Notes to broadcasters
Organic farming is modern agriculture that emphasizes the use of natural products to provide healthy food. It is becoming increasingly common around the world. Many leaders in the agricultural industry and many environmental and agricultural scientists believe that a large-scale transition to organic farming would be an effective way to increase the world’s food supply and eradicate hunger. Indeed, contrary to misconceptions that this type of farming is a step back to archaic agriculture and cannot work, it is worth noting that it is a sophisticated combination of ancient wisdom and modern ecological innovations. Organic vegetable gardening has become part of the practices of market gardeners.
To produce a similar program on organic market gardening practices, you might choose to use this script as a guide. If you decide to present it as part of your farmer program, you might use voice actors to represent the people interviewed for the script. In this case, please inform your audience at the beginning of the program that the voices are those of actors, not the original people involved in the interviews.
If you intend to broadcast programs on the best ways to adopt organic market gardening practices, talk to organic market gardeners, seed growers, and market gardening specialists.
You could ask them the following questions, for example:
- Is organic market gardening practiced in your area?
- What are the best practices that help farmers succeed in organic market gardening?
- How do organic vegetable farmers choose seeds?
Estimated duration of the radio script with music, intro and extro: 20 minutes.
Script
HOST:
In Burkina Faso, the market gardening sector is expanding rapidly to accommodate the growing population in large urban areas. The demand for vegetables has increased overnight. But market gardeners face obstacles such as lack of water and lack of coordination in the sector.
Some informed consumers have become increasingly demanding and are forcing producers to go organic. We met with five producers and three organic experts.
To learn more about the most important organic farming practices, we first met with two farmers, François Zoma and Pascal Zoma.
HOST:
Hello François Zoma, thank you for accepting our invitation. My first question is how do you choose seeds for organic market gardening?
FRANÇOIS ZOMA:
By harvesting the ripe seeds of organic vegetable crops. You leave some of the vegetable plants in the field without harvesting them until they mature.
HOST:
How do you go about choosing a good site for organic vegetable crops?
FRANÇOIS ZOMA:
Some soils don’t work. For example, stony soils and sandy soils are not suitable for market gardening. This means that there are people located near water sources who cannot grow vegetables because their soils are not suitable. Even if they try, they won’t have a good yield.
HOST:
What’s the difference between organic and conventional seeds?
FRANÇOIS ZOMA:
Organic seed is obtained after a normal growing cycle where the best seeds are selected under strict conditions to preserve their characteristics. Contrary to conventional seed that has to be bought every new season, organic seed can be obtained after harvesting, drying, and conservation of the seeds.
HOST:
And of course, we know that seeds are only organic when the plants from which you are harvesting them are grown according to organic practices. But how does a farmer access organic seed?
FRANÇOIS ZOMA:
In Burkina Faso, there are organizations that specialize in marketing organic seeds. One of these organizations is NAKOSEM, a retail shop in Koudougou where we get supplies.
HOST:
How are the plants watered?
FRANÇOIS ZOMA:
As for watering, it is the same everywhere. As soon as we transplant the plants, we have to be careful with the watering so that the plants don’t get submerged in water. We water manually with a bucket of water. One or two weeks later, we can start watering with machines. Then we water the plants every three or four days. At this stage, the plants will grow normally.
HOST:
How do you tend to the plants?
FRANÇOIS ZOMA:
It’s not very complicated. You have to make sure that there is no shortage of water and weed regularly as soon as you see weeds that are beginning to grow.
To combat insect pests, we use home-made natural products. For example, we crush chili pepper in water and use the solution as an insecticide.
HOST:
Thank you very much for your comments, Mr. Zoma. Now, our next guest. Hi, can you introduce yourself?
PASCAL ZOMA:
My name is Pascal Zoma and I’m a market gardener.
HOST:
Can you explain the different steps involved in growing organic vegetables?
PASCAL ZOMA:
To adopt organic farming, there are no more stages as such than conventional practices, but you need to be rigorous. First, we dig the beds. Then we add organic manure, cover it with soil and level the beds. Then, we water the beds in order to proceed with the transplanting of the seedlings. Finally, as soon as we transplant the plants and they begin to grow, we add compost to the beds in the same way that we add chemical fertilizer.
