|
Leucaena Working PlanTo Develop Your Leucaena Project You Need A Working Plan. Let Dr. Carol Cross Create One For Your Project. Make Your Leucaena Project A Success From The Beginning By Developing It With A Working Plan Designed For Your Land, Your Resources & Your Goals. Or Get A Leucaena Agroforestry Kit Now! |
I give to you as a reader of the Leucaena website permission to reprint the Leucaena Special Report, "Tropical Farmers Can Profit From Growing Leucaena" (see http://www.satglobal.com/leuc_rept.htm) COPY THIS ARTICLE ONLY, PLEASE, without any changes in copy, links, photos, and include the copyright statement at the bottom of this document. If you have a Leucaena, agroforestry, sustainable business, sustainable development, environmental website, you have excellent content and your visitors will learn a lot about Leucaena |
Tropical Farmers Can Profit From Growing LeucaenaSpecial ReportBy Dr. Carol Cross. Director, Leucaena Production Societ Leucaena Seeds Are Now Available For Planting This Season. CLICK HERE For Ordering Information.
|
The Unique Thing About Leucaena Effect Agroforestry Development Is That It Is a Win-Win Scenario for Everyone. We Operate From The Premise That All Parties Have Validity And We Are Seeking For The One Point Of Mutual Advantage Where We Can All Work Together.In this series of of articles, we'll learn about Leucaena, define sustainable development, examine ways Leucaena can serve as a renewable, environmentally friendly resource, display a variety of ways to use the tree, and give you some directions on sustainable development uses of Leucaena. The Need For Sustainable Development In Developing CountriesAs our population increases there is more and more needs for food, fuel, fiber, and livestock feed. At the same time. the pressure on environmental systems accelerates. This escalates the need for easy to use sustainable development systems that are low cost and can fit into present rural agricultural and forestry systems. MOTILES, S.A. through the Leucaena Production Society, SATReal Analysis, and ECOSAT Design is dedicated to the development of sustainable development systems for developing countries, where population growth is the highest. It is in the developing countries where deforestation is occurring, the famine cycle model is accelerating, leading to desertification. This is contributing to global warming, which could result in disaster for our delicate planetary climate equilibration. Many developing countries need a new DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM for driving rural development. We need a way to develop industries in the small towns to prevent migration to urban areas. Let us take a look at what kind of SYSTEM we should select to drive economic development. The selection has to have these parameters:
The ideal plant species must have the potential to fit all of these required parameters. Leucaena Effect Agroforestry projects, especially RURAL AGROINDUSTRIAL CENTERS (RAICS) have most if not all of these parameters. RAICS can be structured so that the developing entity can select or choose the Modules they desire. When you look at them one by one you can select the ones that fit your country resources and interests. You‘ll find out how you can develop rural agro industries based on Leucaena, the Multiplier Tree, as your feedstock in your country. Index of Topics In This Special ReportYou Can Profit from Growing Leucaena Leucaena And The Fuelwood Crisis Leucaena To Fight The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change The Salvador Type Is An Excellent Multipurpose Plant Leucaena and Leucaena Effect Agroforestry Leucaena Is Important For Many Situations Why is a Leucaena Effect Agroforestry System Important for Farmers in the Tropics? What Are Some of the Profitable Uses of Leucaena? Caring For Your Plants After Direct Seeding or Transplantation Leucaena Farmers Need Farm Based Research The Leucaena Production Society What is the Leucaena Production Handbook? Who Is The Author of The Leucaena Production Handbook? How to Sustainably Develop The Smallest Piece of Land With Leucaena - The Multiplier Tree What Is A Leucaena Agroforestry Kit? Develop Your Leucaena Project With The Support of the LPS Ways to Develop Your Own Leucaena Plantation Leucaena can be the Basis of Industry To Develop A Successful Leucaena Project, You Need The Leucaena Production Handbook You Can Profit from Growing LeucaenaLeucaena leucocephala, the tree of life, the prosperity tree, the Multiplier tree, the miracle tree, has been introduced to many countries in the tropics. Leucaena, while presently being grown in many government research projects and even on a few farms arid ranches, has not yet begun to reach its potential as a multipurpose, multiple profit center plant. That is why we call it the Multiplier Tree. This potential of Leucaena must be released so that tropical agriculturists can utilize this profitable plant resource. Go To Top of Index Leucaena And The Fuelwood CrisisThe major energy crisis in the world is not the oil crisis. It is the fuelwood crisis. The fuelwood crisis is driving deforestation as poor people scramble onto mountainsides, cutting down the forest and leading to widespread environmental degradation. The wholesale destruction of the trees and the forest can lead to famine, as happened in the Sahel countries. The