TITLE:
To Uplift the Profitability of Marginal Lands by Cassava Cultivation
AUTHORS:
Zusheng Wei, Jianqi Huang, Xiujuan Yang, Haitian Fu
KEYWORDS:
Marginal Land, Economic Profits, Ecological Benefits, Planting, Cassava
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.15 No.11,
November
4,
2024
ABSTRACT: Expanding the utilization of marginal land resources in rural areas is regarded as a significant supplement for the sustainable development of modern agriculture for its yield, economic and ecological good. Marginal areas, due to their natural limitations, are only productive for energy crops with strong resistance and tolerance. Cassava, in its longstanding cultivation practices, has marked its adaptability in tropical and subtropical regions. Farmers are allowed to improve reclaimed soils’ fertility, while plants’ canopy coverage could reduce soil erosion. Besides, cassava tubers to be produced as food or fodder can be counted as soil productivity. Breeding advanced cassava varieties on marginal land under proper intensification management and facilitating policies can indeed increase farmers’ income. Some of the projects implemented outside of China speak quite well on that. Additionally, intercropping modes for cassava bring higher incomes than monocropping mode, which simultaneously improves the ecosystem structure and soil conditions. The interspecific cooperation brought by the intercropping pattern has its buffering function and antagonistic effects to counter against plant diseases, pest attacks and weed infestations. It performs as a natural alternative for pesticides and fertilizers with minimal inputs and safe and productive outputs. Although a complete cassava industrial chain has been formed nationwide, there are still challenges like the inadequate use of marginal areas and risks triggered by unfavorable climate, changeable commodity markets, and the composition of the labor force. However, there will still be ample room for further growth of cassava, for recent years have witnessed the acceleration in the circulation of rural land management rights and the stratification of Chinese farmers, which gives an impetus to household management’s dominance as well as the improvements of rural social welfare systems for the overall agricultural efficiency.