Stray Light Mechanisms

Perennials are crops which do not have to be planted every year. The only problem right now is that these crops have low yields. Prem (2020) advanced some of the challenges. Take a look at some of the challenges faced by perennial crops:

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i. Size of seeds: The sizes of most of the seeds of perennials are very small in size. These small sizes make it difficult for a good level of yield to be achieved by the growers. Suffice to say that, only small yield can be got from a lager plot.

ii. Lack of habitat for wildlife: Due to the fact that most of our food grain crops are annual crops, e.g. legumes, cereals and oilseed crops including wheat, rice and maize. They are replanted every year which requires a lot of expensive pesticides and fertilizers and leave very little habitat for wildlife.

iii. Expensive nature of the system: As a result of the fact that most perennial crops are annual crops, (e.g. legumes, cereals and oilseed crops including wheat, rice and maize) they are therefore replanted every year which requires a lot of expensive farm tools to open up new lands, clear existing land, apply pesticides and fertilizers, etc. All of these contribute to making the system an expensive one.

iv. Low yield: The yield from a large area of land at the end of the growing season is usually small and this results to food insecurity to the people in particular and the nation in particular.

v. lack of public support and funding: One of the main challenges is the lack of public support and funding. This has made it impossible for government to fund researches that could help to increase the sizes and development of the different seeds which in long-run can help increase the yield of the plants in question.

vi. Climate change: Climate changes are yet another of the challenges for today's farmers, who are forced to adjust their production to increasing risks from weather extremes (such as hail, drought, heavy rain, and soil erosion). Climate changes are not only responsible for adverse weather conditions, they also cause the instability in farm commodity prices

126 3.6 Advantages of Perennial agriculture

Some of the reasons which stand as advantages of growing perennial crops as advanced by Glover and Reganold (2010), and Prem (2020). They are as follows;

i. Preservation of soil nutrients: Perennials have the ability to preserve soil nutrients. This is as a result of the fact that the farm or land is not tilled each year and as such makes it possible for macro-organisms to thrive well in the soil, in addition to the decomposition of organic matters in the soil that all join to preserve the soil fertility.

ii. Conservation of funds: As a result of the fact that the crops are not planted each year and that the plant has a way of improving soil fertility naturally, it makes it the system require less investment by farmers in terms of buying farm chemicals like fertilizer, and pesticide. They can also turn out to be more profitable to farmers, as they don‟t have to buy seeds every year.

Through this, funds of the farmers are conserved.

iii. Provision of shelter to animals: Animals can benefit from greater shelter provided by perennials. This is possible because the plant itself does not die but continue from one year to another and so the canopy produced can be taken advantage of by the animals.

iv. Helps to reduce global warming: Perennial crops grow from year to year, they are not cleared neither are they burnt by fire. This act of keeping the land green makes it possible for the system to reduce global warming.

v. Control of soil erosion: One of the benefits of planting perennial crop is that it helps to rreduce soil erosion. Annual farming leaves fields fallow in between growing seasons and offers less root mass throughout the growth cycle. The shed leaves from the plants and the canopy formed by the crops make it impossible for the soil to be carried away by erosion. This has become important because erosion destroys topsoil which then pressures microbial and plant populations.

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vi. Protection of water bodies: Another benefit of conversion to perennial is reduced chemical runoff. Farming chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides are not completely absorbed by crops when they are applied and the excess most times migrates into water bodies like rivers, seas, lakes etc. The migration of the chemicals into water causes water pollution which is harmful to aquatic life.

vii. Better conservation of fresh water: Perennial plants also conserve freshwater better than annuals plants. Annual crops lose up to five times more water than perennials . This means that annual fields require more irrigation which threatens fresh water sources and consequently biodiversity in certain ecosystems.

viii. Conservation of fossil fuel: Perennial agriculture uses less fossil fuel than annual agriculture. Annual systems require fields to be tilled and replanted more often than perennial systems. This incurs a higher fuel usage due to farm machinery. Since the system does not demand steady use of farm machines, it therefore helps to save available fuel and pollution of the environment.

ix. Perennials are better nutrient competitors: Perennial plants are usually better competitors than annual plants, especially under stable, resource-poor conditions. This is due to the development of larger root systems which can access water and soil nutrients deeper in the soil and to earlier emergence in the spring.