Template:Chapter 3.2b

3.2b - Climbing chayote squash on terrace walls

Nicholas Dischiavi, University of Guelph, Canada

Related video(s): Wall crops (English)(Source: SAK Global)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC447Tnr0E0

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Dischiavi, N (2022) Climbing chayote squash on terrace walls. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

Background on Terrace Farming

Terrace farming is not an ideal method of production for many smallholder farmers due to high labour and limited horizontal growing area (Chapagain and Raizada, 2017). However, growing crops vertically along terrace walls represents an opportunity for subsistence farmers to increase their production per hectare, as well as profits (Chapagain et al., 2019).

In mountainous regions, terrace farming has been utilized for thousands of years due to its ability to prevent soil erosion, conserve water and increase productivity, especially with limited land space (Deng et al., 2021). The first evidence of terrace farming was in Southeast Asia some 5000 years ago, with the practice subsequently extending to the Mediterranean's northern and southern borders, with extensive evidence of terrace agriculture by the Incas in the New World (Price & Nixon, 2005). Terrace farming is most commonly designed as follows: a vertical wall is built along the mountain/hillside, and on top of the terrace is a horizontal plot of land which is where field crops can be grown (Chapagain et al., 2019). To allow for the growth of such crops (e.g. grains, horticultural crops, and fodder), steep slopes (typically of the hillside) are split into narrow, graded steps (Chapagain et al., 2019). In addition, the ledge at the base of the vertical wall can be left as a walkway or can be utilized to grow climbing and/or hanging plants (Chapagain et al., 2019), which is the topic of this chapter.

Background to Chayote Squash

Chayote (or Sechium edule), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is believed to have originated in Central America (Pu et al., 2021). To this day, it remains unknown where exactly chayote was first domesticated, but it is still common amongst Central American countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Mexico (Vieria et al., 2019). Past research incorrectly deemed Guatemala as the birthplace of chayote, yet current research supports the theory it was cultivated by the Mayans in Southern Mexico (Pu et al., 2021). Due to the location in which chayote originated, it grows best in semi-tropical climates but can also be adapted to grow in tropical climates (Pu et al., 2021). However, European explorers spread chayote across the globe, planting it in the Caribbean, South America, and parts of Europe, and as time went on, farmers adapted to grow chayote in Asian and African countries (Pu et al., 2021). Conveniently, chayote can be consumed in full as all parts of the plant are edible, including its tuberous roots (Pu et al., 2021). These roots are prepared after one year of growth and contain significant amounts of starch and dietary fibre (Pu et al., 2021).

Growth and Production of Chayote

Like other Cucurbitaceae, chayote grows on a perennial vine (Vieria et al., 2019). These vines grow in a very aggressive nature up to 6-9 m in a given season and produce 50-100 squash per plant (Vieria et al., 2019). Further, what is particularly nice about chayote is that seeds can be found inside the fruit and replanted for future yields. Chayote can take many different shapes, with variation in colour, size, and texture. As a warm-season fruit, chayote should be planted about one month after the last sign of frost if relevant (Vieria et al., 2019). To grow fully, chayote requires 4 to 5 months in direct sunlight yet it can also grow in partial sunlight, however, this would, in turn, reduce the yield (Pu et al., 2021). For best results, chayote should be planted in soil with a pH between 6-6.8 (Pu et al., 2021).

Cost Benefit-Analysis of Growing at the Base of Terrace Walls

In a study by Chapagain et al. (2019), climbing chayote squash was planted at the base of terrace walls over two cropping seasons to test its potential growth and overall value. Taking place in Nepal, the researchers attempted to grow climbing pumpkins, yams, as well as chayote in two separate locations (Chapagain et al., 2019). Chayote was by far the most profitable of the three, as the fruit weight totalled approximately 166 kg each, while tubers totalled about 16 kg (Chapagain et al., 2019).