wholesale cutting of trees for fuelwood without replanting invokes the famine cycle. The solution is the growing of Leucaena for fuelwood. Fuel briquettes can be manufactured of Leucaena combined with agricultural and forest residues such as sawdust and waste materials. A Leucaena based fuelwood project which includes the manufacture of fuel briquettes requires the development of a fuelwood and briquette planning process. The development of a Fuel briquette manufacturing plant can be done in small communities and rural areas. Go To Top of Index Leucaena To Fight The Greenhouse Effect and Climate ChangeOne of the most important concerns on our planet right now is climate change due to the greenhouse effect. As a result, their is concern and evidence that global warming is occurring. Leucaena has great potential for carbon sequestration or the removal of carbon dioxide from the environment. There are already several Leucaena projects for carbon sequestration, being paid for by corporations who need to offset their carbon emissions. Go To Top of Index Leucaena Fixes NitrogenLeucaena, like most legumes, can form mutually beneficial partnerships with soil bacteria of the Genus Rhizobium. These bacteria enter into the root and create root nodules in which atmospheric inert nitrogen gas is converted into usable nitrogen containing compounds. Once these nitrogen-containing compounds are created by tile Rhizobium, they can be utilized by Leucaena, as well as by animals eating the Leucaena. In addition, other plants can use these nitrogen-containing compounds 'when the leaves of Leucaena fall and rot on the ground. The process of changing inert unusable nitrogen gas into usable nitrogen-containing compounds is called nitrogen fixation. Leucaena can, in effect, produce its own fertilizer. Go To Top of Index The Varieties of LeucaenaLeucaena is presently being grown commercially in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia for firewood arid for cattle feed. There are several varieties of Leucaena. The cultivars most used for dual purposes or multipurposes are called the Salvador types or Hawaiian Giants. These tree-type Leucaenas - originated in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, arid Honduras. and were carried to the Philippines by the Spaniards during the Colonial period. Leucaena seeds are available from the Leucaena Production Society. They took the bushy or wild type Leucaena. The plant is found in several basic types: 1) The wild or common type, a shrubby bushy plant, of little use, also called the Acapulco type 2) The Salvador type or Hawaiian type - the tree type or arboreal types best for multipurposes use 3) The forage type -- called Peru 4) A cultivar developed in Australia called Cunningham 5) Several new kinds of hybrid cultivars under testing Go To Top of Index The Wild Type of LeucaenaThe Spanish took the Acapulco type to the Philippines for cattle feed while on the ships. It was useful there for shading valuable tree and field crops such as coffee, cocoa, cinchona, pepper and vanilla. It then spread to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Southern Asia. During the 19th century, it spread to Hawaii, Fiji, Northern Australia, India and East and West Africa. It now covers the entire tropics as a semi-wild plant. The wild type Leucaena, while of tremendous use for soil building and controlling soil erosion, is not very good for other purposes. It is a very poor producer of both wood and livestock feed. Go To Top of Index The Salvador Type Is An Excellent Multipurpose PlantThe Salvador type, on the other hand, is an excellent multipurpose plant, 'which also performs well for reforestation and soil conservation purposes. Leucaena's potential is waiting to be unlocked for tropical agriculturists. The key to unlocking this potential is the development of a management system with these components:
Go To Top of Index Leucaena and Leucaena Effect AgroforestryThis five-sided or five component Leucaena management system is called a Leucaena Effect Agroforestry system. This kind of system must be developed and perfected for tropical agriculturists so that it is responsive to the needs of farmers. Leucaena has the potential to prevent the collapse of other tropical ecosystems. When we look at what happened to Rwanda, we can see the ultimate result of overpopulation, deforestation and environmental degeneration If we are to prevent the collapse of other societies, we must find a new model of sustainable development based on Leucaena. We will examine what happens when the carrying capacity of an ecosystem is exceeded in the Famine Cycle Model. Go To Top of Index A Closer Look At LeucaenaBut first of all, we need to take a closer look at Leucaena (specifically the multipurpose Salvador type) and see:
