Alternative Agriculture for a Sustainable Rehabilitation of Deteriorated Volcanic Soils in Mexico and Chile

Volcanic soils make up about 25 % of the area of the Andean countries in South and Central Amer-ica and in Mexico. These are fertile soils because of its parent material, but inadequate culture prac-tises caused severe erosion and the yields de-creased dramatically. Many of these soils show hardened horizons on the surface due to se-vere erosion (cangahuas, tepetates, trumaos, etc). There is a direct link between soil degradation and rural poverty in these areas.

Objectives

a) develop a set of measures of traditional prac-tices, organic agriculture, and agroforestry to achieve a sustainable soil management in agri-culture and reforesta-tion and to prevent the erosion of non deteriorated volcanic soils.

b) disseminate the results of REVOLSO interna-tionally through publications and an Interna-tional Symposium on sustainable reclamation of degraded volcanic soils in Latin America.

c) disseminate the results to producers, asso-ciations, governmental and non governmental institutions in Mexico and Chile and in other Andean countries of Latin America in order to prevent soil erosion.

d) investigate and adjust the evolution of the cultivation techniques and the changes of the living of the small holders for sustainability and follow up the accep-tance of these measures by the local population. The role of the rural women popula-tion is more and more important in the regions affected by soil ero-sion.

Research hypothesis and actual work

The prosperity of disadvantaged rural regions depends on the integrity and quality of their natural resources (soils, forestry) and their management practices. In a number of rural regions in Mexico and Chile, marginal rural communities are living in moun-tain areas with deteriorated volcanic soils as a consequence of high population pres-sure. Subsistence agriculture, small scale production, scarcity of agricultural land, destruction of the environment by deforestation causing soil erosion, and migration to the cities are the reasons of rural poverty.

The main targets of the REVOLSO project include the improvement of the quality of life of the small holders as well as the rehabilitation and manage-ment of the degraded environment of the rural areas. The rehabilitation of the environment will be done through sustainable agriculture and agrofor-estry keeping in mind the real necessities of the campesinos. REVOLSO is involving the campesi-nos in the research on specific scientific and tech-nological problems to find the best practice for a sustainable agri-culture technology. The dissemina-tion of the results among the rural communities and the follow up of implementation and the ac-ceptance of the new technology package is an im-portant target to achieve sustainable social and economical devel-opment of these communities.

Work Packages (WPs)

In order to meet objectives and targets the REVOLSO-team is working together in work packages:

WP1 = Agricultural Practices: in this WP the insti-tutions JLU (co-ord.), UAT, UACH, IRD, CENAPROS and UDEC are comparing different cultivation techniques on experi-mental sites with reclaimed volcanic soils as real on-farm research, because the sites belong to small holders.

WP2 = Agroforestry: the institutions UDEC (co-ord.), JLU, UAT and UACH identified en-demic tree and hedge species for integration as useful elements on reclaimed vol-canic soils.

WP3 = Soil Fertility and Ecology: CPM, Mexico (co-ord.) and CSIC, Spain formed a joint team on the research of the impact of the activities of WP1 and 2 on the nutrient cy-cles (N,C.P), the nutrient availability, the biological fertility parameters and biomass.

WP4 = Erosivity and Erodibility: IRD (co-ord.) and CENAPROS formed a joint team in the Mexi-can State of Michoacan, JLU and UAT in the Mexican State of Tlaxcala and CIRAA, Italy, is working together with UDEC in Chile on this Work Package. WP4 is following up the effects of cultivation practices and forestry on the stability of the soil structure. Parameters like climate, soil aggregate stability, water conductivity, run-off, soil loss, crust forming, etc., help to evaluate erosivity and erodibility of deteriorated and reclaimed vol-canic soils.

WP5 = Social and Economical Aspects, including Gender Studies: UACH and CPM in Mexico are forming a team of this important WP. UACH as well is working partly with WP1 and WP2 but her main target in REVOLSO is the evaluation of the socio- eco-nomical situation of the small holders and their communities before and during the im-plementation of the new agricultural technology package. CPM “Gender Studies” is engaged in the participation of the small holders, particularly to the women and young people of the communities in this implementation and the changes of their income and employment are followed up to access their acceptance. WP1, 2,3 and 4 are linked with WP5 during all the REVOLSO life cycle.

Impact of REVOLSO

1.The Organisation Committee of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science 2006 (18th WCSS) in Philadelphia, USA, decided to affiliate the 4th International Symposium on Deteriorated Volcanic Soils (ISVO’06) which will be organised by the REVOLSO consor-tium on July, 1-7, 2006, in Morelia and Tlaxcala in Mexico to the 18th WCSS (http://www.isvo06.org). The REVOLSO consortium is proud of the international rec-ognition of the project’s impact by the Inter-national Union of Soil Science (IUSS).

2. All the members of the REVOLSO consortium are obliged in dissemination of their research results not only in scientific communications but especially in training of junior scientists and transmitting their results to the small holders and organise train-ing meetings in the communities and the fields. All members of the different WPs have been involved in these activities, especially the colleagues of WP5 (Social and Economical Aspects and Gender Studies) organised numerous meetings with small holders directly in the communities.

3. Thanks to the impact of REVOLSO on the campesino living conditions the Govern-ment of the State of Tlaxcala, Mexico, decided to support the project in order to bun-dle existing strengths and knowledge to benefit the small holders.

Team

The REVOLSO consortium consists of five scientific institutions of Mexico and Chile and of four institutions of Europe:

1. Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen (JLU), Germany (Co-ordination)

2. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), France

3. Colegio de Postgraduados (CPM), Montecillo, Mexico

4. Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo, Chapingo (UACH), Mexico

5. Universidad de Concepción, Campus Chillán (UDEC), Chile

6. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Salamanca, Spain

7. Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala (UAT), Tlaxcala, Mexico

8. Centro Nacional para Producción Sostenible (CENAPROS), Morelia, Mexico

9. Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerche Agroambientali (CIRAA), Universidad de Pisa, Italy.