Planned crop rotation and intercropping systems

Traditional farmers fulfil some principles of organic farming already by relying on farm own resources, growing different crops simultaneously and raising livestock. However, there are still practices, which clearly distinguish such farms from organic farms.

The following challenges need to be addressed for conversion:

• Avoid burning of crop residues after harvest as this is, in most cases, not a viable solution, since it destroys valuable organic material and damages soil organisms.
• Establish a well organised diversification systems including a ‘planned’ crop rotation and intercropping systems.
• Accumulate knowledge and practice regarding efficient use of farm own resources, especially for compost production to manage and improve soil fertility.
• Avoid indiscriminate tree cutting for firewood and charcoal burning.
• Establish a system to collect the animal manure for composting.
• Apply measures to prevent loss of soil through erosion and protect it from drying out.
• Pay special attention to satisfy feed and health requirements of the farm animals.
• Avoid infection of seeds with diseases, gain knowledge on disease cycles and preventive measures.
• Avoid harvest and storage losses.

Some practices for conversion in this system are:

• Implement planned crop rotation and intercropping systems. A combination of annual and perennial crops including leguminous green manure cover crops is needed. Combined with properly selected or improved crop varieties with good resistance to plant pests and diseases, will facilitate the crop and soil management.
• Proper integration of animals into the farming system, as well as planting rows of nitrogen fixing trees between annual crops will improve the growing conditions for the crops and encourage better growth, while providing additional feed for the ruminant animals. Better housing is also needed to facilitate collection of animal manure for field use.
• Improving the fertility of the soils, for example, through the application of high quality compost. Compost is a highly valuable fertilizer in organic farming. Instead of burning the crop residues after harvest, collect them for compost production, or work them into the soil. The animal manures and plant materials should be regularly collected for compost making.
• Growing nitrogen fixing legumes between annual crops is another possibility to feed the soil and the crops.
• Additional measures to control soil erosion such as digging trenches and planting trees along the hillside, and covering the soil with living or dead plant material should be implemented.

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