Crop Rotation
Basics
Crop rotation is the planting of different crops on the same plot of land from season to season. Framers do this for a variety of reasons as discussed below and it provides many environmental as well as economic benefits.
How Do Farmers Rotate?
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Every farmer has his/her own methods of rotating crops--it depends mostly on how well the previous crop did
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The most common way of rotating crops is by family​
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El Tigre used a doctor diagnosing patients analogy to describe strategies behind crop rotation. The needs of each farm vary, but individual farmers also respond to external factors.
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This also allows them to have more autonomy in their land use/crop choice. We also saw women and indigenous groups gain ag/econ power through organizations like APPTA.
Environmental Benefits
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- Crop rotation ensures that one pest won’t wipe out everything and that nutrients in the soil won’t be depleted. Ex: potatoes/beets & cherry tomatoes & cauliflower
- Swedish study looks at how crop rotations are designed (i.e. cereal crops and clover) and provide evidence for the aforementioned benefits.
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Crop rotation helps farmers adapt to problems caused by climate change.
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Studies show that rotating (selected) crops can reduce GHG emissions, stabilize yields, increase soil carbon sequestration, and maintain adequate nutrient levels in the soil.
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“Triple-win strategy” in Ukraine- allow farmers to “mitigate and adapt to climate change, while also improving soil health, thereby increasing yields.” Possible barriers (not always mentioned by farmers in Costa Rica) include the availability of natural resources, political problems, financial insecurity.
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A good example is El Tigre planting cilantro because it needs less water (longer dry season/short water supply).
Economic Benefits
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Crop rotation, as seen on Rinconcito and Zarcero, decreases financial risk because farmers have diversified what they grow. So, if one crop fails, they have others available to sell.
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Study on corn/soybean rotation in Iowa showed that “growing only one crop over the entire planning horizon, as employed in industrial agriculture, leads to a considerable profit loss [and] crop planning based on principles of sustainable agriculture has substantial value.”
