Radio spots on circular and regenerative agriculture

Farmers! If your crops are struggling because the soil has lost its fertility, don’t worry. You can restore your soil and boost your harvests with simple regenerative farming practices.

Before the planting season starts, manually clear the weeds with a machete to eliminate them. Then use a hoe or a machete to dig holes for sowing seeds or seedlings, to reduce soil disturbance.

As crops grow, spray on natural biopesticides to eliminate pests and diseases. Only apply chemical pesticides to eliminate the stubborn pests and diseases.

Mulch, compost, and manure can boost soil fertility and help retain moisture. After harvesting, practice crop rotation by planting different, unrelated crops. For example, if you grow maize one season, plant legumes like beans the next. This improves soil health and helps prevent pests and diseases.

Plant fodder trees like calliandra, faidherbia albida, leucaena, and gliricidia in rows 10 meters apart. Fodder trees make the soil fertile, and shade the growing crops and minimize soil erosion. You can also feed them to your livestock.

 

Spot #2: The importance of minimal soil disturbance in regenerative agriculture

Farmers! Did you know that the less you disturb your soil, the healthier it becomes? In zero tillage, weeds are controlled by slashing or removing them as soon as they appear. In minimal tillage, only the top 5 to 10 centimeters of soil are disturbed when preparing the land for planting.

During planting, farmers use hoes, jab planters, or machetes to make small holes—just enough to place the seeds or seedlings in the soil.

Minimizing soil disturbance improves the soil structure which helps the soil to retain water, and that reduces the harsh impact of droughts on growing crops. It also improves soil fertility, which increases crop yields.

The rotting crop residues and weeds in the mulch add organic matter to the soil, improve its fertility, and help reduce erosion.

 

Spot #3: How to intercrop

Farmers! Have you heard about intercropping? It means growing two or more crops together on the same piece of land at the same time.

One, intercrop shallow root crops with deep rooted ones.

Two, intercrop crops with similar water needs, and do not compete for sunlight.

Three, avoid intercropping crops from the same family to reduce pests’ infestations.

Four, intercrop non-legumes with legumes such as beans or groundnuts. The legumes add nitrogen to the soil, which helps boost the growth of maize.

Five, intercrop slow-growing crops with fast-growing ones. This way, when the fast-growing crops are harvested, the slower ones have space to mature while continuing to cover and protect the soil.

Six, intercrop tall crops like maize with wide-growing vines such as pumpkins or sweet potatoes, or plant cassava alongside legumes.

Seven, intercrop slow growing crops with fast growing crops. That way, after fast growing crops are harvested, the slower ones get space to mature while providing soil cover. For example, fast growing crops like lettuce, spinach, radishes, green onions, bush beans can be intercropped with slow maturing tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, broccoli, and peppers.

Now let us discuss some benefits of intercropping!

Intercropping improves your crop yields.

By intercropping, you get an extra income from growing many crops.

Intercropping reduces diseases, pests, and weeds growth, and as a result, you minimize the use of agrochemicals at your farm.

Strongly scented crops like garlic, onion, pepper and basil, can be intercropped between rows of tomatoes, carrots, and cabbages to repel some pests that attack them.

Here are three types of intercropping to try on your farm

One, mixed intercropping, where two or more crops are grown on the same land. This is common in East Africa, where crops like maize and legumes like beans, or cassava and bananas, or vegetables and legumes are grown together. When you practise mixed cropping and agroforestry, you help the soil stay healthy — because different plants add different nutrients back into the soil.

Two, row intercropping, here different crops are grown in alternating rows. For example, maize and beans, or tomatoes and onions, are grown on separate, alternating rows.

Third, relay intercropping involves growing two or more crops on the same land at different times within a single cropping season. As the first main crop approaches maturity, a second crop—often a cover crop—is planted before the first is harvested. This method reduces competition between the crops, keeps the soil covered, and allows the land to be used longer. Examples of relay intercropping include maize with soybean, maize with sweet potato, or maize with velvet beans.

 

Spot #4: Understanding cover crops

Farmers let’s discuss cover crops.

Cover crops have wider foliage, or vines that crawl, and provide soil cover.

The common cover crops are legumes, like beans, pigeon peas, cowpeas, groundnuts, and they are planted between rows of maize, banana, cassava, coffee, and fruit trees. Grasses, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, can also be cover crops.

Cover crops can be planted after land preparation, or at the same time as the main crop, or when the soil is bare.

Bare soils are easily eroded when it rains, and they harden which interferes with plants’ growth, and water absorption. Eventually bare soils become degraded and lose fertility.

Now here are some benefits of growing cover crops.

Cover crops suppress the growth of weeds, and minimize soil erosion.

