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15. Unraveling Mysteries of Quesungal System

Full Title:

Quesungual Slash-and-Mulch Agroforestry System (QSMAS): Improving Crop Water Productivity, Food Security and Resource Quality in the Subhumid Tropics

Website:

http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/theme1/PN15.htm

Latest publication:

Award winning poster [1Mb]: 'Improving the efficiency of rain water use on hillsides in the sub-humid tropics: agricultural & environmental benefits of Quesungual system', authored by A. Castro, M. Rivera, O. Ferreira, J. Pavon, E. García, E. Amézquita, M. Ayarza, E. Barrios, M. Rondon, N. Pauli, M. E. Baltodano, B. Mendoza, L. A. Welchez, N. Johnson, J. Rubiano, S. Cook and I. M. Rao.

Download project proposal [PDF 220Kb]

The Quesungual Slash-and-Mulch Agroforestry System (QSMAS) has contributed to a successful development strategy in improving rural livelihoods in the Lempira Department, Honduras. This alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture strongly builds on local knowledge and has been a major production system to achieve food security by resource-poor farmers. The widespread adoption of the QSMAS by more than 6,000 farmer households has been driven by a twofold increase in crop yields and cattle stocking rates and significant reduction in costs associated with agrochemicals and labor. Farmers recognize that a remarkable feature of the QSMAS is the increased soil water-holding capacity and extended time of soil water availability thus preventing crop failures. Besides making a substantial contribution to food security, QSMAS has shown a remarkable degree of resilience to extreme water deficits and also to excess water during natural catastrophes. Farmers practicing this system reported less soil, water and crop losses as a consequence of the El Niño drought in 1997 and Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

The main goal of the project is to use QSMAS to improve livelihoods of the rural poor through increased water resources and food security in subhumid hillside areas, while maintaining the soil and plant genetic resources for future generations. The main objective is to determine the key principles behind the social acceptance and biophysical resilience of QSMAS by defining the role of the management components of the system and QSMAS’ capacity to sustain crop production and alleviate water deficits on steeper slopes with high risk of soil erosion.

The specific objectives are:

1.To assess the socioeconomic and biophysical context of QSMAS and to systematize information into a database.
2. To define QSMAS management concepts and principles and to develop relevant tools to monitor soil and water quality.
3. To evaluate and document potential areas suitable for QSMAS.
4. To develop tools for dissemination, adaptation and promotion of the QSMAS management strategies.

Understanding the socioeconomic and biophysical processes that drive the adoption and successful performance of the QSMAS in subhumid areas in the tropics is of critical importance to be able to derive principles that can be extrapolated to similar environments elsewhere. Research activities are needed to link climate and water productivity and to evaluate the impact of the QSMAS on soil physical, chemical and biological processes and environmental services (e.g., water availability). It is also important to determine the socioeconomic driving forces affecting adoption and farmer decision making in QSMAS. This knowledge will contribute to further extrapolation of QSMAS to other subhumid tropical regions in Latin America and Africa.

Capacity building through graduate and undergraduate student theses and NARES researchers will facilitate the promotion of principles and concepts of QSMAS in other subhumid regions of Latin America. The diversity of collaborating partners including local water committees, the Integrated Soil Management (MIS) Consortium in Central America, CIPASLA consortium in Colombia, national universities, Berlin University of Technology in Germany (ARI), the African Soil Fertility Network (AfNet), FAO and CIAT shows great potential for institutional complementarities and synergies to produce research outputs and disseminate research products to achieve developmental impacts.