Proposal Cover Sheet
Term:   Fall_____ Spring _____ Year ______
Instructor __________________

Name:  ____Danielle Faller______________________________________

Present Year in Education (e.g., freshman, sophomore, etc.):  ___Junior_________________

E-mail Address:  ___dmfaller@eagle.fgcu.edu_______________________________

Major _______Environmental Studies_______________________________

Have you identified a research mentor for a senior thesis (if applicable)?  
_____ Yes  _____ No.
	
If yes, please identify.

Name:  __________________________________________

Title of Proposal:  

The Effect of Crop Rotation on Maize and Cowpea Crop Yields and Resulting Soil Fertility in Ethiopia, Africa

Keywords (3-5) _______Crop rotation, Africa, Sustainable Agriculture 

Checklist:
All required portions of the first submission are included  _____ Yes  _____ No

I had an external reviewer read the proposal  _____ Yes  _____ No

If Yes, who ________________________________________  When  _______________

I authorize the use of this proposal as an example in future courses _____ Yes  _____ No

Danielle Faller
ISC 3120
Fall 2011
Dr. Demers

The Effect of Crop Rotation on Maize and Cowpea Crop Yields and Resulting Soil Fertility in Ethiopia, Africa

Abstract:

Sub-Saharan Africa faces major environmental problems that affect agriculture, which increases the already existing hunger crisis, including low soil fertility and frequent dry spells. Crop rotation has proven to increase yields and improve soil in other areas, and could possibly be used in the sub-Saharan region to improve agriculture. This study uses two of sub-Saharan Africa’s main crops, maize and cowpea, to test the effectiveness of crop rotation in Ethiopia, Africa. Four different plots, rotation and monoculture, will be tested. Throughout the five-year study, yield and soil structure tests and data will be conducted and compared at the end of the study. This experiment is expected to increase the yields of maize and cowpea when grown in rotation, and improve the soil fertility as well. 

Table of Contents

	Page Number	
Abstract	3	
Problem Statement	5	
Research Objective	7	
Methods	7	
Timetable and Management	11	
Expected Results	11	
Equipment Needed	12	
References	13	
Biographical Sketch	14	

Project Description
Problem Statement: 

Poverty is an extreme problem, which affects billions of people worldwide. Along with poverty, comes the issue of scarcity of food within poorer nations. Declining per capita production, consequent hunger and malnutrition plagues large segments of the world, primarily those in developing nations (Pala, 2003). Around the world, there is an estimated 790 million people lacking adequate access to food, of which 25% are in Sub-Saharan Africa (Pretty, 2003).  Sub-Saharan Africa faces major environmental problems that affect agriculture, which increases the already existing hunger crisis. The inherently low soil fertility of African soils and its high heterogeneous makeup limits land use and crop choice as well as its nutrient supplying capacity (Dakora, 1996).  In addition, frequent dry spells and soil degradation lead to consequent yield declines causing agricultural problems for Sub-Saharan Africa (Ouedrago, 2000). In order to eliminate hunger and increase production in Sub-Saharan Africa, an adequate and appropriate food supply is necessary. 
Ethiopia, the site being studied, has one of the oldest agarian cultures in sub-Saharan Africa with a large agriculture potential (Gebreyesus, 2011). However, land degradation that involves mainly soil erosion and declining soil fertility had become a severe constraint to agriculture productivity in Ethiopia (Gebreyesus, 2011). Through the use of sustainable farming techniques, Sub-Saharan agriculture has the ability to improve, as well as improve environmental conditions. Sustainable agriculture systems are designed to use existing soil nutrient and water cycles and to harness naturally occurring energy flows for food and feed production (Pala, 2003). For Sub-Saharan Africa, the focus is to improve soil fertility. Conventional farming methods rely on artificial fertilizers to maintain fertility, whereas sustainable agriculture uses a range of techniques to maintain and improve soil fertility (Kelley, 2003). The production technique used for African agriculture must be able to reduce soil erosion, improve biological soil fertility, and increase the crop yields to a sustainable level. 
	In Sub-Saharan Africa two of the main crops grown in the region include maize and legumes, which is why these crops were chosen for the presented experiment.  Legumes improve soil fertility because of their ability to fix N2 and produce N-rich residues that may be returned to the soil (Adjei-Nsiah, 2007).  
In other areas, the use of crop rotation has proven to be beneficial. At the Southeast Agricultural Research Center at Kansas State University, on average, crop rotation increased soybean yield compared to monoculture soybean (Kelley, 2003). Within this same study, the use of crop rotation lowered soil pH, and both soil C and total soil N concentration in the upper soil depths increased (Kelley, 2003). Crop rotation has proven to increase crop yields, reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic matter within the Great Plain region of the United States. 
The purpose of this study is to compare the relationship between crop yields and soil fertility among maize-legume crop rotation agriculture. The results of this experiment will be able to prove if crop rotation can increase yields and soil fertility of this region, like it has for other regions of the world. 
Research Objective:
This study will determine the effects of the use of crop rotation with cowpea and maize in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study will also determine if the use of crop rotation is a sustainable method of farming, and if this method is effective at increasing crop yields and soil fertility. 

Methods: 
Site:

This experiment will be performed on the Mai-Negras catchment in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. This site consists of 1,240 ha of land and resigns in an area with altitudes between 2,060 and 2,650 meters above sea level (Gebreyesus, 2011). This land is rugged terrain, and the soils are dominantly letpsols on the steep areas, cambisols on the middle to steep areas, and vertisols on the flat areas, which is where this experiment will be held (Gebreyesus, 2011).  Vertisols are heavy clay soil, which show significant expansion and contraction depending on the presence or absence of soil. 
	
Crop Rotations:

The rotation of crops being experimented with includes maize, a grain crop, and cowpea, a legume crop. Cowpeas have a growing period of 90 to 100 days, while maize has a growing period of 120 days (Dogliotti, 2004). The rainy season of Tigray, Ethiopia occurs during July to September, therefore each year the plants will begin their harvest at the beginning of July (figure). Four plots of land will be used; (1) a 12 x 10 meter plot of land of sole maize, (2) a 12x 10 meter plot of land of sole cowpea, (3) a 12 x 10 plot of land of a maize-cowpea crop rotation, and (4) a 12 x 10 meter plot of land of a cowpea- maize crop rotation. Cowpea was planted at a spacing of 60 cm x 20 cm, and maize was planted at a spacing of 80 cm x 40 cm (Adjei-Nsiah, 2007). The study will be done in a 5-year time span, with each crop planted for one year, on each plot of land till the next species of plants is planted. For five years, the sole maize and cowpea plants will be grown, and for the rotation plot, starting with either cowpea or maize, each year a rotation will occur between maize and cowpea.

Plot of Land	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	
1	Maize	Maize	Maize	Maize	Maize	
2	Cowpea	Cowpea	Cowpea	Cowpea	Cowpea	
3	Maize	Cowpea	Maize	Cowpea	Maize	
4	Cowpea	Maize	Cowpea	Maize	Cowpea	

On the rotation cropping plots, a sustainable use of chicken manure and rice husk, which is available from poultry farms in the region, will be applied to the plots for two months before the crop is planted, and a few weeks before the crops are planted, the soil will be ploughed and turned, while on the sole crop plots no manure will be used and traditional tillage techniques of ploughing will be used (Adjei-Nsiah, 2007). To control weeding a small rotary hoe and basic tools will be used throughout the growing period, as well as the use of hand picking the weeds (Adjei-Nsiah, 2007). In between each year, the rotation plots will be applied with manure and husk, and then repeated through the process till harvest time. This cycle will be repeated until the five-year experiment is over. 

Analyzing Soil:

	To test the soil content, the methods used by K. Kelley will be used (Kelley, 2006). In order to test the soil fertility and soil pH initial tests will be performed on soil samples taken from each plot of land. Soil samples will be taken at 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths, in three locations, from each plot before the study is established (Kelley, 2003). The samples will be air dried at 25 degrees C for 48 hours to maintain the chemical composition and prevent further chemical breakdown of the soil (Kelley, 2003). Once dry, the samples will be put through a 2mm sieve (Kelley, 2003). The samples will be analyzed for pH, using a 1:1 soil suspension method; organic matter; Phosphorus, using the Bray-1 Method; exchangeable Pottassium; organic Carbon, using the Walkley and Black Method; and Nitrogen, using the Kjeldahl Method (Kelley, 2003).  These same tests will be performed after each year of harvesting, and results will be recorded.  At the end of the study, the results will be compared to determine the relationship between crop rotation farming methods and soil fertility vs. traditional farming methods and soil fertility. 

Analyzing Crop Yields: 

To calculate the crop yields, the methods used by K. Kelley will be used (Kelley, 2003). Cowpea yields will be determined by machine harvesting the two center rows on the plots after end trimming and adjusting seed weight to constant moisture of 130 g kg-1 (Kelley, 2003). Weights of two random 100 seed samples per plot will be recorded and adjusted to the same moisture content (Kelley, 2003). Maize yields will be determined by machine harvesting a 1.9 m x 12.2 m area from the center of individual main plots and adjusted to a constant moisture content of 125 g kg-1 (Kelley, 2003).  Quantity of above ground crop residues produced from each crop rotation will be estimated from grain yield data by multiplying average annual grain production by a conversion factor (Mg residue per Mg grain) of 1.07 for maize and 0.83 for cowpea (Kelley, 2003). These yields will be calculated after each year of harvesting for every crop on each plot, and then be recorded. At the end of the study, the results will be compared to determine the relationship between crop rotation farming methods and crop yields vs. traditional farming methods and crop yields.

