Maureen Atsali
Wrong Way Farm - Kenya
Best luck: satisfaction
Greatest curse, greed
Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT Hans Massage Qberry Farm
magnet therapy
gmail hquistorff
Rufaro Makamure wrote:We have started working on the zai pits in preparation for the farming season. We decided to do the holes ourselves (i.e. the lady staying at my mum’s plot and myself), since I now have the time. The ground was very hard, it was practically impossible to dig the whole place. We have resorted to pouring water as we re-dig the holes and the rate at which the soil absorbs the water is pretty amazing so this is making the work a lot easier. We are on day four of digging and we did half the area. This experience revealed the reason why the zai pits are not common, the digging is no joke. It is proving to be a bit unsustainable, to maximize value for time and effort farming this way. I am imagining where a struggling mother who has a responsibility of feeding her children, who does not have an easy water access, which is the bulk of the group I am trying to focus on, will get the time and energy? The method is definitely beneficial, its sustainability is the one I question in terms of its labor demands. Is there any simple tool (cheap) used when making these holes other than hoes and picks, because I fear that this concept might be perfect theoretically or for people who can outsource labor or in our case, families who have water readily available. I actually thought this method would be relatively affordable for a financially struggling family. If there is a different way of doing the zai pits please let me know. I know we have managed to prove that the zai pits definitely give a better yield, but it is not enough since it demands so much labor, time and energy. The zai pit concept managed to draw so much attention, the next step is to find a smarter way of preparation of the field and this might get people to eagerly do this (who knows, we might stop concentrating on just yields and start focusing on issues like climate change, soil regeneration... etc. as a community). We are going to wait so that we see how many of our neighbors will go the zai pit way this farming season.
Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT Hans Massage Qberry Farm
magnet therapy
gmail hquistorff
John Daley Bendigo, Australia
The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
Benefits of rainfall collection https://permies.com/t/88043/benefits-rainfall-collection
Rufaro Makamure wrote:We have started working on the zai pits in preparation for the farming season. We decided to do the holes ourselves (i.e. the lady staying at my mum’s plot and myself), since I now have the time. The ground was very hard, it was practically impossible to dig the whole place. We have resorted to pouring water as we re-dig the holes and the rate at which the soil absorbs the water is pretty amazing so this is making the work a lot easier. We are on day four of digging and we did half the area. This experience revealed the reason why the zai pits are not common, the digging is no joke. It is proving to be a bit unsustainable, to maximize value for time and effort farming this way. I am imagining where a struggling mother who has a responsibility of feeding her children, who does not have an easy water access, which is the bulk of the group I am trying to focus on, will get the time and energy? The method is definitely beneficial, its sustainability is the one I question in terms of its labor demands. Is there any simple tool (cheap) used when making these holes other than hoes and picks, because I fear that this concept might be perfect theoretically or for people who can outsource labor or in our case, families who have water readily available. I actually thought this method would be relatively affordable for a financially struggling family. If there is a different way of doing the zai pits please let me know. I know we have managed to prove that the zai pits definitely give a better yield, but it is not enough since it demands so much labor, time and energy. The zai pit concept managed to draw so much attention, the next step is to find a smarter way of preparation of the field and this might get people to eagerly do this (who knows, we might stop concentrating on just yields and start focusing on issues like climate change, soil regeneration... etc. as a community). We are going to wait so that we see how many of our neighbors will go the zai pit way this farming season.
Currently, developing half an acre of land in Udon Thani, Thailand.
Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT Hans Massage Qberry Farm
magnet therapy
gmail hquistorff
Desmodium is planted as an intercrop between the maize or millet and its smell repels the stemborer moths - Push. The ability of the soil to absorb and store moisture is improved, nitrogen is fixed and so soil fertility is improved. In addition, desmodium decimates the striga weed and so increases yields.
Napier grass is planted as a border crap and it draws the moths away from the field - Pull. The moth larvae then perish on the sticky leaves of the napier grass. Both napier grass and desmodium are also a welcome source of healthy animal fodder.
Moderator, Treatment Free Beekeepers group on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/treatmentfreebeekeepers/