Effective micro-organisms: The key to healthy soil and healthy diets in rural Fontem

Hello fans, welcome to Suzy Farms. Today we are going to share with you a story about Mrs. Nven, who successfully restore a healthy soil for healthy plants and healthy diet within her community. Kindly read till the end and share your own opinion in the comment section below.

 Mrs. Nven usually wakes early to prepare breakfast for her family of seven (7). After sending off the four younger children to school, she starts working in her vegetable garden. There she will harvest some vegetables like huckleberry, amaranth greens, leaves of fluted pumpkin and water leaves, then she proceed to the market where she sells them. When she return in the evening, she will pick some more vegetables to prepare food for the family dinner.  Although Mrs. Nven comes from a farming family, she hadn’t always worked with vegetables before. Her parents had exclusively cultivated cocoa, just like most other families in her village Takwei in Fontem. You may be shock to know that they have never enjoyed the product of the cocoa plants.  Cocoa is cultivated mostly for export to the West which makes them just bare labourers at the bottom of the business pyramid. So when Mrs. Nven finally married her husband Mr. Awung, she settled into a similar life: her husband grew mainly cocoa, and worked as a labourer in the off-seasons. But, because they were dependent on a single crop for sustenance, her family – just like the others – faced food shortages for 4-5 months of each year.

In 2016, Mrs. Nven started a vegetable garden, measuring 200 square meters. She hoped the family could save what they spent on buying fresh produce from the market and be assured of a varied and nutritious diet. But few vegetables flourished in the hard, red soil. Desperate not to lose the inputs and effort she had already invested, she drained her savings on chemical fertilizers. At first the chemicals seemed to work. The vegetables flourished. But gradually, she noticed that the soil was getting harder still, water would not drain, and the vegetables developed a strange bitter taste. Then, in 2020 she was advice to use effective microorganism which brings with it a unique approach: Effective Micro-organisms (EM) are specially cultivated bacteria that could condition the soil and manage pests. Though she was very skeptical when told, she finally decided to give it a try. 

She bought just 2 litter and begins by combining the EM mixture with fixed proportions of sugar, molasses and chopped-up vegetable waste. The mixture is sealed and stored, and the bacteria get to work, turning it into a rich, soupy compost. Once ready, the mixture is diluted and applied to vegetables or other crops. This activates the natural micro-organisms in the soil, conditioning it so other beneficial creatures, such as earthworms, can flourish. It also counts as a nature-based solution: a holistic approach to improving local conditions that promotes the well-being of people and the environment. Soon other farmers too were interested after seeing the result in her vegetable farm. They got a litter of EM and started adding it to their compost heap too.

Through a combination of trainings on her farm, visits to other sites, and connecting with other farmers, Mrs. Nven eagerly learned how to produce EM. She expanded her garden to 1000 square meters, devoting 100 square meters of it to a greenhouse where she could grow organic vegetables year-round. Since then Mrs. Nven garden has flourished. Same with most farmers in her community who have also learn to produce EM from scratch. Bingo, what a wonderful way to recycle waste into fertilizers to enhance beneficial soil microbes to restore soil nutrients for healthy plants, optimum yield and reduce pest. Yes, self-production of EM and no more buying of expensive chemicals resulted to low input and higher output. Isn’t this what every farmer of entrepreneur looks for? Low cost, high yield, high profit returns, poverty alleviation, food security, reduce malnutrition, community development, restoration of ecosystem, pollution reduction, etc.

“The quality of the soil is better,” she says. “There are more earthworms and fewer soil-borne pests. Weed growth has reduced, my vegetables grow faster and the soil has become rich and dark. I see ladybirds in my garden now, and I’ve noticed better drainage. More importantly, now we can keep the produce for a longer time.” Mrs. Nven plot is now an active community learning site. Farmers come, even from other villages, to learn how to replicate her successes.  “If used efficiently, EM can be a farmer’s friend, as it provides more nutrients and yield. This might seem rather a minor benefit to some but here, in remote rural areas, it is everything. It leads to improved nutrition, better incomes and sustainable living conditions for small-scale farmers.”

