Transitioning to organic farming systems can provide many benefits for local farmers and communities including greater profits, better tolerance against environmental extremes like drought, and products that are often more nutritious. Making the transition, however, is not an easy process. Organic farming is not the same as eliminating chemical inputs and going back to traditional farming practices. Instead, organic farming combines traditional knowledge with the latest scientific insights to create farms that can best leverage local ecological resources to optimize the health and productivity of crop plants. Healthy, biologically-active soils provide the foundation organic farming systems. The organisms that live in soils play critical roles in ensuring that farm soils retain water, release nutrients for plant uptake, and help plants fight diseases and insect pests. Consequently, to make the transition to an organic farming system, farmers must start by building the health of their soils.
To assist with this process, The Nexus Organic Farming Systems (OFS) team initiated a series on on-farm research trials on five farms within the Colca River Valley last October. Some are being conducted in open-fields and others in fitotoldos, which can allow local farmers to extend their growing season and produce warm season crops like tomato. The research team is working closely with the participating farmers in these trials to identify soil amendments that can best improve important soil properties, lead to balanced nutrient profiles in soil, prevent the uptake of toxic heavy metals that may be present due to local mining operations, and help crops fight devastating diseases like ‘chocolate spot’ (mancha chocolate).
UNSA students, Nayeli Cinthia Bautista Yuca, Lizeth Azucena Orccon Nahuinlla, Jamil Harol Taco Riveros and others have been visiting the plots regularly to apply treatments, collect samples, and gain insights from the participating farmers about the different treatments under investigation. Soil, plant and microbial samples collected from the trials were sent to Purdue University in the U.S., where students are using advanced scientific tools to quantify the impacts of the different treatments on soil and plant health. Results of these trials will be used to develop training programs that can help Colca Valley Farmers successfully transition to and sustain healthy and productive organic farming systems.
Source : purdue.edu