Researches

Intercropping has been seen as an advantageous strategy in sustainable agriculture. Plants how-ever interact with one another both above and below ground with members of the same species(intraspecific) or members of a different species (interspecific) for nutrients, water and light. It is therefore essential to understand these interactions when intercropped. The objective was to examine the above and below ground interactions between onion and lettuce in monocrop and intercrop systems. We examined the various possible interactions (no competition, above ground, below ground, or full) using a full factorial randomized design under greenhouse conditions. Onion yield was highest in intraspecific above ground competition and lowest in below ground and full interspecific competition with lettuce. Dry weight of onions in above ground competition with lettuce was significantly greater than that of the control group. Fresh weight of lettuce leaves were highest in below ground and full interspecific competition treatments. The hectare model and yield results suggest that there is strong below ground competitive effect between onion and lettuce in intercrop. Asymetric interspecific facilitation was found: facilitation by onion led to in-creased lettuce yield but a negative effect of lettuce on onion yield was observed. Knowledge of competitive interactions between component crops can have several applications in sustainable agricultural as it helps to match the most efficient species under specific conditions

Organic agriculture regulations, in particular European regulation EC 889/2008, prescribe the use oforganically produced seed. For many cultivated plants, however, organic seed is often not available.This is mainly because investment in organic plant breeding and seed production has been low in the past. To bridge the gap between organic seed supply and demand, national and European regulationsdefine certain circumstances under which organic producers are permitted to use non-organically produced seed. While the organic sector currently depends on these concessions, they also threaten toimpede a further increase in the demand for organic seed, thereby potentially restraining present andfuture investment in organic seed production and plant breeding. We review the current status of theorganic seed regulations framework by analysing key issues such as the role of the national derogationregimes, the role of expert groups, databases and seed prices. Key points are that (a) the situation ofthe organic seed sector has improved over the last few years; however, (b) reporting on organic seedto the EU by different countries needs to be harmonised; (c) the success of the organic seed sectordepends critically on the implementation and improvement of national expert groups; and (d) to protect genetic diversity, the use of local varieties and landraces should not be impeded by organicseed regulations.

"INDIGENOUS peoples in Guatemala are the poorest of the poor" according to the World Bank (O'Kane, 1999). Approximately 50 per cent of Guatemala's population is indigenous. Indigenous peoples have passed down their knowledge through the generations. This knowledge is beginning to be recognized by the development community as a valuable resource. Development programmes and projects have thus far lacked community participation towards sustainable development. Guatemala, and its high proportion of indigenous peoples, provides the ideal research location to gain insight into the perspectives of indigenous peoples on the appropriate methodology and use of their Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in development. Through in-depth interviews, participants provided recommendations that could improve development within an indigenous context. Voices from the indigenous community will aid in a more equitable and culturally appropriate alternative model for the incorporation of IK in development.