Page 96 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 6

FARMING GOD’S WAY

This is measured using the 75 cm measuring stick to ensure accuracy. This continues down the slope
until you reach the end of your field. On a large field it is important to place permanent pegs every 10 to
Diagram 1

20 rows for row accuracy. nutrients necessary for plant compost manure or anthill soil
When planting other crops like growth. When we apply agricul- as organic inputs. A 350ml cup
beans or vegetables the spac- tural lime, we increase the PH of or tin of the input is placed at
ing is very close and narrow so the soils which allows nutrients the base of the hole. The yield
instead we plant in a continuous to be more easily absorbed by potential for a hectare of maize
furrow on the contour. We place the roots of the plants. A heaped using animal manure is 3-5
the teren rope across the row but teaspoon of lime is placed at the tons, with compost 2-5 tons and
instead of digging at the 60cm base of each hole if soil analysis with anthill soil its 1-3 tons. For
markers we dig an 8cm furrow has not been done. If analysis beans we spread 350 ml of the
across the slope. This is illustrat- has been done then the recom- manure across the furrow every
ed in diagram 1 at the bottom, mended quantity should be ap- 60 cm. The inputs are then cov-
where there’s a continuous fur- plied. A heaped tablespoon of ered with about 3cm of soil up to
row line for planting beans. wood ash may also be applied if the planting depth. The planting
Correcting Acidic Soils (Liming) agricultural lime is not available. depth for maize is 5cm and for
Soils which are reddish in colour beans its 3cm.
in a high rainfall area are often Organic Inputs
acidic. This leads to binding of We can use animal manure, Planting
We advocate that small scale
Diagram 2 farmers use open pollinated va-
riety seed (OPV) as opposed to
hybrid seed. They perform at
much the same yield under sub-
optimal conditions, are much
cheaper, and the same seed
can be stored at the end of the
season and replanted for sev-
eral years. Hybrid seed must be
bought each year and the poor
get yoked into the seed compa-
nies money-making schemes or
they become seed-aid depen-

96 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika