TY - CHAP T1 - Local resource use systems in the tropics: Taking pressure off the forests T2 - Tropical rainforests: Diversity and conservation Y1 - 1988 A1 - Stephen R. Gliessman ED - Frank Almeda ED - Catherine M. Pringle KW - agroforestry KW - resource management AB - By focusing research on indigenous and local agroecosystems, much information can be gained for the development of resource-conserving, ecologically sound land-use strategies that promote the sustained-yield management of land already cleared in tropical regions. By keeping the farmers on the land they already have, pressure can be taken off the limited forest reserves that still exist. A research approach that looks at the agricultural ecosystem (agroecosystem) will allow an agro-ecological focus, in order to examine impacts on the land in the context of nutrient cycles, crop and non-crop population dynamics, energetics, and other ecological concepts. Examples of such studies are presented from tropical Mexico and Costa Rica, including the corn/bean/squash multiple-crop agroecosystem, the tropical home garden agroforestry system with a diverse mixture of trees, shrubs, herbs, and vines, and an experimental bench-terrace-cropping system with mixed vegetables planted on the flat surfaces and a high organic-matter-producing grass on the slopes. The importance of the sustainability of the natural resource sector linked to the sustainability of the agricultural sector is stressed as an integral part of tropical forest preservation strategies of the future. (author). JF - Tropical rainforests: Diversity and conservation T3 - Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences PB - California Academy of Sciences CY - San Francisco, CA VL - 12 SN - 0-940228-19-X; 978-0-940228-19-1 UR - http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/18566557 JO - Local resource use systems in the tropics ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Use of the "non-weed" concept in traditional tropical agroecosystems of south-eastern Mexico JF - Agro-Ecosystems Y1 - 1982 A1 - J. C. Chacón A1 - S. R. Gliessman KW - taxonomy AB - The use of a "non-weed" concept by traditional agriculturalists in a tropical lowland environment is discussed. Interviews demonstrated that the non-crop components of cropping systems are classified according to use potential on one hand, and effects on soil and crops on the other. A detailed vocabulary for the management of these plants is presented. Such a classification indicates that local farmers understand the intricate role of non-crop plants in their agricultural activities, in direct contrast with modern day agriculture which considers all weeds as noxious, and thus to be eliminated. The ecological importance of this concept, and its potential contribution to a design for overall agroecosystem management is discussed. (author) VL - 8 IS - 1 ER -