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Maximum Yield Cropping System (MYCS)

There are many economic, social and environmental benefits to be gained by increasing the current yield from existing food production areas, including increased employment, food production and community food security, and most important, the prevention of clearing more forests for food production. Natural ecosystem services are essential for human existence, providing life support functions such as water and oxygen — and they are the models from which we can design our cultivated ecosystems.

The Maximum Yield Cropping System is a combination of traditional cropping systems and the knowledge of how ecosystems exist, maintain their productivity, stability and resilience. Cropping beds of a minimum of 3m are placed between hedges or alleys of nitrogen fixing plants, such as Leucaena spp. and Cajanus spp. which can be regularly pruned. A combination of main crop, intercrop and catch-crop plants are grown in the cropping beds.

Nutrient need Low Medium High
Main crop wheat, barley eggplant, potato corn, rhubarb
Intercrop beans, peas capsicum broccoli, celery
Catch-crop silver beet, kale lettuce mustard greens

The MYCS includes aspects such as:

  • Sequential cropping: The planting monthly of the same plant species over two to three growing seasons.
  • Extended cropping: Cabbage & broccoli, for example, by retaining their roots and stems after the first harvest.
  • Grafting: Devil’s Apple / Apple of Sodom and tomato. Stock Solanum linnaeanum, Scion lycopersicon lycopersicum.

The cropping bed has been prepared by adding the missing minerals in the correct amount determined from a soil test, and the addition of finished compost. High nutrient need crops are planted in the first season. And the next season, it is planted with fewer nutrient-demanding plant species.

Next to the current cropping bed is a grass / legume ley in between Alleys or hedges . The grass/legume plants are cut before flowering and laid as mulch. The hedge / alley plants are trimmed of their soft growth and included in this mulch layer. The addition of this nitrogenous organic plant matter increases the nitrogen and humus content of the soil. Nitrogen is needed for continuous humus formation and humus has a Carbon / Nitrogen ratio of 12:1.

It has been calculated that if all the world’s agricultural soils have an increase of 2% carbon, this would reduce the current carbon content of the world’s atmosphere of 400ppm to a pre-industrialised agriculture level of 278ppm. This one element with a multifunction effect can help reduce the adverse effects off the current out of control global warming induced, climate change.

Seed, which have been pelletized in a clay and compost mixture, is sown on to the mulch layer of the cropping bed. The selection of plant species depends on their nutrient requirements, climate, seasonal and weather conditions. The greatest inputs for this maximum yield cropping system are the amount of conscious design and the attention to detail. "The field lies open to the intellect" (Bill Mollison). Three Permaculture ethics and five foundational permaculture design principles are inherent in this maximum yield cropping system.

Bibliography

  • A. Howard, An Agricultural Testament, UK
  • W. Albrecht, The Albrecht Papers Volume II, USA
  • R. Elliot, The Clifton Park System of Farming, UK
  • M. Fukuoka, The One Straw Revolution, Japan
  • S. Solomon, The Intelligent Gardener, Australia
  • B. Mollison, The Permaculture Designers’ Manual, Australia
  • J.J. Machobane, Drive out Hunger, Lesotho
  • J. Fair, SA Biofarm, South Africa
  • R. Carlson, Silent Spring, USA

3 Comments

  1. Hello,
    Can you please provide the source for the following statement so that I can start spreading it comfortably:
    “It has been calculated that if all the world’s agricultural soils have an increase of 2% carbon, this would reduce the current carbon content of the world’s atmosphere of 400ppm to a pre-industrialised agriculture level of 278ppm.”

    Thank you!

  2. Can you post links leading to more reading about this Maximum Yield Cropping System? Or books/papers on the topic?

  3. The calculation that if the carbon content of the worlds agricultural soils was increased by 2% it would reduce the atmospheric carbon dioxide from the present 400ppm to pre industrial times level of 278 ppm came from a documentary possibly named Low carbon future and Bio -dynamic agriculture.
    As far as I know MYCS is not in practice and any one is welcome to give it ago . The cash crop in the MYCS web posting is actually a catch crop . Say radish with carrots. A very fast growing crop in between the plants of the main or inter crop.

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