Indeed, agriculture is the main source of subsistence and livelihoods for the Bangwa clan. But these agricultural resources are also highly climate-sensitive, leaving the Nweh people with little capacity to adapt to the changing climate. Solutions like EM are therefore crucial to helping small-scale farmers build resilience and improve nutrition, livelihoods and soil health at the same time. We hope that, all rural farming households can benefit from the use of self-made EM application in their farms and bid goodbye to conventional fertilizers. There are many new effective technologies and techniques to improve their food and cash crops that we shall be sharing on this platform. Kindly like, share, subscribe to keep up with update.

Don’t forget to share your own opinion in the comment section below. We keep learning from each other and growing as a team. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if many farmers in rural areas especially in Sub-Sahara Africa were able to double their vegetable and crop yields without the use of chemical fertilizers? This will make the per-capita income of participating households to double, too. It is evident from the result as the production of vegetables for farmers using EM in their farms rose considerable while in non-participating villages, the volume and yield of these same crops registered a decline in production with little or no profit.

Mrs. Nven produces: Huckleberry, cabbage, lettuce, Amaranth greens, leek, chili pepper, garden egg, Koki bean, cucumber, water leaves, pumpkin, tomatoes and sweet bitter leaves. Her family eats well, and she has plenty to sell in the markets, where the quality and safety of her organic vegetables is well known. She can boost of a year round vegetable supply from her farm and greenhouse thanks to the application of EM. The days when the family spent part of the year short on food are now a distant memory.  This is what she had to say

“We can smell the freshness in the vegetables now,” she says. “When using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, we could not smell it – quite the opposite. And we can sell our produce all year round at a good price, even in the rainy season.” 

Watch the full video on Suzy Farms (youtube)

Capture carbon through regenerative agriculture and halt climate change - climate gardens now

 

Mitigate climate change by capturing carbon through regenerative agriculture - Start an organic climate garden now

 

Do you feel hopeless about climate change and the damage we are doing to our planet?  I did, but then I found a new way to look at the problem, which made the solution so obvious and so within reach. A solution that's right under our feet. Yes, the solution to climate change is right under our feet. It is the soil. Carbon can be farmed into the soil if only we start by regenerating our soil organisms to restore soil health.  Yes, Carbon farming is the solution to climate change. Come follow us let’s check it out.

Climate change is all about too much carbon in our atmosphere. Carbon is not our enemy, it's the building block of life. Everything alive is made of it. even us.  The problem and the solution are simply a matter of balance. Let's step back and look at the five pools where carbon is stored on planet Earth. Starting about 500 million years ago, when plants appeared on land, carbon began to cycle in an amazing balance. A balance that allowed for life as we know it to evolve.  Then one life form, us, figured out how to extract carbon from the fossil pool, then we burned it for energy, putting it into play and disrupting that balance. The way we manage land and do agriculture is moving even more carbon from the soil and biosphere into the atmosphere. Specifically, we've moved 880 Gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is heating up the planet and destabilizing our climate. Now the oceans have absorbed a lot of this excess carbon which is resulting in ocean acidification and accelerating a mass extinction of sea life.

How to save lives?

In order to save lives, we have to stop releasing fossil carbon into the atmosphere. Then look for ways to capture the excess carbon that is already in the atmosphere to get this cycle back into balance. You'll remember when I said that the solution to climate change is healthy soils. Plants use sunlight and water to perform photosynthesis. They pull in carbon from the air and turn it into carbohydrates sugars. Then they pump some of those sugars down through their roots to feed microorganisms who use that carbon to build soil. Bingo. Carbon can move - plants pump it in and the soil stores it. Nature's living technology is amazing. Scientists have recently discovered that applying a thin layer of compost, sets off an ongoing positive feedback loop that brings more and more carbon into the soil each year. In concert with other regenerative practices like reducing soil tillage, planting trees, cover crops and planned grazing, we can build and retain Giga-tons of soil carbon. This is carbon farming. This is regenerative agriculture and there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

More carbon in the atmosphere is bad for us, while more carbon in the ground is good for us. It makes healthy soil that is nutrient-rich full of life and holds way more water. This means more nutritious food and crops that are more resilient in the face of drought. That's good news for farmers, families, communities, nations and everyone that eats.

Remember, the way we grow our food, fiber, and fuel either puts carbon up into the atmosphere or it pulls it down into the ground. The regeneration of soil is the task of our generation. Our health, the health of our soils and the health of our planet, are one and the same

 What happens to captured carbon in the Rhizosphere?

The secret of bio-sequestration is in the Rhizosphere. The Rhizosphere is the area around the plant roots that is inhabited by micro-organisms. Plant's roots are working symbiotically with these micro-organisms. They are a very important population in the soil that makes it healthy for plants to grow such as bacterial, fungi, nematodes, protozoa amongst others.

Soil microbes in the Rhizosphere

Bacterial act like food storage banks for your plants. They are the earth’s primary decomposer of organic matter, locking up nutrients close to the plant’s roots which may otherwise be leached.  When the bacterial dies, those nutrients are released to feed the plants.

Mycorrhizae are beneficial fungi living symbiotically with the roots. The roots provide the carbon that the fungus needs to grow and the fungus transport water and nutrients to the roots. What a wonderful win-win situation.

Most of the time we see only the fungus that appears above the soil like mushrooms, but there are millions of fungi, bacterial, amoeba, etc under the soil that makes the soil fertile. Plants depend on a network of tiny fungi for water and other nutrients. Let dive below the soil to take a closer look. There is a network of living fungal threads called hyphy. Ants help to maintain soil health by aerating the earth, circulating water and nutrients. Tiny moss may dine on tiny nematodes. Nematodes consume single-cell amoebas which are very small that we can’t see. Amoeba devours thinner bacterial. Fungus and bacteria decompose death materials. In nature, nothing is wasted.

Let's enjoy the wonders of nature as we explore deeper. Nature's living technology is amazing. The hyphy spreads and keeps traveling until it reaches plants roots. The fungus wrapped around the root tip. The hyphy pushes itself into the space between the tree cells where a chemical exchange takes place. The fungi provide the plants with essential minerals while the plants supply the fungus with energy-rich sugars. Win-win nutrients - energy exchange.

It gives me hope to know that Plant, People and Planet health are interconnected. But we keep destroying our soil with external chemicals and I wonder why. The application of pesticide, insecticide and herbicide; the use of heavy machinery and the practice of leaving soil bare without cover crops have left us with little or no soil life population. The ground surrounding residential areas and commercial properties a particularly lacking in soil life.

It is the duty of this generation to get the earth back to the garden of Eden that it was, by farming carbon. Let’s bring back biodiversity to a place that was devastated. Planting a garden has the power to change the world and even you can do it. Regenerative gardening actually helps us to reverse climate change by building healthy living soil. Even a small garden has the potential to impact the global crisis of climate change. Start your regenerative climate garden now and grow organic.

• Stay away from chemicals. If you don’t want it in your body, don’t put it in your food.
• Practice minimal tillage and keep the soil covered at all times. Any plant is better than no plant. They protect and build the soil
• Encourage biodiversity for more resilience.
• Grow food. Food from your backyard means fewer food miles and food shipped all the way to your grocery store.
• Composts – make it and use it. It's a probiotic regenerative source for your soil life.

We can all participate by establishing Climate Gardens that build healthier soil and help reverse climate change. Help share the good news: Go tell it on the mountains that we can rebuild soil and regenerate the land and heal the planet. We can restore soil fertility, improve water cycles, and sequester carbon in the soil. Be the change and start planting today. Let the microbes, bacterial, fungus, amoeba do the job that nature has bestowed on them. The world needs your voice now. Mother earth needs you to take action and start growing organic food. Be that change and reverse climate change through planting trees, crops, vegetables, flowers…. Just plant something today. Any plant is better than no plant. So plant your Climate Garden and share your stories with us.

Watch our video here share, subscribe and hit on the notification bell to keep up with updates. Don't forget to share your own opinion with us in the comment section. See you again next week. Happy watching 

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How to fix the soil by restoring organic matter to improve crop yield, s...

