Preliminary economic analysis of medic pasture and other dryland crops in two-year rotations with wheat in northeast Syria

摘要

The economic role of annual medic (Medicago spp.) pasture in rotation with wheat is compared with other crop rotations (wheat-fallow, wheat-entil, wheat-wheat, and wheat-vetch), based on an eight-year study in Hassakeh Province, in the dryland area of northeastern Syria. A whole-farm linear programming model was designed to assess interactions between crop, pasture, and livestock activities, prices, and household requirements and resources. Results indicate a minor but positive role for annual medic pastures on good farmland in northeastern Syria, particularly where access to hired labor is limited and fallow-wheat rotations play a major role, where there is unlimited access to hired labor for harvest, the laborintensive lentil-wheat rotation is more profitable.