Green manuring and the use of leguminous plants to improve soil fertility in Organic farms

Green manuring is the practice of using undecomposed green plants into the soil to add organic matter. This helps the soil to be rich in nitrogen content and increase the availability of other nutrients which then helps to increase the productivity of the soil.

Green manuring is used as means to enhance soil fertility in organic farms – by planting leguminous plants. Smallholder organic farmers in Holeta, Oromia regions –Ethiopia sow rough pea and Lupin as their main green manure crops in their organic plots. Using Lupin as a green manure in Holeta area is introduced by the agriculture office. Demonstrations were done in farmer training centres and now farmers are adopting it.

This has become an invaluable input for Ecological Organic Agriculture project in the area which is being implemented in collaboration with the local agriculture offices.

Lupin planted for green manure

Apart from using these leguminous plants are green manures, it is a common practice that farmers implement crop rotation by sowing Faba bean after vegetables are harvested. Such a rotation practice is mainly done not only to get crop harvest but also to treat the soil. Some farmers do row inter cropping of Faba bean and other leguminous plants with compatible vegetables.

Organic farmers in Holeta area implement organic farming practices like rotation of different crop species, inter-cropping and green manuring. Based on the crop types and the interest of the farmers on the crop, they implement three types of inter-cropping - row inter-cropping, mixed inter-cropping and perimeter inter-cropping.

Faba Bean crop planted as a rotation crop on an organic plot

Comments

Urban Agriculture in Addis Ababa

Urban agriculture in Addis Ababa is contributing a lot to food supply in the city. The city sources most of the vegetables from urban farmers and farmers in the peri-urban areas. Urban farmers in Addis produce vegetables for home consumption and as a source of income for their families. There are also urban agriculture practitioners who grow vegetables only for home consumption. Mr Yilma Bizuneh is one of the urban agriculture implementers who grows different vegetable types for home consumption. When asked about his experience in vegetable production, he said that he used to grow a few vegetables in pots. His backyard was open only to grow grass and weeds, especially during the rainy season. He started growing vegetables in his backyard after the wide-ranging promotions of home gardening by the city administration. Mr Yilma is now sourcing vegetables for his family consumption from his backyard. He adds compostable household wastes in the backyard to decompose there. The added biomas

The charismatic farmer who made me feel that my college education was null and void

It was November 2016, the spring, the season every part of Ethiopia blossoms with flowers from wild plants, shining beauty from a mosaic of smallholder plots planted with different crop types and varieties of the same crop species and the greenery across the different landscapes and Agro-ecological zones. A team of experts of Agro-ecology from all over Africa came to Ethiopia to take part in the “Community Seed Knowledge” workshop organised by African Biodiversity Network (ABN) and the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD). The workshop was held in Dessie, a city located 400 km North East of the Ethiopian capital – Addis Ababa. On the day we drove to Dessie; we stopped in a small village in Harbu district of South Wollo Zone, one of the sorghum growing areas, and met smallholder farmers who have been involved in community seed bank project run by Ethio Organic Seed Action – an NGO working to save indigenous seeds. As we stopped by the roadside and got off our bus; the farme

Why organic farming?

Agriculture is one of humankind's most basic activities which strives to fulfil people’s need to nourish themselves daily with healthy and nutritious food. As production systems, organic agriculture acknowledges the interconnectedness of human health, the natural world, and agricultural which have to operate with a healthy interaction amongst themselves. Hence, it relies on healthy ecological processes, biodiversity and cycle of interactions. The production system depends on the link between tradition, innovation and science. Below are few reasons to go for the production and consumption of organic: Organically grown food is healthy and is free from residues of toxic chemicals. Studies also showed that organic food has high content antioxidants. Promotes the use of natural soil fertility enhancement and plant protection techniques are in harmony with nature Production system is knowledge intensive which promotes the use of local and indigenous knowledge Don’t pollu

agroecologyservices.net

Search This Blog