Agricultural  Project Nyembuye  Burundi
Monday, 3 December 2012
Progress of Plants in October 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).
Monday, 3 December 2012
The Garden Site
Monday, 3 December 2012
Cyphomandra betaceum (Solanaceae family) Common name: Tamarillo or Tree Tomato, yellowing of leaves and poor fruiting
Citrus: Orange and Lemon with pest leaf damage
Monday, 3 December 2012
Mango looking fairly healthy but making no progress Pineapples are on level ground at the base of the garden and looking healthy at present
Monday, 3 December 2012
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)
Monday, 3 December 2012
Phaseolus vulgaris (Red Kidney Bean)
The problem:
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
Monday, 3 December 2012
•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
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 tomatoes Protect 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 crops Drying fruit and vegetables Vacuum packing cooked fruit and vegetables? Jam making (Tamarillo high in pectin) Monday, 3 December 2012
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.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Terracing 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
Monday, 3 December 2012
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 bedding Manure short term: sowing green manure crops and digging back in before going to seed other organic options for building up NPK woodash
Monday, 3 December 2012
Seedlings protection : protected and shaded seedbed
Business opportunities:
choosing the right produce beans and peas for : reduced cooking time drying Pressure cooking vacuum packing bottling fruits for:
drying jams juicing bottling
Monday, 3 December 2012
Suggested crops: Allium: onion / leek / garlic
Root: carrot / beetroot / cassava Brassica: cabbage / broccoli Legumes: beans / peas / lentils Leafy: spinach / kale / amaranthus Potatoes Tomatoes
Suggestions for help and financing solutions, short and long term:
Linking to local agricultural college with proven track record www.ub.edu.bi/) Linking to UK agricultural college Linking of both colleges for advice and support
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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
Monday, 3 December 2012