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Soil management: compost production and use in tropical and subtropical environments

FAO Soils Bulletin No. 56










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    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical study
    Organic materials and soil productivity
    FAO Soils Bulletin 35
    1977
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    In the temperate zones of the world a favourable balance exists between input and decomposition of organic materials in the soil. This balance is influenced by climatic conditions and the inorganic constituents of the soil, in which the amount and type of clay minerals play an important role. the plant growth caused by the use of mineral fertilizer increases not only the economically important parts of the plants, but also the growth roots and crop residues. Furthermore, in many farms animal exc reta is used to maintain the level of soil organic matter in arable land.There are some interactions between certain clay minerals and fractions of soil organic matter which act as favourable factors for soil productivity and for plant production.
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    Organic recycling in Africa. Papers presented at the FAO/SIDA Workshop on the Use of Organic Materials as Fertilizers in Africa, Buea, Cameroon, 5-14 December 1977
    FAO Soils Bulletin 43
    1980
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    Policy makers as well as scientists have started to acquire an honest appreciation of the possibilities of reducing the wastage of materials which could be profitably utilized for improving or maintaining soil productivity. In addition, the great opportunities offered by making more efficient use of the potentials of biological nitrogen fixation in farming systems are now fully recognized. A number of recommendations and suggested guidelines were made by the various Working Groups during the t wo-week Workshop. These covered: 1- Cropping systems and crop residue management 2- Biological N-fixation 3- Research, training and extension. A central theme much emphasized at the Workshop was the fact that agricultural policy makers, technicians and scientists need to study more closely the basic practices of the small farmers so that proposal for the introduction of new systems could be easily understood, integrated and accepted by these farmers.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical study
    Application of nitrogen-fixing systems in soil improvement and management
    FAO Soils Bulletin No.49
    1982
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    In view of the continuing increase in cost and scarcity of mineral fertilizers resulting from the use of high-cost fossil energy, there is renewed interest in organic recycling and biological nitrogen-fixation to improve soil fertility and productivity. The workshop in Alexandria recommended the further promotion of research, development, application and dissemination of information available on various aspects of biological nitrogen-fixation, including symbiotic systems of rhizobia/legume and Azolla/blue-green algae, and free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and blue-green algae. It is hoped that the compilation of various aspects of nitrogen-fixation under one cover in this Bulletin will be of interest and assistance to research workers and extension planners concerned with the further development and refinement of these natural systems for soil improvement and management.

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    This thematic study examines prospects for NWFPs to 2020. It develops four scenarios for developments to 2020 reflecting divergent needs of society and the differing roles of various stakeholders and institutions in resource management: (i) a low-income subsistence scenario (Subsistence societies); (ii) a resource decline and substitution scenario (Agrarian societies); (iii) an increased commercialization scenario (Industrial societies); and a revival scenario (Post-industrial societies).
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    2007
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    Behind the new-look Non-Wood News is the usual wealth of information from the world of NWFPs. The Special Features section covers two different aspects of NWFPs: a specific product (bamboo) and a developing market (cosmetics and beauty care). Bamboo is versatile: it can be transformed, for example, into textiles, charcoal, vinegar, green plastic or paper and can also be used as a food source, a deodorant, an innovative building material and to fuel power stations. Reports indicate that natural c osmetics and beauty care are a huge global market, with forecasts indicating an annual growth of 9 percent through 2008. The Special Feature on Forest cosmetics: NWFP use in the beauty industry builds on this and includes information industry interest and marketing strategies (consumers are being drawn to natural products and thus their content is emphasized). As can be seen from the articles on shea butter in Africa and thanakha in Myanmar, many societies have always used and benefited from nat ural cosmetics. This issue includes other examples of traditional knowledge, such as the uses of the secretions of a poisonous tree frog in Brazil and the use by the traditional healers in India of allelopathic knowledge.