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Companion planting: Three sisters & five sisters crops planting in Africa

 

Companion Planting: Three sisters and five sisters planting in Sub-Sahara Africa

Companion planting

Have you ever wondered why some crops produce more when planted together with certain plants? Just visualize a rural organic farmland with maize, beans and cocoyam (Ibo coco) planted together! The tons of harvest from this mixed farming will leave you puzzling. Yes, our ancestors farmed and harvested tons of food without any chemical input. And I wonder what happens now. The chemicals we keep applying in our farms have been polluting the soil, killing soil organisms, destroying our ecosystems and affecting our health. It is time we begin to understand the beneficial synergy between different plants so we can increase yield, control pests and diseases without applying external chemicals into our farmlands. Welcome to the world of companion planting.

Companion planting

Have you ever wondered why some crops produce more when planted together with certain plants? Just visualize rural organic farmland with maize, beans, and cocoyam (Ibo coco) planted together! The tons of harvest from this mixed farming will leave you puzzling. Yes, our ancestors farmed and harvested tons of food without any chemical input. And I wonder what happens now. The chemicals we keep applying in our farms have been polluting the soil, killing soil organisms, destroying our ecosystems and affecting our health. It is time we begin to understand the beneficial synergy between different plants so we can increase yield, control pests and diseases without applying external chemicals into our farmlands. Welcome to the world of companion planting.

So what really is companion planting?

Companion planting is the practice of growing different plants together so they can benefit from each other. Certain combinations of plants make each of them more productive. Why? Because some plants have a mutually beneficial relationship with complementary characteristics such as nutrient requirements, natural support, weed suppression, pest-repelling abilities amongst others.

A typical example of companion planting is the famous Three Sisters crop -where maize, beans and pumpkin or squash are planted together. This has been done in Sub-Sahara Africa for millennia. Today it is still the usual traditional practice within rural communities’ farmland in the tropics. These plants do complement each other and each of them does benefit from the union as they grow symbiotically to deter weeds and pests, enrich the soil fertility and support each other.

•         The tall corn provides support to the climbing beans, you can use any variety of corn – soft, pop, white, yellow, etc...
•        The fast-growing beans convert atmospheric nitrogen to soil nitrogen which fertilizes all the plants especially corn which requires a large quantity of nutrients. The beans also help to stabilize the maize during heavy wind.
•         The squash or pumpkin grows low and wide around the corn and beans. It shades the soil to prevent moisture loss. Its big leaves also suppress weeds and control pests and insects.  Bingo! 
•     What a wonderfully beneficial relationship. Please like comment and subscribe while we share information on how to plant the three sisters

How do we plant the three (3) sisters?

Note: In sub-Sahara Africa they are two planting seasons starting in March and September. So make sure you plant at the right time

• 1     Choose a sunny location with at least 6 hours of full sunlight every day
• 2     Clear the farm around January and allow the grass/shrub to dry and decompose for about 6-8 weeks before tillage.
• 3     Make sure you start tilling at the beginning of the planting season.
• 4     Fold the dried and decayed grass/shrubs in the middle of the furrow.
• 5    Prepare the soil with much organic matter, composted animal/farm manure and wood ash.
• 6     Hoe the soil on both sides of the furrow to cover up the decayed grass/shrub within the bed.
• 7     Make a bed about 0.5m wide, 20cm high and 4m long.  Inter-bed distance should be about 50cm.
• 8     Cut the pumpkin or squash open, remove the seeds and spread to dry under shade for 2 days. Get your maize seeds ready for planting.
• 9    Then plant your maize – 3 seeds per spot, 1m apart. Then plants 2 seeds of pumpkin between the maize.
• 10.  About 10 days later, you plant your beans, 2 seeds close to the corn.
• 11 Sit, relax and watch the 3 sisters do the magic. Nature has it all. 

 The three sisters provide both sustainable soil fertility as well as a healthy organic balanced diet. Experience has shown that the concept of 3 sisters crop can include even up to 4 or 5 crops. For the purpose of increasing food yield on a small piece of land, I will showcase how to plant up to 5 complimentary crops on raised beds in a planting season. For this, we shall be adding amaranth (Greens) and Cocoyam. This mixed planting increases biodiversity which attracts pollinators to enhance flowering, fruiting and food production.

Amaranth

·        The fourth sister (Amaranth – Greens) is included because it attracts pollinators, lures birds away from eating the maize and is also very nutritional. More pollinators imply more fruits and more yield.

