387-1 The Solar Corridor Opportunity for Smallholder Farmers.

See more from this Division: ASA Section: Agronomic Production Systems
See more from this Session: Science Based Solar Corridor, Economic and Sociological Yield Strategies for Small Holder Farms

Wednesday, November 18, 2015: 1:05 PM
Minneapolis Convention Center, M100 D

Charles LeRoy Deichman, Deichman Consulting, Shelbyville, MO
Abstract:
Throughout my lifetime, the successful ag  practices I'm most familiar with, have been made by fewer and fewer farmers, farming more and more land using more and more off farm capital intensive crop inputs. To the extent that this model is perpetuated; the more pressure it puts on smallholder farmers to either get bigger or get out.  
The Solar Corridor Crop System (SCCS) was developed to increase sustainable productivity by making  more effective capture of the incident sunlight, other atmospheric and human sourced resources your farm has access to [while simultaneously making more efficient use of supporting crop production inputs] without increasing farm size; regardless of its size. 

For practical, indeed, sustainability of the farm; the smaller the farm the more intensive its (SCCS) application needs to be. 
For example, the target crop could be rotated with more radishes, onions, pumpkins and other strategically chosen synergistic compatible 'floor crop' cultivars on the smallest farms with corn being rotated with strategically chosen cover crops on the largest farms, to most appropriately fit the multi-factor specifics.
If the main crop is corn, for example, we can double production per linear unit of row!
Soybeans and Stubble clover, have demonstrated observably phenomenal yield increases, while our hypothesis suggests that most cultivars would benefit from the light enriched production environment provided the main crop in any well designed SCCS.
It is, however, the crop on the SCCS 'floor' crop that maximizes SCCS performance.
Depending on the priorities chosen, 'floor' crops can provide additional revenue &/or carbon sequestration, numerous soil quality enhancements,  even predator insect 'nurseries' to target crop insect pests.
This paper will provide validating performance data and operating details on how above can be preferentially accomplished on smallholder farms.
Developmental Research priorities will be identified and proven testing protocols will be offered that call for synergistic collaboration.

See more from this Division: ASA Section: Agronomic Production Systems
See more from this Session: Science Based Solar Corridor, Economic and Sociological Yield Strategies for Small Holder Farms

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