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Effects of Compost - Response (fwd)
Forwarded message:
> To: sustag-public@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
> Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 20:16:23 -0800 (PST)
> From: Elisheva Kaufman <elisheva@igc.apc.org>
> Subject: Effects of Compost - Response
>
> To: Patrick Maddens
> World Sustainable Agriculture Association
>
> From Elisheva Kaufman
> Project Coordinator;
> Ecological Soil Management Collaborative
> <elisheva@igc.apc.org>
>
> Patrick,
> There is great interest in this area internationally as well.
> As coordinator of the Ecological Soil Management Collaborative,
> a proposed project involving US, Palestinian and Israeli
> collaboration for sustainable agriculture, we will research disease
> suppression through compost, and integrated soil fertility strategies
> appropriate for dryland conditions with developing country constraints.
> under the leadership of Dr. Will Brinton, of Woods End, and
> Dr. Fred Magdoff of the University of Vermont (pending funding).
>
> Our goal is to restore degraded soils and promote sustainable ag
> through ecological soil managment practices. Traditional, small
> farmers need low-tech, effective methods to generate their own on-farm
> compost high in disease suppressivecapacity and the soil biodiversity
> that promotes natural bio-controls. Thus the costly, high intensity
> management and heavy expensive machinery of the Lubke approach is not
> helpful. The small American farmer operates with similar constraints.
>
> After much investigation, we found that Woods End could provide us
> with exemplary compost quality evaluation and standards, a compost
> management approach adapted to the economic limits and appropriate
> technology-needs of a developing country, and muncipal and on-farm
> implementation skills to train the local people for self-suficiency
> and sustainability.
>
> We would be most interested in networking with other dryland region
> researchers, and indigenous peoples, on composting methods for disease
> suppression, and related soil life/biodiversity/fertility concerns.
>
> What other compost researchers are looking are the relationship between
> compost managment intensity and disease suppression; in terms of
> compost temperature, the nature of the microbial and fungal growth and
> recipes. It would seem that the closer we recreate the natural humus
> forming conditions of the forest floor, the low temperature and slow
> activity over time, the greater the biodiversity potential. Any thoughts
> on this?
>
> Good Wishes in Your Work,
>
> Elisheva Kaufman
> <elisheva@igc.apc.org>
>
> PS: I have faxed this conversation to Prof. Said Assaf, the director of
> the Palestinian National Agricultural Reseach Center,
> since he is not yet on-line, and emailed it to Dr. Michael Raviv, of
> the Israeli Ministry of Ag. Following is Dr. Ravivs response:
>
> Michael Raviv;
> Thanks for the interesting discussion on compost effects.
> Right now I'm cooperating with a plant pathologist from another
> research center - in the Negev, on similar problems: they have severe problem
> of Alternaria on potato. I prepared for her several composts with defined
> properties and prepared extracts (what you call tea) from them. We
> conducted a through chemical analysis (biological one will be done later on)
> and now we can start linking between compost properties and effectiveness
> against this disease. results of sterilized teas are good but not impressive,
> suggesting a role also for microorganisms prevailing in the teas.
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From: Marc Hoshovsky <mch@gishost.dfg.ca.gov>
Subject: Ecosystem Management
Lines: 55
I guess since I started this discussion, I might as well chip in a few
words now and then.
Ed Grumbine (unpubl) suggests that ecosystem management has the
following nature:
1. Hierarchial Context. Managers must seek the connections between all
levels of the biodiversity hierarchy (genes, species, populations,
ecosystems, landscapes).
2. Ecological Boundaries. EM requires working across administrative or
political boundaries and defining ecological boundaries at appropriate
scales.
3. Ecological Integrity. EM should protect the total native diversity
(species to landscapes) and the ecological patterns and processes that
maintain that diversity.
4. Data Collection. EM requires more research and data collection
(habitat inventory, classification, disturbance regime dynamics,
baseline assessments) as well as better management and use of existing
data. ** Any one care to point out what are the greatest research or
data collection needs for doing EM? I'm sure this will generate some
interest among subscribers ***
5. Monitoring. Managers must track the results of their actions so
that success or failure may be evaluated quantitatively. Monitoring
creates an ongoing feedback loop of useful information.
6. Adaptive Management. Adaptive management assumes that scientific
knowledge is provisional and focuses on management as a learning
process or continuing experiment wher incorporationg the results of
previous actions allows managers to remain flexible and adapt to
uncertainty.
7. Interagency Cooperation. Managers of federal, state, and local
agencies must learn to work together and integrate conflicting legal
mandates and management goals.
8. Organizational Change. Implementing EM requires changes in the
structured of land management agencies and the way they operate.
9. Humans imbedded in nature. People cannot be separated from nature.
They are fundamental influences on ecological patterns and processes
and are in turn affected by them.
10. Values. Human values play a dominant role in EM goals.
I was very impressed by reading this early draft of Grumbine's paper
If we do all of this, are we "doing" ecosystem management?
--
Marc Hoshovsky PHONE: (916) 322-2446
Biodiversity Conservation Planner FAX: (916) 324-0475
Dept. of Fish & Game E-MAIL: mch@gishost.dfg.ca.gov
1220 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95814