Go To Top of IndexAbout LeucaenaLeucaena is a legume, a tree that fixes nitrogen from the air. It is a fast growing nitrogen fixing tree (FGNGT), which can be profitably grown and used by both small and large farmers. Since the wild type or Acapulco type is not a good variety, the Salvador type will be discussed in the rest of this article. The name given to Leucaena 'then it arrived in Hawaii was Kao Haole Mole. Therefore all the Hawaiian Giant cultivars are called K types. There are many K types such as K-8, K-28, K-67, and K-100. There is also an excellent cultivar called Florida which originated on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville. The rest of the paper will talk about growing and using K-9 and Florida, 'which are the best adapted to multiple use. Leucaena is good for the soil. It makes good yields for green manure, fixes a great deal of nitrogen and drops leaves throughout the year. The roots go deep into the subsoil and bring up water from underground water holes. This water is then released from the Leucaena for cooling the leaves and adds moisture to the air. Leucaena can be used for intercropping in cornfields because it adds nitrogen and increases the yields of the corn while it is growing. Leucaena can be profitably grown on many farms and ranches in order to:
Go To Top of IndexWhere Leucaena Grows BestLeucaena grows best in the tropics because it cannot stand frost. It grow best with about 1500 - of rainfall, but it can grow with less. It grow around 500 meters above sea level, but can grow at higher altitudes or lower. It can live for months without rainfall once it is established. It can grow in deep, rich soil as well as in shallow rocky soil. In shallow rocky soil it can grow down through the cracks in the rocks to find water. It can grow along the coast as salty air will not kill it. Leucaena coppices, indeed, it grows better 'then it is cut. You can cut it on a rotation basis. For livestock feed you can cut it every 40 to 80 days. For firewood you can cut every 36 months. Leucaena prefers alkaline or neutral soil, as it grows very poorly in acidic soil. It likes soil with good drainage; it does not grow well in soils that are water logged. In order to grow Leucaena in acid soil, it is necessary to treat the soil to neutralize it. The Leucaena Production Society is Experimenting with selecting Cold Tolerant Leucaenas in Arizona and the mountains forests of Intibuca. Go To Top of Index Leucaena Is Important For Many SituationsLeucaena is important for small and large farmers for animal feed and fertilizer. But it is equally as important for reforestation. Many places in the tropics are undergoing desertification because all the trees have been cut down. After the trees are all cut down, the torrential rains come. Since there is no tree cover to hold the water, it rushes down the hillside, creating floods in the lowland areas. By growing Leucaena on your farm, you can prevent desertification and floods. A Leucaena Effect Agroforestry system will include growing both Leucaena and crops in the same field. Leucaena grows well intermixed with other plants, providing a continual supply of green manure and fertilizer. Go To Top of Index Leucaena For Livestock FeedLeucaena is especially good for cattle feed. In Australia, cattle feeding on Leucaena provided some of the highest live weight gain ever recorded in the tropics. Cattle and goat relish Leucaena, feeding eagerly on the young stems and leaves. The leaves are similar to alfalfa in digestibility. Protein content of the leaves can be as high as 30%. Under favorable conditions, one hectare of Leucaena can produce as much as 10 to 20 tons of edible dry matter, and even up to 24 tons. It is comparable to alfalfa's production of 8 to 9 tons per hectare. Go To Top of Index Why is a Leucaena Effect Agroforestry System Important for Farmers in the Tropics?Farming with Leucaena and crops together is called Leucaena Effect Agroforestry. The idea of growing trees and crops in the same field has been used in the tropics for a long time by farmers. Now for the first time, scientists are studying how to make farming with FGNFTs like Leucaena more profitable for tropical agriculturists. Less than 10 years ago the word agroforestry began to be used for tree-crop farming systems. Agroforestry is ecologically sound. Intercropping with trees not only saves the soils, but it often causes an increase in yields of crops if Leucaena is used. fly growing Leucaena mixed with field crops, both short and long term profitable crops can be grown. The growing of Leucaena can be very profitable 'then developed as a key component of an agroforestry system. It will enable the farmer to abandon the slash and burn system and bring all of his land into productive activity. Not only does Leucaena prevent soil erosion and fertilize the crop, it can add to the profit of the farm by producing profitable salable products such as leaf meal and fuelwood. Leucaena Effect Agroforestry with Leucaena can be profitable for you. Go To Top of Index Why Should You Grow Leucaena?Leucaena is an excellent crop for you to grow on your farm because you are creating a multiple profit center 'then you plant it. You can use Leucaena to stop soil erosion and fertilize your crops. You can plant it on the contour to stop the water from running down your hills and making gullies. Leucaena creates an excellent green -manure for the soil as the leaves fall. Leucaena can be planted on land to be fallowed so the soil is enriched doubly during the fallow period. Leucaena can also be used for mulch and putting out around your plants to prevent the loss of moisture from the soil. You can also intercrop it with corn to increase your yields of that crop. Go To Top of Index What Are Some of the Profitable Uses of Leucaena?Leucaena offers a rapid payback and return on investment. It is capable of being profitable for every tropical farmer, whether he has one hectare or a thousand hectares. Some of the multiple profit center uses of Leucaena include;