Although chayote is relatively affordable to grow, there are expenses that reduce their potential earnings (Chapagain et al., 2019). Using the study by Chapagain et al. (2019), researchers were able to do a trial of potential earning outcomes in USD. In the Dhading block of Nepal, transportation to market alone cost $11.40 per plant on average (cost between 2015-16 on average). Next, the cost of labour was about $3.45 while seeds and planting materials were around $0.35 (Chapagain et al., 2019). Altogether including miscellaneous costs, the expenses of growing and selling chayote were about $16.55 in the Dhading block, while the net return was approximately $32.95 per plant (Chapagain et al., 2019). Not only could the fruit be sold, however, and (in the Dhading region) the chayote tuber was valued at $0.40/kg (Chapagain et al., 2019). The cost of maintaining the terrace itself must be considered as well, which includes labour, and materials.

Sustainability of Terrace Farming

A major challenge is that terraces require constant maintenance, or else they deteriorate which requires considerable labour and cost to restore (Deng et al., 2019), as noted above. Over time, terraces can interrupt water circulation, including promoting run-off and soil loss, if not well-maintained (Deng et al., 2021). In order to operate as intended, a terrace must be used in unison with soil conservation practices, especially in wet climates (Durán Zuazo et al., 2019). The emergence of significant environmental issues brought on by poorly designed or poorly managed terraces could cause soil loss up to five times as much as a well-managed terrace. The terrace must be protected by vegetation, or plant covers must be implemented to preserve the terrace (Durán Zuazo et al., 2019). In this vein, the chayote vertical canopy may protect the terrace walls, but studies are needed to make such a conclusion. Failure to maintain the terrace could lead to the deterioration of soil and pose issues in the future for farmers hoping to re-use that land.

Limitations

Unfortunately, chayote squash is not the most profitable commodity for remote farmers. Although it has the potential for great economic return for farmers, transportation of the fruit in remote areas cut profits tremendously, as noted above (Chapagain et al., 2019). Chapagain et al. (2019) found in their trial that almost 70% of the overall cost of growing chayote was allocated towards transportation from the hillside to markets due to the substantial mass of both the squash itself as well as the tubers. This shows the importance of remote farmers developing market channels and/or working relationships with potential consumers. Alternatively, some type of post-harvest processing or preservation without refrigeration could be beneficial, to add value to this crop and reduce the immediate transportation costs (e.g. pickling, etc.).

The issue of storage is a common problem for chayote farmers, especially those harvesting excess fruit (Cadena-Iñiguez, 2006). As chayote fruit is soft and high in moisture content, the seed can germinate prematurely inside the fruit (vivipory), about a week after storage under non-ideal environmental conditions (Cadena-Iñiguez, 2006). Cold storage or wax coating were found to prevent this premature sprouting (Cadena-Iñiguez, 2006).

The design of the terrace can pose challenges to farmers as well. It is recommended farmers select an angled terrace wall in order to minimize the possible effect of monsoon rainfall on the terrace, and the potential for soil erosion (Pu et al., 2021). This is not common knowledge to all farmers and runs the risk of damaging their soil and/or terrace. In a financial sense, it is also important to consider the cost of materials used for the construction of the terrace, and the possibility of damaging the soil when building it (Deng et al., 2021). Un-informed farmers could possibly create a non-sustainable terrace that could lead to the potential ruin of crops and loss of their investment.

Although farmers in Nepal have already begun to grow climbing and hanging crops on terrace walls, experts have yet to analyze the true potential economic gains from these yields, so this form of farming requires testing in other environments (Chapagain et al., 2019). The cost of building a new terrace is especially concerning, and hence should only be undertaken on farms with pre-existing terraces. The Nepal Terrace Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture Kits initiative (SAKNepal) offer valuable resources (Government of Canada, 2021).

Conclusion

When evaluating the economic success of subsistence farmers growing chayote squash on terrace walls, it is evident that the potential for profit is high as long as there are pre-existing terrace walls available, and post-harvest and transportation solutions available to take advantage of the high yield of this cropping system.

