agricultural project november 2012

Agricultural ProjectNyembuye Burundi

Monday, 3 December 2012

Avocado (Persea Americana), Orange, Lemon (Citrus), Mango (Mangifera indica), Tamarillo (Cyphomandra betaceum), Banana (Ananas) and Papaya (Carica papaya -‐ not

yet planted) Fruit trees and Pineapple (Ananas comosus).

Progress of Plants in October 2012


The Garden Site


Cyphomandra betaceum (Solanaceae family)Common name: Tamarillo or Tree Tomato, yellowing of

leaves and poor fruiting

Citrus: Orange and Lemon with pest leaf damage


Pineapples are on level ground at the base of the

garden and looking healthy at present

Mango looking fairly healthy but

making no progress

Avocados have been lost and replanted, making

slow progress

Bananas seem to survive and are grown in a hole


Staple: Amarathus spp is a spinach-‐like crop. This bed was doing reasonably well but another, away from the clinic was devastated with sickness.

Cassava :(Manihot esculenta), also called yuca, mogo, manioc, mandioca, tapioca and kamoteng kahoy, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)

Phaseolus vulgaris (Red Kidney Bean)


The problem:

•Poor advice•Site contour•Poor site preparation•Soil not tested•No soil improvement•Many non productive trees throughout the site•Trees planted in unloosened holes or holes dug deep and trees planted at base to capture water (Banana)•No composting and provision for creating FYM•No specific irrigation system•No design for intercropping / crop beds / types of annual crops / crop rotation

Analysis of site soil:

•pH neutral – slightly acidic at top of site•pH neutral to slightly alkaline at bottom of site•Nitrogen level: barely adequate•Phosphate: below adequate•Potash: inadequate


Suggested solutions:

•Terracing of Site (options for holding soil banks in place) / removal of non-‐productive trees•Soil improvement double digging addition of organic matter Green manure (quick growing legumes) Composted vegetable matter (building of composting system) FYM (corralling of goats at night) Wood ash (available in quantity)•Irrigation•Annual Top dressing / mulching•Alternating of terraces

fruit trees in orchard form crops in rotation (roots, legumes, brassicas, alliums, leafy + potatoes)Make provision for tomatoesProtect crops from goats

•Starting seedlings in shaded and protected area•Correct practice for planting trees and crops•Researched choice of crops for eating fresh and processing for creating small business/s

Reducing cooking times / choosing toxin-‐free cropsDrying fruit and vegetablesVacuum packing cooked fruit and vegetables?Jam making (Tamarillo high in pectin)


Irrigation: plenty of available water in dry season. Run-‐off from tank overflow non-‐productive. Soil washed away in rainy season

Possible solutions:

•Punctured hose laid throughout the site and attached to run-‐off•Hose attached to run-‐off with valve and hand watered at dawn and dusk.


According to Dr Okoba, the combination of terracing and the right planting prevents nutrients applied through fertilizers or manures from being eroded by heavy rains. The key lies in planting crops like paw paws, Napier grass, bananas and tree crops on the embankments formed after soil is packed downhill or uphill.

Trees, shrubs, grasses Desmodium, Leucaena shrub, Vetiva grass, Acacia Albida, and Grevellia Robusta tree are some of the crops soil scientists are encouraging farmers to plant in the terrace embankments. Their root networks stabilize terraces and produces dry matter that replenishes the soil’s organic matter. They don’t compete for resources with other crops and these varieties can also be pruned and sprout back, and help in soil water retention.

Both images from Rwanda

Terracing


Manure -‐ Long term: FYM: Corralling goats after dark Making of 3 section compost system / use of uncooked vegetable waste Using cut tops of Miscanthus for beddingManure short term: sowing green manure crops and digging back in before going to seed other organic options for building up NPK woodash


Seedlings protection : protected and shaded seedbed

Suggested crops: Allium: onion / leek / garlic Root: carrot / beetroot / cassava Brassica: cabbage / broccoli Legumes: beans / peas / lentils Leafy: spinach / kale / amaranthus Potatoes Tomatoes

Business opportunities:choosing the right producebeans and peas for : reduced cooking time drying Pressure cooking vacuum packing bottling

fruits for: drying jams juicing bottling


Suggestions for help and financing solutions, short and long term:

Linking to local agricultural college with proven track record (http://www.ub.edu.bi/) Linking to UK agricultural college Linking of both colleges for advice and support

Raising funds: Providing goodness, stop erosion and build a terrace Providing goodness, buy a fruit tree Providing goodness, buy healthy seeds Providing goodness, build a composter Providing goodness, buy a goat / cow / hen

Collaboration teams overseeing initial development and local team overseeing long term


agricultural project november 2012

Documents

planting crops

tree crops

planting trees

tomatoesprotect crops

orchard form crops

soil banks

tamarillo cyphomandra

terracing of site options