Go To Top of IndexHow Can You Grow Leucaena?There are two ways to grow Leucaena. You can profit by direct seeding or by developing a nursery and transplanting seedlings into your field. You should get your Leucaena seeds from a source approved by the Leucaena Production Society. A. Growing Leucaena by Direct Seeding In order to grow Leucaena by direct seeding, you need to follow certain procedures very carefully in order to develop a good Leucaena plantation. First of all you need to prepare your land. The way you prepare your land depends on whether you have flat land, shallow slopes, or steep slopes. It is also important to know 'that kind of soil you have, how much rainfall and which months it falls in. It is also important to know the time of year you intend to plant your Leucaena as well as how much time and money you have. Some of the ways you may prepare your land include:
The second step involves the preparation of the seeds. In order for your seeds to grow well, they may need to be treated. Some of the things involved include these:
The third step involves selection of a direct seeding method. You have several choices, including:
In addition, you may want to use terra sorb and add fertilizer. It is best to seed your Leucaena by direct seeding at the beginning of the rainy season so the plants can get enough water to become well established before the dry season comes. Direct seeding is the least expensive method of planting Leucaena. If you have plenty of time and just a little money, you can grow a lot of Leucaena using direct seeding because you only have to plant once. B. Growing Leucaena by Transplanting You can also grow Leucaena in a nursery bed and plant the seedlings out in the field 'when they are larger. This method is more expensive than direct seeding as the plants have to be planted twice, once to the nursery bed and secondly into the field. Fewer seeds are used in this method however. In order to develop a profitable Leucaena plantation by transplanting, we have to go through the same steps involved in the direct seeding including land preparation and seed preparation. There are additional special requirements for planting Leucaena by transplanting. First of all, you must decide which type of Leucaena nursery you will be having. There are two types of Leucaena nurseries: a) container nursery b) seedbed nursery In the container nursery, seedlings are grown in plastic bags, tin cans, bamboo tubes, clay pots, or any available container. In the container nursery, seedlings are grown in special soils which you can mix from locally available materials. In the seedbed nursery, you grow many plants in a bed prepared in the ground. It is very important to dig out your plants when they are ready. Do not pull the plants out or you will damage the roots. You may plant the Leucaena seedlings any time of the year 'when you have enough water. If you are planting using only rainfall, you will need to plant them out at the beginning of the rainy season. If you can irrigate your plants, you can plant them any time of the year. It is very important not to damage the roots 'when you are digging out your Leucaena seedlings. You must keep the seedlings wet when moving them from the nursery to the fields. You may use several methods of planting your seedlings out into the fields including:
Go To Top of IndexCaring For Your Plants After Direct Seeding or TransplantationOnce you have spent time and money planting Leucaena, it is important to take care of your plants. There are five important aspects to taking care of your Leucaena plantation. These include the following things that can make your Leucaena plantation a successful and profitable one:
One other thing you may want to do is to develop your own Leucaena seed orchard. You can then select only seeds from the best of your trees to plant 'when you want to grow more Leucaena. Leucaena For Livestock Leucaena is probably the best feed you can find for both meat and milk animals in the tropics. As a tropical cattle farmer, for example, you probably have plenty of problems. You may have problems with external parasites, internal parasites, diseases, animals cycling, reproductive failures, farm workers, and getting foreign exchange to buy needed supplies and equipment. But I think you can agree that your major. problem is finding enough feed for your animals during the dry season. Leucaena has provided some of the highest weight gains ever seen in tropical cattle raising. Feeding trials in Australia revealed gains of over 1 1 per hectare per day when full fed Leucaena on grass pasture. Leucaena has a highly recommended and superior livestock feed because it has: a) high protein content - Leucaena leaves have protein content up to 30% b) high palatability - most of Leucaena based feeds consist of young stems and leaves - cattle as well as other livestock prefer young leaves to old and stems c) high digestibility - Leucaena leaves are very digestible since it is usually cut every 40 to 80 days - so it is always young and tender feed d) high nutritive value - the protein in Leucaena based leaf feeds is of high nutritive value because the amino acids are well lanced, as in alfalfa - it is an excellent source of carotene and vitamins e) excellent mineral source - a good