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

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