Cover crops in smallholder agriculture : Lessons from Latin America

Cover crops have the potential to be an important component in complex, diverse, risk-prone and resource-poor farming situations. Lessons learned in Latin America about the use and dissemination of these crops in different agroecosystems deserve to be made widely available to those involved in rural development projects and applied research in English-speaking as well as Spanish-speaking regions. Cover Crops in Smallholder Agriculture features selected case studies from four different countries in Latin America which address key issues regarding cover crop integration in smallholder agriculture systems. A wide range of agroecosystems is covered, enabling the information to be adapted for use in other regions. Each chapter addresses a different theme, including: the use of cover crops in annual and perennial cropping systems; the value of cover crops as food, feed and forage; land husbandry with cover crops; farmer experimentation and diffusion of cover crop innovations; and research strategies for cover crop innovations. Clearly, the different facets of cover crops cannot be treated separately from each other. The book discusses the crosscutting nature of the various aspects of cover crops and concludes with discussion of future strategies regarding cover crop integration into smallholder agriculture systems. (Résumé d'auteur