Data Analysis: 

The crop yields will be expressed as Mg ha-1 and calculated after each year, or crop-growing season, for the five years. The pH, Phosphorus, Potassium, Nitrogen, and Carbon levels of the soil will also be collected at the two depth levels before and after each growing season for each plot. Data will be analyzed by year and across years with the ANOVA procedure of SAS (Kelley, 2003).

Timetable and Management: 

The actual experiment will take 5 years. One year for each growing season, which includes planting the seeds, growing them, and collecting data. The building of the four plots of land will take about two weeks. After the five-year experiment, the data analysis should take two to three days to fully write up and store electronically. 

Expected Results:

The results from this study are expected to prove that the use of crop rotation with maize and cowpea will increase crop yields. When comparing the yields of each plot, the yields of the crop rotation plots are expected to be higher than the plots that solely grow just maize or cowpea. The crop rotation plots will have a higher density per ha than the monoculture plots. Crop rotation is also expected to influence all the soil properties, especially at shallower depths. The plots that used crop rotation are expected to have a lower pH level, and an increase in soil nitrogen, due to the legumes symbiotic nitrogen-fixing rhizobia located on the plants roots. The soil fertility is expected to increase because if you plant the same species of plants every year in the same spot, most probably the soil's nutrients will be utilized and disturb the soil balance. 

Equipment Needed: 
-	cultivator 
-	shovel: 
-	rake: 
-	 cowpea seeds
-	maize seeds
-	chicken manure and rice husk
-	rotary hoe 

REFERENCES:

Adjei-Nsiah, S., T.W. Kuyper, C. Leeuwis, and K.E. Giller. "Evaluating Sustainable and Profitable Cropping Sequences with Cassava and Four Legume Crops: Effects on Soil Fertility and Maize Yields in the Forest/savannah Transitional Agro-ecological Zone of Ghana." Field Crops Research 103.2 (2011): 87-97. 
Dakora, F.D., and S.O. Keya. "Contribution of legume nitrogen fixation to sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa." Soil Biology and Biochemistry 29.5-6 (1997): 809-817.
Dogliotti, S., M.K. VanIttersum, and W.A.H. Rossing. "A Method for Exploring Sustainable Development Options at Farm Scale: a Case Study for Vegetable Farms in South Uruguay." Agricultural Systems 86.1 (2005): 29-51. 
Gebreyesus, Tesfahunegn Brhane. "A Participatory Soil Quality Assessment in Northern Ethiopia's Mai-Negus Catchment." CATENA 86.1 (2011): 1-13. 
Kelley, K.W., J.H. Long, and T.C. Todd. "Long-term Crop Rotations Affect Soybean Yield, Seed Weight, and Soil Chemical Properties." Field Crop Research 83 (2003): 41-50. 
Ouedraogo, E., A.  Mando, and N.P. Zombre. "Use of compost to improve soil properties and crop productivity under low input agricultural system in West Africa." Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment 84.3 (2001): 259-266.
Pala, M., J. Ryan, A. Mazid, O. Abdallah, and M. Nachit. "Wheat farming in Syria: An approach to economic transformation and sustainability." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 19.1 (2004): 30-34.
Pretty, J.N.. "Reducing food poverty by increasing agricultural sustainability in developing countries." Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment 95.1 (2003): 217-234.

Danielle Faller
17254 Barragan Road, Fort Myers, Fl 33967
717-572-9475
dmfaller@eagle.fgcu.edu

GOALS
To work for a non-profit environmental organization, preferably one working towards sustainable agriculture practices 

EDUCATION

BS: School Arts and Science, graduate 2013, Environmental Studies

High School: Elizabethtown Area High School, 2009, Elizabethtown, PA

Courses: Environmental Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Education, Environmental Policy, Ecosystems Management, Ecology

EMPLOYMENT

PennFuture: Harrisburg, PA
	This is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Pennsylvania a sustainable, and greener state.  With this organization I organized donations to the company, and helped prepare demonstrations and education rallies for Penn Future. 

PROFFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

Florida Gulf Coast University Women’s Soccer Team

SERVICE

Volunteer:
-	four year volunteer at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, PA assisting the elderly with everyday tasks, such as running errands, painting ladies nails, delivering mail, and organizing belongings 
-	with women’s soccer team volunteered as coach for Naples Youth Soccer Club
-	Volunteered at Lee Memorial Hospital with cancer patients
-	Volunteer for Top Soccer helping handicapped children play soccer