source of calcium, phosphorus and other dietary requirements f) in vivo digestibility - of 70% for Leucaena leaves It is very important to feed and manage Leucaena well when using it for livestock feed. Leucaena has an amino acid, mimosine, which is harmful if fed improperly. It is important to make Leucaena only compose about 40% of the diet of your animals. The rest should be grass. Buffel grass is probably the best grass for hot dry areas. Leucaena can make high yields of nutritive livestock feed economically if managed correctly. It can also be stored for use in the dry season. Feeds based on Leucaena are equally good for meat production feeds and milk production. find out more about Leucaena for Livestock (goats, cattle, water buffalo). Go To Top of Index Leucaena for Energy and FuelsLeucaena can be the basis of a profitable energy farming project by tropical landowners. Whether you want to produce firewood for cooking in your own home or for producing charcoal for sale or want to generate electricity for your own power plant, Leucaena is the ideal basis for a profitable energy farm. If you have any amount of land, you can develop a profitable Leucaena project. You can develop your own plantation of fast growing Leucaena and develop a rotation cutting program for harvesting. 4 Fuelwood is the real energy crisis. Demand for quality firewood is growing every day in your country. With more and more people, you will need more and more firewood. You may have seen people traveling long distances carrying firewood on their back, on animals and in vehicles. Leucaena is high in BTUs, producing good firewood that is not smoky. You may use land that is hilly and not so fertile. You can still produce excellent fuelwood in large quantities. You can also produce alcohol for your vehicles from Leucaena. The producer gas obtained from burning Leucaena can be used to power vehicles, to make ice, and to refrigerate and freeze foods. It can also be used to power irrigation pumps and generate electricity. There are many large electricity generating projects in the Philippines. Leucaena is perfect for energy farming. Go To Top of Index Leucaena Farmers Need Farm Based ResearchThere is a great deal of scientific research available on Leucaena. There are many scientists in many tropical and temperate countries studying about Leucaena. The problem is this research is often very technical and is not available to farmers in a practical manner so they can use it. In addition, much of this research is not practical for either small or large farmers in the tropics. what is needed is usable information on Leucaena, materials written for farmers by persons 'who are actually producing Leucaena on a production basis. In addition, farmers need to communicate with each other. They need to share ideas and find out 'what works and what doesn't work. Farmers need to know 'what other farmers have tried and 'what they have found useful and what they have found useless. In addition, they need to be able to obtain information about new varieties, new types of equipment, from all over the world 'where Leucaena is being grown. Go To Top of Index The Leucaena Production SocietyThe Leucaena Production Society is a service of MOTILES, S.A., Inc, a consulting firm based in tile USA in Arizona and in Honduras that is a pioneer in legume farming and specializes in Leucaena farming. In order to enable tropical farmers and ranches throughout the tropics to share Leucaena know-how. The Leucaena Production Society was formed by MOTILES, S.A.. According to Dr. Carol Cross, President of MOTILES, S.A. and Director of the LPS, the major functions of the LPS are: a) to establish communication between all growers of Leucaena and other fast growing nitrogen fixing trees within their own countries and between countries b) to facilitate marketing channels for Leucaena products both in country and worldwide c) to make legume farming more profitable as well as to increase the production of legume based natural fertilizers for tropical agriculture, and to develop famine systems based on such natural fertilizers d) to develop a computerized comprehensive Leucaena arid legume farming data base containing both production and research information on Leucaena production that can be made available to members of the network e) to develop easy and rapid information transfer relating to Leucaena and legume farming through the development of tile Information Transfer Volunteer Program The LPS will work to facilitate the transfer of information to tropical agriculturists about Leucaena, to the millions of tropical farmers who want to develop profitable Leucaena Effect Agroforestry systems based on Leucaena. A variety of consulting services will be offered, both on a joint venture basis and on a consultancy basis. In addition, the LPS publish a newsletter for its members, tile Leucaena Growers Notebook, which will offer methods of growing, storing and using Leucaena and other tropical legumes. Membership in the LPS is available to all tropical farmers who grow Leucaena and other legumes. The LPS will provide a variety of services to Leucaena farmers, including access to the computerized data base. It is very important to establish communication between farmers who are actually producing Leucaena to share ideas and problems. Go To Top of Index |
Online Leucaena
Course -Leucaena
