West African mixed farming systems as meta-ecosystems: A source-sink modelling approach

摘要

Nutrient availability is a major limitation of the production of West African mixed farming systems. The fertility of these systems was traditionally sustained by fallowing, and nutrient transfers by livestock from savanna to croplands. However, demographic growth and socio-economic constraints require the agro-ecological intensification of these systems. To understand how agricultural practices and landscape management affect crop production, we built a meta-ecosystem model of nitrogen stocks and fluxes, and we examined different scenarios of fallow management with or without livestock.