Research / Divisions / Division 5 - Production Systems and the Environment
Leader: Roberto Quiroz
Principal activities
Characterizing the sustainability of targeted agro-ecosystems
Examining external disturbances of targeted agro-ecosystems
Designing and validating resilient agro-ecosystems
The Natural Resources Management Division conducts research to improve our understanding of the targeted production systems (e.g. potato, sweetpotato) within the complex agro-ecosystems in which they are embedded (e.g. potatoes in highland production systems), and develop strategies and tactics for intervening in these complex systems that will enhance impact.
Highlights
The current challenge faced by the NRM division is how to best facilitate the conversion of targeted potato- and sweetpotato-based systems into resilient agro-ecosystems i.e. systems with the capacity to absorb shocks and adapt to change while maintaining their function.
To contribute to improved targeting of priority systems, the Division developed a methodology to conduct environmental vulnerability analysis in potato-based systems. This analysis is based on climate variability as the stress factor and measures the magnitude by which it affects the potato producing areas using diverse technological scenarios. Potato-based systems in Uganda served as the first case study; secondary data was utilized to model how the system—under different management/technology options—responds to climate variability in terms of potato yield, yield variability, soil erosion, water runoff, and nitrate and pesticide leaching.
Methods to incorporate climate forecasts into farmers’ decision-making process were also developed. Numeric forecasts produced by specialized institutions were incorporated into crop simulation models to forecast high-resolution expected yields under different planting dates and management options. Forecast maps (for the most important crops found in potato-based systems in northern Peru) were accepted by farmers as an additional tool in their meeting to discuss land use decisions for the 2004 cropping season.
Improving fallow land in potato-based systems by including fodder legumes in the crop rotation pattern increased potato yield by above 40% and substantially increased fodder availability and quality.
A new method to quantify leaf area index and ground cover for potato and sweetpotato was developed. These key dynamic attributes, critical in modeling crop responses, can now be easily quantified using ground-based remote sensing devices. A method to derive rainfall data for data-scarce environments using remotely sensed imageries was also developed.
