Growing Maize with Trees - Farm Radio Scripts

Script

Program host:

When neighbours saw Fanuel Akutu planting trees in his field of maize, they laughed. They asked:

Neighbours:

What will you eat this year? Trees?!

Program host:

And they laughed again.

SOUND OF NEIGHBOURS LAUGHING.

Program host:

Trees growing in a field of maize seemed funny. But the neighbours didn’t laugh for long. Today they believe that growing trees in a maize field is a GOOD thing. Keep listening to find out why.

SHORT MUSICAL BREAK(approx. 6 seconds) (This break gives listeners time to think about what they’ve heard and consider the situation.).

Program host:

Why did Mr. Akutu’s neighbours stop laughing at him?

Neighbour 1:

At first we thought it was funny when he planted trees in his field instead of maize.

Neighbour 2:

But a few months later, he had the biggest maize harvest in the village!

Program host:

It’s true. Some months later — after several seasons had passed — Mr. Akutu harvested a very large crop of maize. In fact, he could boast that he had higher yields than his neighbours. And he also had a good crop of free firewood from the trees he cut.

He thanks the trees for his large maize harvest. Keep listening to hear why.

SHORT MUSICAL BREAK.

Program host:

We have heard that Mr. Akutu believes that his large maize harvest was because of his trees. But of course he had to do a lot of work himself to plant and care for the trees. I am going to tell you how he did it.

At the beginning of the long rainy season, Mr. Akutu planted trees in rows beside his maize.

At the end of the long rains, after he harvested his maize, he left the land to rest.

The trees were still growing.

Program host

(cont): When the short rains came, Mr. Akutu didn’t plant another crop of maize.

Instead he left the trees to continue growing.

He left the trees growing for two more seasons.

After two more seasons he cut the trees.

The trees were useful as fuelwood and poles.

SHORT MUSICAL BREAK.

Program host:

We’ve heard that Mr. Akutu had allowed trees to grow on his land for several months.

The land was resting.

But it was also producing a valuable crop for Mr. Akutu — firewood!

As I said, Mr. Akutu let his land rest for several months — two rainy seasons.

At the time of the next rains he planted maize in his field again.

And at harvest time — his maize yields were VERY good.

Neighbour 1:

He harvested more maize than most of us!

Why did he get such high yields? Is it possible that the trees helped the maize?

Program host:

YES. The trees made the soil more fertile. The leaves that fell from the trees fertilized the soil. Even after the trees were cut, their roots stayed in the soil, adding nutrients to the soil.

Of course Mr. Akutu chose the trees carefully. The kind of trees he planted have a lot of leaves and add nitrogen to the soil.

FADE IN MUSIC AND HOLD UNDER NARRATIVE.

Neighbour 2

: So trees growing in the maize field is not such a bad idea after all!

Program host:

One day, if I see you planting trees in your maize field, I promise I won’t laugh!

FADE OUT MUSIC.

Acknowledgements

Contributed by: Jennifer Pittet, Researcher/writer, Toronto, Canada.

Reviewed by: Debra Lodoen, Science Writer, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF).

Notes
Mr. Fanuel Akutu is from the Maseno District of western Kenya. He has been a participant in a project being implemented by the Agroforestry Research Network for East and Central Africa. For more information about this research project contact: Debra Lodoen, Science Writer, Information and Creative Services, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), PO Box 30677 Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 2 524000, Fax: +254 2 524001, E-mail: d.lodoen@cgiar.org.

The species of tree grown by Mr. Akutu is Sesbania sesban. Farmers involved in this project experimented with nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs such as sesbania, Crotalaria grahamiana, and Tephrosia vogelii. These trees and shrubs fix nitrogen and also drop a large number of leaves on the ground which then decompose and enrich the soil.

Sesbania is sown into existing maize crops during the long rainy season, and grows alongside the maize. When the maize is harvested at the end of the long rains, the sesbania is left to develop into a complete fallow for the duration of the short rains. After growing there on its own for two or three seasons (12 to 18 months), the trees are large enough to be cut and used for high-quality poles or for fuelwood.

Information sources

This script is based on the article, “Two agroforestry innovations for richer soils and bountiful harvests,” by Debra Lodoen, Science Writer, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). The article was published in Agroforestry Today, January-June 1999, volume 11, Nos. 1-2, ICRAF, PO Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya.

Further information about growing maize with trees
Trees and multistorey agriculture in Africa: a textbook for agroforestry, Huges Dupriez and Philippe De Leener, 1998. Terres et Vie, rue Laurent Delvaux, 13, B-1400 Nivelles, Belgium.

Sustainable land use options for shifting cultivation (Nagaland, India), International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

A woman farmer fallows with trees, Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, script 43-5, 1997.

Script

Acknowledgements

Information sources

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