‘To Adopt or not to Adopt?’ Legume Adoption in Maize‐Based Systems of Northern Thailand: Constraints and Potentials

Abstract

A considerable growth in the maize (Zea mays L.) sector in Southeast Asia has resulted in a rapid expansion and intensification of maize monoculture on sloping uplands. This practice entailed the heavy use of fertilisers, leading to environmental degradation and farmers' indebtedness. Intercropping of legumes with maize could complement or replace fertiliser inputs; however legume adoption by smallholder maize farmers remains low. This study investigates the constraints and potentials to integrate legumes in maize‐based cropping systems in such environments. A comparative study between maize monocropping and maize/legume relay cropping was carried out in two villages of Thailand, using surveys, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools and interviews. The results demonstrated that both cropping systems were equally profitable, although the maize yield in maize/legume relay cropping was lower than that in monocropping. Low selling price was the most cited reason by the non‐adopters for not introducing legumes. Selling price of legume grains, ease of harvesting, marketability and ease of growing were the four main criteria that determined the adopters' choice of legume species. Among the cultivated legumes, ricebean (Vigna umbellata L.) best fulfilled the criteria for the choice of legume species. Establishing maize/legume relay cropping as an alternative to maize monocropping under rainfed conditions can decrease risks, due to reduced expenses for farm inputs and similar economic returns. This study generated useful information for agricultural policy makers and development practitioners in identifying the barriers and facilitating factors that influence farmers' decision to adopt legumes and the conditions that shape the farmers' decision‐making environment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulating Stakeholder-Based Land-Use Change Scenarios and Their Implication on Above-Ground Carbon and Environmental Management in Northern Thailand

“…Firstly, stakeholder-driven LUC patterns will lead to a continuation of land-use intensification that is driven by cash crop production, as also simulated with the CROP-SHIFT storyline. A similar trend was also described by [50], who could show that a continuous expansion of mono-cultural maize cropping leads to soil fertility decline and land degradation in the long run. The trend to expand vegetable production could be attributed to the promise of higher economic returns compared to declining litchi farm gate prices that started in 2006.…”

Barriers to Agro-Ecological Intensification of Smallholder Upland Farming Systems in Lao PDR

“…In response to this (among other things) a series of research and development projects are currently testing and promoting alternative low input cropping systems based on agro-ecological principles in various places in Laos (e.g., Eco-Friendly Intensification and Climate Resilient Agricultural Systems in Lao PDR (EFICAS) and Forestry and Agro-Ecology in Lao Rural Uplands (FORAE)). Integration of legume crops is a central component of many of these low input cropping systems as this can be a strategy to improve soil fertility and enhance overall productivity while reducing dependency on external inputs in intensified systems, due to the ability of legumes to fix Nitrogen (N) from the atmosphere [15,16]. The beneficial effects of legumes on associated crops are well documented [17,18], and studies from Thailand have reported increase in maize yields from maize/legume relay cropping as compared to maize monocropping [19,20].…”

“…The beneficial effects of legumes on associated crops are well documented [17,18], and studies from Thailand have reported increase in maize yields from maize/legume relay cropping as compared to maize monocropping [19,20]. Successful integration of legumes in maize-based cropping systems has been documented in upland areas of Thailand, where especially ricebean (Vigna umbellata L.) has demonstrated potential to be relay cropped into maize-based cropping systems due to its ability to grow in low-fertility upland soils, its suitability for intercropping with maize and marketability [16]. However, even though maize-legume cropping systems appear to have potential for agricultural intensification by input-constrained smallholders in uplands of Southeast Asia, legume adoption by smallholder maize farmers in Laos remains low.…”

“…However, even though maize-legume cropping systems appear to have potential for agricultural intensification by input-constrained smallholders in uplands of Southeast Asia, legume adoption by smallholder maize farmers in Laos remains low. Although a few studies have looked into the challenges of legume adoption in upland agriculture in Southeast Asia [16,19], no studies have focused on ricebean integration in subsistence smallholder systems in Laos.…”

‘Decoupling’ land productivity and greenhouse gas footprints: A review

“…A common approach is to increase inputs to boost productivity of existing farmland (Cui et al, 2013). However, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in high-input systems often reduces the output: input ratio for the farm (Yap, de Neergaard, & Bruun, 2017) and lead to land degradation (Lu, Mao, Gilliam, Luo, & Mo, 2014), not to mention increase greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints (Hayashi, Makino, Shobatake, & Hokazono, 2014) and carry significant risks for eutrophication (Smith, 2012).…”