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Abstract
Tegegne, F., B. English, E.
Ekanem and S. Singh. 2008. Environmental impact of production
practices of small limited resource farmers in Tennessee. JEMREST 5:00-00
Pollution
arising from applications of agricultural chemicals by large farmers has been
recognized and a number of studies have been conducted to address the
problem. In contrast, there are very few such studies involving small
farmers. The issue is important because small farms account for a
disproportionately high share (about 93 %) of all farms in the United States
with concentration in the Southeastern states. The purpose of this paper is
to determine the environmental impact of production practices of small
limited resource farmers in Tennessee.
The data was collected using a detailed survey questionnaire administered to
three hundred and sixty seven small limited resource farmers in three
watersheds in Middle, East and West Tennessee
using face to face interview. The selection of the locations for the study
was based on information that the areas are prone to environmental
degradation. Watersheds provide a useful framework to effectively address the
problem. Issues covered by the survey include characteristics of the farms
and the operators; tillage and planting practices, use of pesticides and
fertilizers, types of crops grown, topographical data including stream
location, slope length and percent, soil physical properties, and
conservation practices. The Environmental Productivity Impact Calculator
(EPIC), which is a plant growth simulator, is used to determine the levels of
water degradation and soil erosion on representative farms. Among other
things, results show that small limited resource farmers do not apply
fertilizer optimally and contribute to fertilizer contamination of surface
and ground water and cause relatively more erosion.
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