Growing cocoyam

·        

    

Then the fifth sister which is cocoyam (ibo coco) is a staple food in sub-Sahara Africa and grows for about 5 months before harvesting tubers for food. So it will be the last crop to harvest before we prepare the soil again for the next planting season. It helps to control pests and suppresses weed.

 How to plant five (5) sister crops on raised beds in the tropics

• Make a bed about 1m wide, 30cm high (flat top and 4-6m long. Inter-bed distance should be at least 50cm.
• Cover your cocoyam on a dark wet area to sprout into seedlings
• Plant your cocoyam seedlings 20cm deep and 1m apart on both sides of the beds.
•  Plant your maize – 3 seeds between the planted cocoyam.
• Then plant 2 pumpkin seeds in a spot about 20cm close to the cocoyam
• Sparingly broadcast your amaranth seeds on the beds and level the bed by racking so some seeds are lightly covered.

• After 10 -14 days  you plant your beans 2 seeds just 10cm close to the maize 
• The seeds used for this type of sisters cropping should be organic seeds
• Direct the beans vines towards the nearest cornstalk as they grow. This allows it to climb upwards, rather than creep along the ground.
• Hoe as many beds as you can and weed regularly

1     Harvested in succession

1.     Amaranth can be harvested 7 weeks after planting. Use a sharp knife to cut the soft stem, leaving 2-3 nodes underneath for new shoots. You can harvest weekly for the next 2 months before it starts flowering.

2.     Pumpkin/squash soft stems and leaves can be harvested from the 8th week after planting. They spread out fast once the first meristematic tip is cut off. Harvesting too can continue for the next 3 months before fruiting. Don’t harvest too much if you are interested more in the pumpkin/squash fruits.

3.     The beans start flowering just 10 weeks after planting. Harvesting commences from the 14 weeks when the beans are matured for harvesting. This may continue for another 2 months.

4.     The maize is ready in about 16 weeks. After harvesting the maize, leave the stalk to dry up for another 2 weeks so you can continue harvesting the beans. After this, the production of the beans begins to reduce, then you cut the stalk to mulch the cocoyam and add some soil on the bed so the cocoyam can produce bigger tubers.

5.     At the end of 22 weeks, you start harvesting the cocoyam and pumpkin fruits. Get ready for another planting season starting in September.

Thinking time

Climate change has led to an increase in temperature which has resulted to drought that is negatively affecting crops production, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Question: What could you easily add as the 6^th sister crop to remedy this situation?  Explain your reasons… 2min to think and write your ideas below in the comment.

Watch the video on companion planting of our three or five sister groups here

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Soil nutrients for optimal plants growth and production

Soil nutrients for optimal plants growth and production

Healthy and fertile soil needs adequate supply of nutrients for optimum plants growth. The major nutrients in the soil for plant growth are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (p) and Potassium (K) which make up the trio known as N-P-K. These nutrients are absorbed by the plants for root development (N & P), growth (N), flowering (P) and fruiting (K). Other important nutrients are Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulphur (S). Plants also need trace elements like Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo). These nutrients should be constantly replace else production will decline with decreasing amount of soil nutrients. These nutrient must be balance. A deficiency of one nutrients cannot be compensated by the surplus of the other.

Essential soil nutrients for optimum plants growth

The concept of limiting factor states that plants growth is always controlled by the mineral nutrients in shortest supply, even when sufficient quantity of the other nutrients exist. Imagine a wooden bucket with staves of different length. If water is filled in the bucket, it can be filled only to the height of the shortest stave – the limiting factor. In nature, N is almost always limiting in plant growth.

Liebig's law of limiting factor

Major element (N-P-K)

Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen is found in plant cells, proteins, hormones and chlorophyll. It is a very essential element in plant growth. The main source of soil N is from the atmosphere. Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen in their roots thereby helping to convert atmospheric N into soil nitrate that plants can easily absorb. Dark soils usually contain more N than light brown soil. Heavy rain usually leached out nitrate from the soil, so it should be added in small amount that plant can effectively use it – preferable in organic form like composted manure which release the nitrate slowly.

Phosphorus (P): Phosphorus stimulates early root development, photosynthesis and plant growth. It also transfer energy from sunlight to plants and hasten maturity of plants as it helps plant to produce flowering site and produce large buds. Manure contains P especially grain-fed animal manure like chicken manure.

