Improving the welfare of dryland farmers

Erosion, water shortage and scarcity of food nutrients are the most serious problems in dryland areas. Technological packages to address the problem have also been many, but not optimal in use because it is not so significant in improving the welfare farmers of dryland areas. It takes patience in the management of dryland areas, due to increased land productivity in dryland areas of land most critical conditions and critical potential is not easy.

Soil and water conservation is a fairly conventional manner capable of tackling the above problems. By applying sisitem soil and water conservation are expected to cope with erosion, water supply and improve the nutrient content in soil and makes the land no longer critical. There are 3 methods in the conduct soil and water conservation is a physical method with pegolahan soil, vegetative methods by using vegetation and crops to reduce erosion and the provision of water and chemical methods which utilize the chemical substances for preserving land.

Processing of soil is the oldest culture in agriculture and still needed in modern agriculture. How the proper soil cultivation for conservation of soil resources? land preparation as any mechanical manipulation of soil needed to create good soil conditions for plant growth. The purpose of land preparation is to prepare the nursery, where farming, create a good root zone, burying crop residues, and eradicate weeds. Cultivate the soil is to create a good character though, and it reflects the nature of the soil physical conditions suitable for plant growth. How tillage greatly affects soil structure that is formed naturally good because the penetration of roots or fauna tauna, if too intensive cultivation of land, the soil structure will be damaged. Farmers who cultivate the habit of excessive land where the soil is processed to clean the surface is one example of the wrong treatment because these conditions lead to surface sealing of soil particles dispersed by grain rain, clogging the pores of the soil, forming surface crusting. To overcome the bad influence of lawyer-prepared soil, then the recommended number of ways that conservation tillage can reduce erosion. The way the question is:

• Without soil. Land to be planted are not processed and plant debris before it left scattered on the surface, which will protect the soil from erosion threat during this very vulnerable, namely when the initial growth of plants. Planting is done by Portugal. Eradicate weeds using herbicides
• Minimal soil cultivation, not all cultivated land surface. Only row crops are processed and partly remaining - crop residues left on soil surface
• Processing according to the contour of the land. The cultivation of land is cut slopes that form the path - the path stack according to the land and groove contour or cross slope. Processing according to the contours of the land would be more effective if followed by planting in contour as well that allows absorption of water and avoid transporting soil. Some of the practices such as land preparation is already there since then and has been carried out by farmers in several regions in Indonesia. Farmers may consider it a tradition of his ancestors who need to be maintained. Although there were no agricultural extension or literature on conservation land, but farmers have adopted farming methods that is based on soil conservation. Cultivate soil conservation have been made by ancient man in order to get results from farming to meet short-term living needs, and may not have occurred to them to conserve soil resources.
• Crop Management for Soil Conservation. Vegetation is still regarded as a means of soil conservation are most effective in controlling soil erosion, as is believed by many conservationists that "a bag of fertilizer is more effective than a bag of cement" (Hudson, 1989). Erosion that occurs will be different at each use of land, this variation depends on crop management. A simple example of the kind described Hudson (1957) cit. Hudson (1980), loss of soil from two experimental plots planted with corn, poor crop management plots soil loss 15 times greater than the plot that good land management. Naturally, the grass plants tend to protect the soil, and plant in rows to provide protection is smaller, but public opinion is changed by management. Crop management will determine the size of the erosion. Research shows that corn planting is well managed will grow well and can depress the rate of erosion compared to grassland management is poor. In brief, Hudson said that the erosion does not depend on what crops to grow, but how do the plants grow.