Picture Based Lesson to Train Farmers

Click on the image to access a higher resolution image as well as lessons adapted for different geographic regions.

http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/4.2b_south_asian_eng.pdf South Asia

http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/4.2_b_east_southeast_asia_englishversion-2.pdf East/Southeast Asia

http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/4.2bsubsaharan_africa_carribean_engversion.pdf Sub-Saharan Africa/Carribean

http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/4.2blatin_america_eng_version.pdf Latin America

http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/3.7n._africa_middleeast_eng_version.pdf North Africa/Middle East

Links to Useful Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S43fq_ROP9A&ab_channel=SAKGlobal

Short YouTube film displaying the practice of terrace farming in Nepal

https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/57210/IDL-57210.pdf Article on a terrace farming initiative in Nepal

https://www.idrc.ca/en/research-in-action/sustainable-agriculture-kits-terrace-farmers-nepal Article on sustainable agriculture kits

https://www.accessagriculture.org/slm02-fanya-juu-terraces Example of terrace farming

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2673379795/FBBC998CABD44842PQ/12?accountid=11233 Article on the health benefits of chayote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7db3_Y7t2Q&ab_channel=LearnOrganicGardeningatGrowingYourGreens YouTube video showing how to grow chayote vines vertically

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtE-ZK6pL0Y&ab_channel=MarieCountryLife YouTube video sharing recipes for cooking chayote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjjhKZ4F6W8&ab_channel=No-TillGrowers YouTube video showing the function of a terrace farm on a hillside

References

1. Cadena-Iñiguez, J., Arévalo-Galarza, L., Ruiz-Posadas, L. M., Aguirre-Medina, J. F., Soto-Hernández, M., Luna-Cavazos, M., & Zavaleta-Mancera, H. A. (2006). Quality Evaluation and influence of 1-MCP on sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. fruit during postharvest. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 40(2), 170–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2005.12.013

2. Chapagain, T., Ghimire, B., Pudasaini, R., Gurung, K., Choi, K., Rai, L., Magar, S., Bishnu, B. K., & Raizada, M. N. (2019). The underutilized terrace wall can be intensified to improve farmer livelihoods. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 39(3), 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-019-0574-2

3. Deng, C., Zhang, G., Liu, Y., Nie, X., Li, Z., Liu, J., & Zhu, D. (2021). Advantages and disadvantages of terracing: A comprehensive review. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 9(3), 344–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2021.03.002

4. Durán Zuazo, V. H., Rodríguez Pleguezuelo, C. R., Rodríguez, B. C., Ruiz, B. G., Gordillo, S. G., Sacristán, P. C., Tavira, S. C., & García-Tejero, I. F. (2019). Terraced subtropical farming: Sustainable Strategies for Soil Conservation. Soil Health Restoration and Management, 6(4)( 231–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8570-4_7

5. Government of Canada. (2021, March 9). Sustainable agriculture kits for terrace farmers in Nepal. International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.idrc.ca/en/research-inaction/sustainable-agriculture-kits-terrace-farmers-nepal

6. Price, S. Nixon, L. (2005). Ancient Greek agricultural terraces: Evidence from texts and archaeological survey. American Journal of Archaeology, 109, 665-694 https://www.jstor.org/stable/40025693

7. Pu, Y.-T., Luo, Q., Wen, L.-H., Li, Y.-R., Meng, P.-H., Wang, X.-J., & Tan, G.-F. (2021). Origin, Evolution, Breeding, and Omics of Chayote, an Important Cucurbitaceae Vegetable Crop. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 739091. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.739091

8. Vieira, E. F., Pinho, O., Ferriera, I. M., Delerue-Matos, C. (2019) Chayote (Sechium edule): A Review of Nutritional Composition, Bioactivities and Potential Applications. Food Chemistry, 275, 557–568., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.09.146.