Field Management/Mulch Project

Project Overview

FW03-205
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2003: $5,232.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2005
Region: Western
State: Hawaii
Principal Investigator:
Fernand Severi

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer
  • Soil Management: soil analysis, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil quality/health
  • Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures

    Proposal summary:

    In tropical regions, huge volumes of biomass are generated year round. Mowing this biomass can be expensive and time consuming, but chopping and collecting the product with a crop chopper and using it as mulch increases its potential as a multi-use resource. Fernand Severi, who operates a diverse biodynamic farming operation on 16 acres of northeast Kauai, will use his Western SARE organic grant to evaluate the health of two fields and a garden plot using harvested biomass as mulch, cover crops and a biodynamic treatment. He plans to measure the soil fertility, crop productivity and general health under each treatment. Successful chopping and use of the biomass will preclude treatment with Roundup, a common method of dealing with biomass in tropical regions.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.