Forest farming

Carbon. Most of the Earth s supply of carbon is stored in carbonate rocks in the Hthosphere. Normally the circulation rate for Hthospheric carbon is slow compared with that of carbon between the atmosphere and biosphere. The carbon cycle has received much attention in recent years as a result of research into the possible relation between increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, most of which is produced by combustion of fossil fuel, and the "greenhouse effect," or global warming. Extensive research has been done on the rate at which carbon dioxide might be converted to cellulose and other photosyntheticaHy produced organic compounds by various forms of natural and cultivated plants. Estimates also have been made of the rate at which carbon dioxide is released to soil under optimum conditions by various kinds of plant cover, such as temperature-zone deciduous forests, cultivated farm crops, prairie grassland, and desert vegetation. 

Predation (e.g. by foxes and birds of prey) may also be a serious cause of mortality in free-range husbandry. Foxes can be kept away with a solid fence, which can be supplemented by an electric fence. Birds of prey are not a big problem for poultry houses that are closed at night and free of holes. However, keeping birds of prey such as the hawks away is not easy, especially for farms surrounded by forest or in a landscape with a lot of trees. In such situations, low structures should be provided as hiding places for the hens. 

Biomass is not a renewable resource unless creation of the source equals or exceeds its use. This is true in energy farms and standard crops, particularly forests. 

Overfishing has seen an escalation to the point that many fisheries have been closed because of lack of profit (ludicello 1999). On the other hand, marine ferming causes eutrophication and pollution ofthe waters. In many tropical areas, shrimp farming is also deleterious to the mangrove forest, which has been destroyed to make space for the farms. The size of the problem is made clear by a ban in India and Honduras to shrimp farming along the coasts. 

McConnell, D.J. 1992. The Forest-Garden Farms of Kandy, Sri Lanka. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. 

Anuebunwa, F.O. 2000. A bio-economic on-farm evaluation of the use of sweet potato for complementary weed control in a yam/maize/egusi/cassava intercrop in pigeon pea hedgerows in the rain forest belt of Nigeria. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture 18(2) 95-102. 

Farmers reported that yields following compost application increased up to 4000 kg ha of maize and more importantly, that crops are less prone to damage from dry spells because of higher soil organic matter content. Some farmers even experiment with the combination of compost and fertiliser. They achieve yields of up to 5000 kg ha One particular farmer planted trees around his 8 hectare farm and allowed 2.8 hectares to develop into forest. The leaves of the fence and the... 

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