Sequestering Carbon for High Oil Palm Yields
No other industrial crop suffers from such a bad image as oil palm. Deforestation, destruction of wildlife habitat and air pollution from burning are a few of the negative descriptions associated with this crop. Although oil palm production in Colombia has not occurred at the expense of the major environmental concerns, the international image affects oil palm producers worldwide. The other issue confronting Colombia on an international scale is the relatively low and uncompetitive yields. Therefore, oil palm agribusiness in this country needs to pursue a program that highlights ecofriendly production that simultaneously stimulates yields. The major palm producing regions in Colombia have a distinct dry season that is highly variable among regions and low soil organic matter that limits water retention. Mulch with empty fresh fruit bunches; strategically locating pruned leaves and effec- tive use of cover crops are means of increasing soil organic matter. Observations from numerous farmers’ fields demonstrate that soil organic matter can be increased by at least 1% year by these simple means and doubling water retention. The impact from additional soil organic matter is reduced yield losses due to water stress, increased water infiltration, reduced irrigation costs and greater nutrient efficiency, resulting in significantly higher yields. Our approach is similar to carbon farming, carbon sequestering and regenerative agriculture. Use of by-products and cover crops to increase soil orga- nic matter is carbon sequestering that has a positive effect on greenhouse gases; that is, more carbon is sequestered in the soil than emitted from production. Colombia needs to promote high-yielding eco-friendly palm production thus giving national production a competitive edge. The work in Colombia clearly demonstrates that oil palm production can be part of the solution to climate change and not contribute to pollution. Introducción
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Fedepalma
2019
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| Online Access: | https://publicaciones.fedepalma.org/index.php/palmas/article/view/13047 |
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