10/23/02

This week was the most productive week that we've ever had.  We have a set plan for what we are doing.  My new assignment was to look up best practices for ranching, but it was changed to logging.  I will be finding best practices for logging.  I will also look at the possibilities of reforestation.  But, the Land group discouraged me to looking intently at reforestatin because it is such an unproductive endeavor.  Because we just changed topics, I don't have any solid research about logging.  I will, however, look into the information further from the Land and Flora goups about what they have as of yet.  I will also look at current logging techniques used by companies like Wearhouser and Georgia-Pacific, who have been logging for quite some time, but have realized that they need to not use up all of their resources.  I apolgize for the lack of information on this site at this time, but there is more to come!
 
 

10/16/02

My most recent research has been based in best practices for farming/agriculture.  I originally intended to specifically find techniques for soybean and coffee cultivation, but I was only able to find general information.

Our goals in searching for these techniques were two-fold.  We wanted to be able to have sustainable ways to grow the plants, and we also wanted to improve the economy of Brazil with improved agriculture.  This would alleviate some of the pressure put on all the assorted industries, which would allow more leeway for us to improve other things.

I found some very useful ideas, which were all found in the book:
Tropical Rainforest by Arnold Newman,  1990, Facts on File Inc.
(therefore, all facts and numbers are accurate as of 1990)
 
 

          Using the deposits along the river
                    There are areas surrounding some of the rivers that are flooded annually.  When this happens, there are great deposits of rich silt and debris from vegetation that makes the land very fertile.  This land can be used to grow multiple plants, as long as the roots are at least somewhat resistant to rot, as the soil will be constantly wet.  Also, during this time period, there is much aquatic fauna such as fish as well as water fowl.
                    The only drawback to this use of the rich soils on the rivers edge is that it is easy to overexploit the land, which will lead to a depletion of diversity of the fauna.
 

          Intercropping
                  Intercropping, that is, planting multiple plants in a plot of land, can be useful because many plants can be grown at once.   This technique almost always requires the use of fertilizer and lime.  The cost of buying and transporting the fertilizer and lime should not be too expensive.  It was noted in the book that for every dollar spent, the farmer would earn approximately $2.91 as a result of the improved crops.
 

          Legume usage
                    Many ideas included the use of legumes, which are fantastic nitrogen fixers.  One such idea was described as follows:  when clearing out an area, leave the tree roots behind.  As soon as the land has been cleared, plant the nitrogen fixing legumes.  Then grow your plants as usual.
Certain vine legumes, like the kudzu vine, though usually a destructive plant, is a fantastic nitrogen fixer, and it acts as a great ground cover to eliminate erosion.  These legumes are also good for feeding the farm animals.
 

          Agrofarming/Agroforestry
                  The basic idea of agrofarming or agroforestry is to not clear out plots of land, but to use what currently exists there.  The "farmers" could eat the fruit that grows on the trees, and only cut down trees when necessary.  The farm animals could also roam in the forest, and their droppings would also act as fertilizer.
 
 

10/7/02
 
 
 

We are going to do extensive research to discover what exactly the conditions are in the Rainforest.
I specifically will be looking into the percents of land that are of the following types:
1.  Virgin-i.e. never or rarely touched.
2.  Developing-land that is currently being cleared or used
3.  Deforested-Land that was cleared or used but is now abandoned

From there, we hope to figure out ways to prevent the virgin land from becoming developed and deforested.
We will also plan ways to extend the usage period of the developing land, that is, we want to find ways for there to be sustainable farming, ranching, logging practices, so that the land can be used for a longer period of time, therefore preventing people from moving off of the land and destroying another area.
We want to find uses or ways to reforest the deforested land.
 

OLD NEWS:
 

I am now the liaison between our group and group 5, Land.  I have contacted them, and i await their reply.

Because I will now have a closer connection to the land group, I will be focusing more on land in my research.
I still will be working on other aspects as well.
My goals for my research will also include learning more about the indigenous people's current ways of conservation, because I am hoping that they will have good ideas that we can improve upon or explain to other groups.
I also would like to know why not all the indigenous people are not doing crop rotation, because in the research that everyone has done so far, there doesn't seem to be any drawbacks.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

So far in our group, we have discussed what our group's definition of our goals will be.

We want to first figure out what is currently being done in the Rainforest.
We want to know what sort of development is currently occurring.
We will then be able to decide what steps we need to take in order to improve the conditions.
Finally, we will figure out what these alternative solutions are, and work on refining and clarifying them.

We also defined what is necessary to receive an A for the class.

In order to get an A for the class, we need to participate fully in each of the three steps defined above.
 

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