Eco-efficiency preserves soil life, CIAT study confirms

New research from CIAT and the University of Western Australia has found that through the Quesungual Slash and Mulch Agroforestry System (QSMAS), soil health is maintained through the presence of soil-dwelling organisms.

QSMAS is an eco-efficient farming system developed as an alternative to slash and burn agriculture. It involves a combination of post-harvest mulching, no tillage, and efficient fertilizers-use , which result in carbon sequestration and reduced soil erosion, and in turn can produce higher yields.

According to the study, the presence of soil fauna was as abundant in QSMAS managed crop fields as what would be expected in secondary forest, emphasizing the benefit of QSMAS to resource-poor farmers who rely on the health of their soils for their farming livelihoods.