attractive since it leads to
benefits in both yield increase and
reduced soil erosion over time.
Therefore, concentrating further
research on the use of fertiliser
combinations, especially at lower rates
where marginal returns are highest
seems to be an appropriate focus, and
one which is most likely to be adopted
by farmers.