Potassium (K): Potassium helps plant to resist diseases and increase flowering and fruit production. It enhance strong root growth, water intake and helps to form and move starch, sugar and oil in plants. It enhance plants vigour, disease resistant capacity and yield. Cassava and bananas are big potassium users.

Secondary nutrients (Ca-Mg-S)

Calcium (Ca): Calcium is vital for healthy roots and leaves development. It helps produce strong cells and root walls.

Magnesium (Mg): Magnesium is a key component of chlorophyll which makes leaves green. Chlorophyll is vital for converting sun’s energy to food for the plant in a process call photosynthesis. Magnesium also helps with production of carbohydrates and sugars to enhance flowering. Deficiencies occur mainly on sandy acid soils in high rainfall areas.

Sulphur (S): Sulfur is a major constituent of amino acids in plant proteins. It is involved in energy-producing processes in plants. It helps produce chlorophyll and play a vital roles in foliage and root development. It is responsible for many the flavour in many plants like onions, cabbage, garlic etc. Sulfur deficiency is not a problem in soils high in organic matter.

Micro- nutrients: These are trace elements that are needed in small quantities for healthy plant growth

Iron (Fe): Iron regulate and promote growth, components of enzymes, essential for chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthesis

Manganese (Mn): Manganese helps with photosynthesis, chloroplast formation, cofactor in many plant reaction, activate enzymes

Copper (Cu): Copper is an essential element of plant enzymes, involved in photosynthesis

Zinc (Zn): Zinc supports the production of plant hormones and auxins activity which are responsible for stem elongation and leaf expansion

Boron (B): Boron enhances the formation of cell wall in growing tissues. Important in sugar transport, cell division and amino acid production

Molybdenum (Mo): Needed by soil organism and bacterial in the nodules of legumes to convert atmospheric nitrogen into soluble nitrogen compounds in the soil like nitrate. It is vital in proteins formation from nitrates.

Chlorine (Cl): Used in turgor regulation, aid photosynthesis, resist diseases

Symptoms of nutrients deficiency in Plants 

Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow and reproduce.  They often show symptoms of being unhealthy when they lack these nutrients. Below are some of the symptoms of nutrients deficiency that can be identify on the plant. 

Nutrients imbalance

Too little or too much of any one nutrient can cause problems of nutrients imbalance. So it is good to fertilize lightly and monitor or you test the soil before adding much fertilizer. Nutrients interacts with each other either synergistically to increase the uptake of one another or antagonistically to fight each other and lock each other out. Check the soil to make sure nutrients are not locked out of the plants and building up in the soil before adding supplemented nutrients. The Mulder’s chart specifically shows which nutrients in the soil increases (synergy) or decreases (antagonism) availability of the other nutrients in the soil.

Important plant nutrients across different growth stages 

Since different nutrients have different functions, the nutrient needs of a plant also changes from propagation to early vegetation, late vegetation to flowering. It begins with strong root development which require N. At early vegetation stage, the need of N and K increase to produce more leafy growth, horizontal branching and tight internodes. When flowering time arrives, N levels drops off and P intake increases slightly as the focus now is to produce dense, potent flowers. When the fruits are about to ripe, the need for K start increasing.

We recommend that you you stick to a N:K ratio of 5:4 during vegetative stage and drop it gradually to 2:3 during flowering. Research have shown that too much phosphorus during flowering may leads to many smaller nuts, but not bigger nuts and the need for P is pretty low throughout plant's life cycle. The Ca:Mg ration should be kept at 3:1 to balance charges and enhance uptake of plant nutrients. 

Change of nutrients requirement over different plant stages

In our next write-up, we shall discuss how to add these nutrients to the soil in naturally. We shall be uploading videos soon on our youtube channel. Subscribe to our channel, like, comment and hit on the notification button to keep up with update. Like our facebook page and follow us on instagram and twitter 

Advantages of organic cocoa and/or coffee agroforestry

Organic cocoa or coffee production

Organic cocoa and/or coffee production is based on a sustainable socio-economic and environmental agroforestry system, where trees are grown in combination with taller shades and food/fertilizer trees. Cocoa/coffee trees are integrated into existing forest structure to retain multi-storey canopy and minimize environmental impacts. In case of no trees on site, other trees should be planted to provide shade and create the multi-storey agroforestry effect. 

