Abstract
As a result of a Technical Cooperation for Area Development (TAD) workshop at Kota Bangun in 1983, a 'Mulch Rotation' system proposed by von Uexkull was adopted for field trials to assess its suitability to transmigrant settlement units in the Kutai District of Kalimantan, Indonesia. These trials confirmed the greater sustainability of the system through reduced requirements for inorganic fertilizer. The present Paper demonstrates that the Mulch Rotation System has another major advantage over more traditional systems since its labour requirements more closely match labour availability on the settlement units. It thus demonstrates the importance of including a systematic assessment of labour requirements and labour availability in the field trials of any new farming system.
