Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico
Mixed crop-livestock farming systems prevail in Mexico - typically rain-fed and smallholder systems based on maize and ruminants and spanning diverse agro-ecologies. Maize grain is the key Mexican staple produced for home consumption and the market. Maize crop residues (stover) are an important by-product, primarily for feed use, often through in situ stubble grazing and/or as ex situ forage. This paper explores maize stover use along the agro-ecological gradient and the potential trade-offs, particularly the widespread use of maize stover as feed against its potential use as mulch (soil cover) to manage soil health within the context of conservation agriculture. The paper builds on three case study areas in Mexico in contrasting agro-ecologies: (semi-)arid, temperate highland and tropical sub-humid. Data were obtained through expert consultation and semi-structured farmer group/community surveys. Although in situ grazing is found in all three study sites, it represented the bulk of stover use in only one site (70% of stover in the sub-humid tropics), with ex situ feed dominating in the other two sites (>80%). Maize stover commercialization is limited and mainly restricted to households with no livestock and often within the local context. Farmers are generally hesitant to adopt conservation agricultural practices that require the retention of stover as mulch, as this competes with their livestock feed needs and purchased feed is expensive. To reduce trade-offs, a portfolio of options could be adapted to these mixed systems, including partial residue retention, cover and feed crops and sustainable intensification. Promising but yet to be explored, are investments in the genetic improvement of maize stover feed quality.
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Elsevier
2013
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Subjects: | AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, Crop–Livestock Farming Systems, Smallholder Farmers, MAIZE, CROPS, CULTIVATION, LIVESTOCK, FARMING SYSTEMS, SMALLHOLDERS, |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10883/3350 |
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dig-cimmyt-10883-33502023-02-16T21:08:38Z Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico Hellin, J.J. Erenstein, O. Beuchelt, T.D. Camacho Villa, T.C. Flores, D. AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Crop–Livestock Farming Systems Smallholder Farmers MAIZE CROPS CULTIVATION LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS SMALLHOLDERS Mixed crop-livestock farming systems prevail in Mexico - typically rain-fed and smallholder systems based on maize and ruminants and spanning diverse agro-ecologies. Maize grain is the key Mexican staple produced for home consumption and the market. Maize crop residues (stover) are an important by-product, primarily for feed use, often through in situ stubble grazing and/or as ex situ forage. This paper explores maize stover use along the agro-ecological gradient and the potential trade-offs, particularly the widespread use of maize stover as feed against its potential use as mulch (soil cover) to manage soil health within the context of conservation agriculture. The paper builds on three case study areas in Mexico in contrasting agro-ecologies: (semi-)arid, temperate highland and tropical sub-humid. Data were obtained through expert consultation and semi-structured farmer group/community surveys. Although in situ grazing is found in all three study sites, it represented the bulk of stover use in only one site (70% of stover in the sub-humid tropics), with ex situ feed dominating in the other two sites (>80%). Maize stover commercialization is limited and mainly restricted to households with no livestock and often within the local context. Farmers are generally hesitant to adopt conservation agricultural practices that require the retention of stover as mulch, as this competes with their livestock feed needs and purchased feed is expensive. To reduce trade-offs, a portfolio of options could be adapted to these mixed systems, including partial residue retention, cover and feed crops and sustainable intensification. Promising but yet to be explored, are investments in the genetic improvement of maize stover feed quality. 12-21 pages 2013-12-09T20:40:00Z 2013-12-09T20:40:00Z 2013 Article 0378-4290 http://hdl.handle.net/10883/3350 10.1016/j.fcr.2013.05.014 English CIMMYT manages Intellectual Assets as International Public Goods. The user is free to download, print, store and share this work. In case you want to translate or create any other derivative work and share or distribute such translation/derivative work, please contact CIMMYT-Knowledge-Center@cgiar.org indicating the work you want to use and the kind of use you intend; CIMMYT will contact you with the suitable license for that purpose. Open Access PDF MEXICO Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429013001962 153 Field Crops Research |
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México |
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AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Crop–Livestock Farming Systems Smallholder Farmers MAIZE CROPS CULTIVATION LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS SMALLHOLDERS AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Crop–Livestock Farming Systems Smallholder Farmers MAIZE CROPS CULTIVATION LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS SMALLHOLDERS |
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AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Crop–Livestock Farming Systems Smallholder Farmers MAIZE CROPS CULTIVATION LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS SMALLHOLDERS AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Crop–Livestock Farming Systems Smallholder Farmers MAIZE CROPS CULTIVATION LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS SMALLHOLDERS Hellin, J.J. Erenstein, O. Beuchelt, T.D. Camacho Villa, T.C. Flores, D. Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico |
description |
Mixed crop-livestock farming systems prevail in Mexico - typically rain-fed and smallholder systems based on maize and ruminants and spanning diverse agro-ecologies. Maize grain is the key Mexican staple produced for home consumption and the market. Maize crop residues (stover) are an important by-product, primarily for feed use, often through in situ stubble grazing and/or as ex situ forage. This paper explores maize stover use along the agro-ecological gradient and the potential trade-offs, particularly the widespread use of maize stover as feed against its potential use as mulch (soil cover) to manage soil health within the context of conservation agriculture. The paper builds on three case study areas in Mexico in contrasting agro-ecologies: (semi-)arid, temperate highland and tropical sub-humid. Data were obtained through expert consultation and semi-structured farmer group/community surveys. Although in situ grazing is found in all three study sites, it represented the bulk of stover use in only one site (70% of stover in the sub-humid tropics), with ex situ feed dominating in the other two sites (>80%). Maize stover commercialization is limited and mainly restricted to households with no livestock and often within the local context. Farmers are generally hesitant to adopt conservation agricultural practices that require the retention of stover as mulch, as this competes with their livestock feed needs and purchased feed is expensive. To reduce trade-offs, a portfolio of options could be adapted to these mixed systems, including partial residue retention, cover and feed crops and sustainable intensification. Promising but yet to be explored, are investments in the genetic improvement of maize stover feed quality. |
format |
Article |
topic_facet |
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Crop–Livestock Farming Systems Smallholder Farmers MAIZE CROPS CULTIVATION LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS SMALLHOLDERS |
author |
Hellin, J.J. Erenstein, O. Beuchelt, T.D. Camacho Villa, T.C. Flores, D. |
author_facet |
Hellin, J.J. Erenstein, O. Beuchelt, T.D. Camacho Villa, T.C. Flores, D. |
author_sort |
Hellin, J.J. |
title |
Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico |
title_short |
Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico |
title_full |
Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico |
title_fullStr |
Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico |
title_full_unstemmed |
Maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in Mexico |
title_sort |
maize stover use and sustainable crop production in mixed crop-livestock systems in mexico |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10883/3350 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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1762944408256249856 |