2.2.2. Design of the cropping plan
In this step we modified the selection of crops and the percent- age of farm area for each crop to remedy at least one of the follow- ing root causes: the existing area of a crop or of a botanical family was too large to safeguard soil health; the farm experienced a shortage of labour during some periods; the farm’s cash flow was insufficient during parts of the year; some of the existing crops were not suitable for the soil types on the farm; the available re- sources were insufficient for some existing crops or for their sur- face areas; greater crop diversity was needed for biological or marketing reasons. In the re-designs discussed with the farmers we increased the area of grass-clover pastures or alfalfa whenever possible to improve soil quality and to increase forage production on farms with cattle.