Diverse tree species with cocoa/coffee as under-storey

These diversify trees species provide the following benefits

1.     Help to control pests;
2.     Provide shades for the cocoa/coffee tree;
3.     Enhance soil fertility;
4.     Improve cocoa/coffee yields;
5.      Provide food, folders and medicine;
6.      Retain habitats for birds, small animals, insects and other pollinators;
7.     Create environmental and micro climate buffering;
8.     Provide multiple revenue streams to alleviate poverty;
9.     Better nutrition from diverse food sources;
10.     Enhance community resilient to food security.

Incorporating crop successions is very important as it improves soil fertility, growth of cocoa/coffee tree, mitigate effects of climate change and provides continues food and farm income. Plants like banana, plantains, papaya, pineapples, avocado, citrus fruits, mangoes, cocoyam and yams can be incorporated into cocoa farms. This mixed cropping system improves farmers’ livelihoods by generating multiple income streams from different crops and enhancing nutrition.

Zero use of pesticide, herbicide and insecticide as they upset the ecosystem by killing pest predators, poisoning animals and humans as well as polluting the water systems and causing further damages to aquatic life. Only biological and traditional methods which are non-toxic, less costly and environmentally friendly should be used. Such as removing and burying cocoa pods affected by black pods diseases amongst other.

Zero use of fertilizer to preserve the soil biota, halt eutrophication of water bodies, reduce cost and farmers dependent on agro-chemical companies.  Improvement of soil health through increase in organic matters, compost, vermicomposting and planting of fertilizers trees is practiced to avert chemical risk. Here there is a switch from external inputs (chemical fertilizers) to internal inputs - compost & manure produced on the farm within its diversified agroforestry system.

Fruit trees and plantains incorporated into cocoa/coffee agroforestry

Increase in organic material through pruning and mulching from a stratified, diverse and densely planted agroforestry is sufficient for an economically viable production. All cocoa shells should be evenly spread out to rot and recycle soil nutrients. Palms can be incorporated into plantations to provide phosphorus; which is an essential nutrient to increase yield and plant health; and reduce heavy metal in cocoa/coffee beans content. Through symbiosis with mycorrhiza, palms are capable of breaking down phosphorous and also bind heavy metals in soils. Leguminous trees such as Albiza Zygia should also be planted to fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to plants around them, and also improves pH in acidic soil. It has a high potential for ameliorating degraded cocoa/coffee soils and reducing soil erosion. Nitrogen is essential in plant health and cocoa/coffee productivity.

Good practices and care such as tree pruning and Phyto-hygiene should be carried out to control pests and diseases. The use of chemical is avoided as organic production rely on alternative solution to soil fertility, pest management and quality assurance that are not detrimental to humans and the environment.

Advantages of organic cocoa and/or coffee production

·         Reduce production cost – The cost of production is greatly reduced as the use of expensive external inputs such as pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers are eliminated. Local seeds are used instead of expensive hybrid seeds. Compost and manure are used rather than expensive fertilizers. Thereby, making farmer’s less dependent on expensive inputs from agro-chemical companies and input cost.

·         Increase income – Organic cocoa beans are more expensive than conventional cocoa at the international market. The increase price of organic coca beans and low input cost results to higher farm income.

Dr. Nvenakeng Suzanne at Suzy-farms, Buea, Cameroon

        Environmental and health benefit – There is reduction of environmental and health risks as pollution is avoided and there is increase in biodiversity within a multi-storey agroforestry system. The health of farmers is also protected by avoiding hazardous chemicals such as pesticide, herbicides and insecticides.

       Increase in farmer’s sovereignty - Intercropping other food crops and fruit trees in cocoa and/or coffee agroforestry provides farmers with additional food and income. Farmers becomes independents with multiple sources of food to improve nutrition and income streams to alleviate poverty.

      We shall be uploading videos soon on our youtube channel. Subscribe to our channel, like, comment and hit on the notification button to keep up with update. Like our facebook page and follow us on instagram and twitter