HOST:
How do you select organic seeds?
PASCAL ZOMA:
We select seeds from a bed that is dedicated to seed production and we don’t remove anything from that bed. The plants that are in this bed will produce but we will not harvest them. As soon as the fruits of the plant are ripe, we harvest the fruits and use the seeds for the next vegetable crop. This is the same for all crops, be it tomato, cucumber, onion, or any other crop. It’s the same selection technique.
HOST:
Which is the best soil for organic vegetable farming?
PASCAL ZOMA:
It’s the same soil that farmers use for conventional farming, but to grow organic vegetables, you have to leave it fallow and add organic manure. Regardless of what soil you want to work on, you have to do that first.
HOST:
How do you go about watering?
PASCAL ZOMA:
As regards watering, the problem arises at the beginning of the season, because when transplanting young plants, first of all you have to be careful when you water them not to destroy them with too much water. As soon as the plants are 40-60 cm high, depending on the crop, you water them every three to four days.
HOST:
So how do you manage pests?
PASCAL ZOMA:
The difficulty is that as soon as the plant grows, there are insects that start feeding on it. So we look for chili pepper and neem, we pound the two together, and put them in a container and add water. We spray this solution on the plants to keep insect pests away. It has advantages because it doesn’t harm the soil and other beneficial organisms like chemicals do.
HOST:
We met with three other farmers who share their experiences with organic farming.
What are some of the challenges of your market gardening activities?
MOUSSA SAPAMBRE:
I am Moussa Sapambre, a gardener in Ouagadougou. There are almost fifty market gardeners in this area and our main concerns are the shortage of water and problems selling our products. There are times when the demand is high, but at these times, water is scarce. And there are periods when we produce in quantity and we have problems to sell. Also, there is the problem of pests that attack the plants and sometimes destroy everything.
HOST:
What other difficulties do you face in organic farming?
ALBERT KAGAMBEGA:
Overall, we are benefiting, but there are still some difficulties. Customers prefer organic products and there is not enough organic product to meet the demand. So, to compensate for that and make a profit, we have to sell at a higher price. This slows down the market, and reduces our revenue.
HOST:
We also spoke with experts in organic farming.
Hello sir, introduce yourself to our listeners.
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
Hello dear listeners, my name is Sidibé Mamadou, agricultural advisor. I am the Head of the Regional Department of Plant Protection and Control at the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Hydro-Agricultural Development and Mechanization of the Mouhoun Loop.
HOST:
How is the market gardening sector doing in Burkina Faso?
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
The market gardening sector as a whole is promising in the sense that it contributes not only to improving the population’s diet but also constitutes a source of income for market gardeners. Our region, the Mouhoun Loop, is one of the most productive market gardening regions. Market gardening is a sector with great potential.
HOST:
What is the difference between conventional and organic production?
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
Conventional farming is a standard way of producing with inputs, especially chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. Organic production is practiced without using chemical inputs and is often intended for a certain category of clientele.
HOST:
Please tell us more about organic farming.
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
To grow organically, first, you need to have healthy soil, land that is free of contamination. Secondly, you need to have an uncontaminated water source, and finally, you need to prohibit the use of chemical inputs such as fertilizers or pesticides.
HOST:
You said earlier that organic farming is a bit complicated, but if people have become more and more demanding in this regard, so how can we meet the demand?
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
As far as organic farming is concerned, it requires first and foremost that the producers themselves have a good command of farming techniques. Then, they must know what has been grown on the land in previous years in order to better understand the nature of the soil. Finally, no chemical inputs must have been used on the land in the last three years to ensure that the soil is not contaminated by pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
HOST:
Does organic farming include seed selection?
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
Most vegetable seeds, when they arrive at the seller’s, are already treated with pesticides, so that’s an obstacle to organic farming. So, for those of us who are going organic, it’s a whole chain that needs to be organized—from the seed growers, to the farmers, to the consumers.
HOST:
What are the advantages of organic farming?