Legumes cover crops, improve soil fertility by adding nitrogen and boost organic matter.

Cover crops improve soil structure by loosening the soil, allowing crop roots and water to penetrate more easily. They also protect the soil from heat and reduce water evaporation. In addition, cover crops can provide farmers with an alternative food source and extra income alongside their main crops

Spot #5: Crop rotations and its benefits

Farmers! Crop rotation means growing different crops on the same land each season. This practice has several benefits. It improves soil fertility, which can lead to higher crop yields. It also breaks the cycle of pests and diseases, reducing crop damage, and helps control weed growth while lowering the need for chemical inputs. By rotating your crops, you keep the soil healthy and your farm more productive.

Spot #6: What is strip cropping?

Farmers! Strip cropping is planting different plant families on land divided into strips near each other.

For example, groundnuts can be planted together with hibiscus. The crop strips are changed every season to practice crop rotation.

When strip cropping, farmers should not plant the same family of crops since that can increase pests and diseases infestations.

Now let us discuss some benefits of strip cropping.

Strip cropping improves soil fertility, and suppresses the growth of weeds.

Strip cropping disrupts pests’ movement and lifecycle on a farm.

In strip cropping systems, pests and diseases spread slower because different crop varieties separate their host plants.

Growing different crops in strips, prevents the build up of soil diseases.

Spot #7: Agroforestry practices

Farmers! Let’s talk about planting trees on farms. This is called agroforestry.

In agroforestry, you plant trees among your crops or along the edges of your farm

The common agroforestry trees are legume trees like acacia, gliricidia, faidherbia, and calliandra. But fruit trees like pawpaw and avocado, and boundary trees like grevillea robusta can be planted for agroforestry.

When planting trees for the agroforestry system farmers should ensure:

One, they are planted 10 to 20 meters from one row to another.

Two, they are adapted to the local climate and soils.

Three, agroforestry trees do not host any pests and diseases.

Four, choose agroforestry trees that are fast-maturing, deeply rooted, and resistant to strong winds.

Five, agroforestry trees can withstand intensive pruning needed to provide organic mulch.

Six, agroforestry trees have enough shading canopy with little gaps.

Spot #8: Agroforestry benefits

Farmers! Let us discuss the benefits of agroforestry!

One, as the trees shade the crops, they shed leaves that become mulch, and also improve soil fertility, and minimize soil moisture evaporation.

Two, legume trees fix nitrogen in the soil, which benefits growing crops like maize.

Three, legume and grevillea robusta trees’ leaves provide fodder for livestock like cows and goats.

Four, in agroforestry, bees can be reared for honey, and to pollinate growing crops.

Five, agroforestry trees bind the soil, and minimize soil erosion.

Six, trees protect growing crops like maize, from strong winds that break them.

Spot #9: Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) practices

Farmers! The integrated pest and disease management or IPDM, is a farming practice that addresses pests and diseases using natural solutions. It reduces the overuse of toxic agricultural chemicals on farms, to protect people, and the environment.

Let’s discuss some of the IPDM’s main practices, and benefits.

One, in IPDM crop pests and diseases are eliminated with biopesticides extracted from plants and trees, like neem tree, pyrethrum, chilli, tobacco, garlic, ocimum suave, Mexican marigold, and fish bean (tephrosia vogelli). These natural biopesticides can control pests like mites, army worms, weevils, cutworms, stalk borers, white flies, and aphids.

Two, pests and diseases in the soil can be eliminated by heating the soil over a fire using large metal containers like drums, for 30 minutes.

Three, farmers can grow trap plants that attract some pest and disease-causing organisms, away from the main crop. For example, you can intercrop radishes with cabbages. The radishes attract the flea beetle and root fly, away from cabbages, the main crop.

Four, other IPDM practices include, hanging traps that attract and trap crop pests, removing plants infested by pests and diseases, raking the ground, to expose pests like worms to predators like birds, and planting treated and certified seeds.

Spot #10: Importance of livestock rearing in regenerative agriculture

Farmers! Did you know that your goats, cows, sheep, and chickens do more than give you meat, milk, and eggs?

For pastures, you can rotate your livestock between fields. Once the grass in one pasture is eaten, move the animals to another. The dung they leave behind enriches the soil, helping the grass grow back quickly.

You can also mix the cow dung, with crop residues, kitchen waste, or coffee pulp to produce biogas for cooking. That will save your precious trees from being cut down for wood fuel.

In addition, the biogas slurry from the cow dung, coffee pulp, kitchen waste, and crop residues mixture, is a very effective organic fertilizer. Apply on the crops and witness the results.

You can also improve your farm’s fertility by letting chickens or ducks roam on it. They feed on weeds and pests like worms, and their droppings help enrich the soil. Give it a try!