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Improving smallholder farming systems in Imperata areas of Southeast Asia - A bioeconomic modelling approach
Project ID
ANRE2/1994/009
Commissioned Organisation
Australian National University, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australia
Project Leader
Professor Henry Nix
Phone:
02 6125 4588
Fax:
02 6125 0757
Project Budget
$698,225.00
Start Date
01/01/1995
Finish Date
31/12/1997
Extension Start Date
01/01/1998
Extension Finish Date
31/12/1998
ACIAR Research Program Manager
Dr Ken Menz
Related publications
Overview Objectives
This project aimed to aggregate existing and new socioeconomic and technological information relating to Indonesia's Imperata grasslands and use the information to develop computer models that link all significant variables.
Project Background and Objectives
An estimated 20 million hectares of upland areas in Indonesia and the Philippines are infested with Imperata cylindrica. The weed reduces crop yields by up to 90% and cattle numbers fall below one animal for every three hectares. Imperata grows in areas cleared of forest, and also sprouts rapidly after fire. Fire prevention may allow shrub species to invade the Imperata grassland, shading the weed and changing grassland back to secondary forest. The biology and methods of control by shading, mechanical means and herbicides are understood, but much work remains in order to determine the most cost-effective means of control for small-scale farmers with limited resources.
Around 40 million people in upland regions infested with Imperata. These areas have growing populations and are occupied or utilised by communities with very low incomes. Such factors place these regions under intense pressure to increase productivity and to remain sustainable.
Project Outcomes
Project reviewers concluded that the project had successfully met its objectives and was 'impressively productive' in terms of publications. The project established exceptionally good working relations and cooperation within and between the research teams.
The reviewers' main recommendations were:
encourage more comprehensive and systematic modelling experiments (sensitivity analysis) and the inclusion of the results in monographs;
explore ways of increasing the value of project outputs and broadening the accessibility of the modelling papers by encouraging the project team to produce documents of a less formal/scientific style;
explore the possibility of establishing, for all ACIAR projects, Research Advisory Groups of local experts and policy people in partner countries. Such a group was very effective in guiding the local researchers, and two of its members eventually joined the project at no extra cost.
Many published works emanated from the project. Three ACIAR publications resulted: Monograph 52, titled 'Improving Smallholder Farming Systems in Imperata Areas of southeast Asia: Alternatives to Shifting Cultivation', Technical Report 41, 'SCUAF Version 4: Model to Estimate Soil Changes Under Agriculture, Agroforestry and Forestry', and Technical Report 42, 'Modified BEAM Rubber Agroforestry Models: RRYIELD and RRECON'. As well there were about 40 papers published in the Imperata Project Paper series.
Location
There are no project locations defined for this project.