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
First of all, on the health level, vegetables are products that are consumed immediately, so it gives more nutritional value in terms of health. Especially nowadays, there are many people who are on diets and we advise them to eat vegetables. So if those vegetables are healthy and free of pesticides, that’s a plus. You are probably aware that pesticides are a negative impact on public health, so the fact of producing vegetables without any chemical products is already a plus for health.
The second advantage is economic because consumers of organic products are often well-to-do people who are very concerned about their health. Indeed, since the production cost is high, the selling price is also higher than conventional products.
HOST:
What would it take for organic farming to be popularized? How can we promote organic farming among other farmers who have not yet started?
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
Land is a limiting resource in terms of extension, so we need to have soil that is free of contamination by chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides. Secondly, you must have a water source that is not polluted by these same chemicals. If you think about these two factors at the country level, you realize that it is difficult. A certain category of producers must embark on these organic products.
HOST:
Tell us about organic pesticides.
MAMADOU SIDIBE:
Organic pesticides are natural substances made from plants and include neem seeds, neem oil, chili pepper mixed with garlic, papaya leaves, and others. These are natural substances that do not have a harmful effect on human health. The Ministry of Agriculture is currently assisting all producers who want to start growing organic crops, so the ministry is promoting organic pesticides as an alternative to chemical pesticides.
HOST:
As for Ouattara Mamadou, he is the administrator of the Guiriko agroecological farm.
Mr. Outtara, what are organic practices?
MAMADOU OUATTARA:
Organic practices are those that are done without chemical inputs in order to obtain healthy products for human and animal consumption.
HOST:
How should farmers go about producing organic crops?
MAMADOU OUATTARA:
To practice organic market gardening, farmers should fertilize the soil by composting.
Once the seeds have been sown, market gardeners must protect them from pests. To practice organic market gardening, farmers must master the creation of organic pesticides. These are natural insecticides made from non-chemical products. For example, neem leaves mixed with garlic and crushed to obtain a homogeneous mixture with water can be sprayed on the plants.
Or farmers can also use ash from the neem or shea tree to pour or spray on the plants to keep pests away.
HOST:
What are some of the challenges facing organic farmers and producers?
MAMADOU OUATTARA:
They are confronted with insufficient financial and material resources, lack of skilled labour, and an inadequate supply of organic seeds. Most vegetable seeds are imported. They also face competition from non-organic products.
HOST:
What are the solutions to the challenges that organic farmers face?
MAMADOU OUATTARA:
Fallowing and crop rotation can increase the number of beneficial insects that prey on pests and help manage pests without using external inputs. Fallowing is the practice of leaving a field to rest for a period of time before cultivating, and is most common when a farmer wishes to switch from conventional to organic vegetable production on the same field. In this case, the farmer must give the land time to get rid of the chemicals used previously before starting organic farming, which can take two or three years. As for the rotation, it consists of growing different crops from one season to another. For example, if a farmer sows tomatoes one season, next season they would sow an unrelated crop such as onions that is not infested by the same pests. This can encourage the introduction of insects that prey on crop pests and establish a natural balance without resorting to external inputs such as pesticides.
HOST:
In this program, we met with male and female farmers who explained how they practice organic vegetable gardening, the benefits associated with this type of farming, and the difficulties they have encountered. In addition, experts provided detailed information on the practice of organic farming, which is becoming more and more popular and, in addition to its benefits for human health and farmers’ income, definitely represents a hope to overcome famine.
Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Sita Diallo-Traore, Burkina Faso correspondent for Le Quotidien newspaper
Interviews:
Mamadou Ouattara, administrator of the Guiriko Agroecological Farm, December 1, 2021.
Mamadou Sidibé, Agricultural Advisor, Head of the Regional Department of Plant Protection and Control at the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Hydro-Agricultural Development and Mechanization of the Mouhoun loop. November 2021.
François Zoma and Pascal Zoma: market gardeners in Koudougou. December 2021.
Moussa Sapambre and Albert Kagambega: market gardeners in Ouagadougou. October 2021.
This resource was produced with the financial support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
