ROTATIONS COMPARED

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FOUR COMMON ROTATION ON THE GROUND IN THE WANA REGION
SEASON	ROTATIONS
SEASON	CEREAL - FALLOW	CEREAL - MEDIC ( Traditional rotation)	CEREAL - VETCH	CEREAL - GRAIN LEGUME.
AUTUMN	Cereal crop sown	Cereal crop sown	Cereal crop sown	Cereal crop sown
WINTER	Cereal crop grows	Cereal crop grows	Cereal crop grows	Cereal crop grows
SPRING	Cereal crop matures	Cereal crop matures	Cereal crop matures	Cereal crop matures
SUMMER	Cereal crop harvested Stubble grazed by livestock	Cereal crop harvested Stubble grazed by livestock	Cereal crop harvested Stubble grazed by livestock	Cereal crop harvested Stubble grazed by livestock
AUTUMN	Weeds germinate naturally	Medic regenerates from seed produced 18 months earlier. No cultivation of the land required.	Land cultivated and sown to vetch or similar forage legumes.	Land cultivated and sown to grain legume such as lentils or chick peas.
WINTER	Weeds grazed. Low stocking rate.	Medic pasture grazed. High stocking rate.	Grazed or more often left for hay.	Grain legumes grow.
SPRING	Land cultivated for fallow	Medic grazed. Pods produced for future regeneration.	Cut for hay.	Grain legumes mature.
SUMMER	Bare soil vulnerable to erosion.	Pods and stubble grazed.	Stubble grazed.	Grain legumes harvested. Stubble grazed.
AUTUMN	Cereal cycle begins again.	Cereal cycle begins again	Cereal cycle begins again	Cereal cycle begins again

In addition to the classic four mentioned above there is the new Zaghouan 4 rotation.

The rotations are compared is the series of chapters below.

THE ROTATIONS COMPARED
CHAPTER HEADING	SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Sustainability.	Soil erosion is the main sustainability issue for farming in the cereal zone of the WANA region. The impact of the four rotations on soil erosion is examined.
Fallow for moisture storage	The possible benefits of moisture storage still lingers on as an issue with many farmers. This chapter shows how moisture storage (if it occurs) cannot justify the use of a long cultivated fallow.
Cost of production	Costs and returns are the major determinants of farmers profits. The cost of production for each rotation is examined both for small and large farmers.
Returns	Returns relate to the level of output and price. This chapter looks mainly at output.
Risk of failure and loss	For small farmers with few resources and financial reserves risk is particularly import. A balance needs to be struck between high profits and risk.
The control of weeds in the rotation	Each rotation has an inherent level of weed control. Other weed control measures can be applied (see later chapters) but the natural ability of the rotation to "clean" the land or otherwise is an important part of the decision making process.
Labour requirements	The amount of labour and the time it is used are an important aspect of each rotation.
Capital requirements	This chapter looks at the capital requirements for each rotation but machinery is treated separately (see below)
Machinery resources	Machinery is a special part of the general capital requirements. It is particularly difficult for small farmers.
Conflict with cereals	We have assumed that the starting point for most farmers is the growing of a cereal crop. We have examined the conflict between the requirement of the cereal crop and the new crop, new forage or pasture being introduced into the rotation.
Suitability for small farmers.	Small farmers are resource poor. In this chapter we have selected the aspects of the above comparisons that would be appropriate for small farmers.
Making a choice	This chapter provide a framework for selecting a combination of the four rotations and other variations.
Zaghouan 4 Rotation	The Zaghouan 4 rotation is not included in the comparison. It is an innovation from Tunisia that cleverly overcomes many of the problems of medic on small farms.