7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

1/12

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

2/12

Requirements of a cowshedPhilomena Nyagilo

When building a cattle shed, mostfarmers do not consider the space,size and nu mber of the animals to be

kept in the shade. They build thesheds too small to allow the freemovement and the behaviouralneeds of the animal. Building a shedis therefore not only hammeringtogether some timber. Building ashed costs money, so farmers shouldavoid mistakes and consider severaldem and s of their animals: The shed should be close to a reli-

able source of clean water, and ifpossible near your fodd er farm.

The roof can cover the whole penor just animal cubicles and should

slope away from the pen so rain-water doesn't fall into the pen. Itshould be high enou gh for a personto stand up .

The walking area should have afloor made of concrete or hard-packed soil. Concrete is easy toclean. The floor should slopegently towards a channel lead-ing to a manure pit outside thepen and should not be made toosmooth, otherw ise the cattleare likely to slip on it.

To hold the manure,dig a largee n o u g hmanure pitand line thechannel lead-ing from thewalking area tothe pit with con-crete. You can also

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 20062 The Organic Farmer

The Organic FarmerThe Organic Farmeris an independ entnewspaper for the Kenyan farmingcommunity. It promotes organicfarming and supp orts discussions onall aspects of sustainable develop-ment. The Organic Farmer is pub-lished monthly by ICIPEand distributed free tofarmers. The reports ofTheOrganic Farmerdo not nec-essarily reflect the views ofICIPE.

The Organic Farmer is sponsored byBioVision, a Swiss-based founda-tion for the promotion of sustain-able developm ent.

www.biovision.ch

PublisherInternational Centre of InsectPhysiology an d Ecology (ICIPE)P.O.Box 30772, 00100 NairobiKENYATel. +254 (020) 863 2000e-ma il: icipe@icipe.org

homepage: http:/ / ww w.icipe.orgEditorsPeter Kamau, Peter Baum gartner

SecretariatLucy W. Macharia

Advisory BoardDr. Bernh ard Lhr, ICIPEDr. Nguya Maniania, ICIPEDr. Fritz Schu lthess, ICIPECharles Kimani, Farmer, Wangige

AddressThe Organic FarmerP.O.Box 14352, 00800 NairobiKENYATel. +254 (020) 445 03 98e-ma il : info@organickenya .com

LayoutIn-A-Vision Systems(k)

MYOPINIONSometimes it is difficult to believethat farmers will ever get fair pricesfor their farm produce. The recenthike in fuel prices has led to a hikein transport costs. While the cost ofproduction has continued to rise,

the price given to farmers for theircommodities has remained thesame or even reduced. A big bunchof spinach vegetables is sold foronly Ksh 40 in the supermarkets.Also, despite a government ban onthe use of extended bags for potatopackaging, traders are back into thegame of farmer exploitation. Travel-ing to Nairobi recently, I could seemountains of extended potato bags.It seems there is no end in sight tofarmers problemsPhillip Kiget, a farmer in M olo

make a p aste of red soil, cow du ngand ash, and smear this paste onthe sides and bottom of the pit;then allow it to dry. Repeat fivetimes to build up a leak-proof

layer. Each cow should have its own

cubicle. The cub icle floors shouldbe mad e of dry soil, as cattle preferto lie on soil rather than on coldconcrete.

For calves, put in temporary barri-ers of wood to m ake smaller p ens.The calves' pen floor should beraised about 4 cm and be made ofwooden slats, to help keep thefloor clean and protect the calffrom diseases.

A stall for use as a milking area

should be set aside. Provide troughs for water and feed

in the walking area and the calfpen. A trough should also be pro-

vided in th e milking area so thatthe cow can feed even

during milking.

Suggested further read ing:

More Forage, M ore Milk,

Technical Handbook No. 33,

Published by R ELMA, Nairobi

2005.

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

3/12

Proper feeding and housingof dairy animals increases milk pro-duction and income for farmers.

Philomena Nyagilo

"The scarcity of land and animaldestruction of crops made me realizethe imp ortance of practising zero graz-ing." With these words, James KamauKungu explains why he changed tozero grazing. Kamau, a farmer inKibichiku, Wangige area, is one ofthose many farmers in Kenya whohave embraced the p ractice of keepingand feeding their cows in a pen, byprovid ing forage and not allowing thecows to graze freely in the fields.

It requires labou r

Population growth and urbanizationin Kenya have reduced pasture landavailable for grazing; this hasdegraded the environment due toovergrazing and deforestation. As aresult, smallscale farmers haveadopted the system of zero grazing,which is an eco-friendly practice foranimal husbandry if dairy cows arekept in good living conditions.Kamau says: "It is an intensivemethod of farming that produces alot of milk from a small amount ofland. But it requires sufficient labour

to provide forage and maintain theunit."The labour constraint to the u se of

fodd er is closely tied to the size of thefarm. Kamau has planted Napiergrass, improved Kikuyu grass fromSouth Africa and Kakamega grass inhis half-hectare (1 acre) farm ; he alsogrows bananas and maize. "I cut theNapier grass and mix it with maize

The Organic FarmerNr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006 3

If done well, zero grazing is profitable

stems and with the banana stems andleaves from my farm. It was a gooddecision to change to zero grazing", hesays.

James Kamau started off zero graz-ing in 1986. He now has 3 heifers and 2cows; he has sold 3 bulls in the past 5years. He has a constant supply ofmilk; his cows give around 40 litres ofmilk per d ay, which is enough for thefamily income and nutrition. Kamauprefers imported or cross-bred cows."They grow faster and prod uce a goodamount of milk if well fed". However,he adds, "If the cows are not prop erlyfed w ith the right quantities and at the

appropriate time, during all stages ofgrowth to matu rity, their milk prod uc-tion drops. The same happens if theyare not kept in a clean shed".

Numerous advantages

James Kamau is convinced that zerograzing is a good and suitable systemfor smallscale farmers in Africa. Hepoints out a lot of advantages:

Zero grazing reduces the number ofpests such as ticks and intestinal

worms, since the animals do notgraze on infested pastures.

There is enough milk for the house-hold nutrition and for sale, hence inreturn, enough money to buy for-age for cows du ring the dry period.

In case of a disease outbreak, it iseasy to control.

It reduces damage to crops causedby grazing cattle.

The farmer is assured of manure,made up of cow dung and urine,which sustains soil fertility wherefodder and crops are grown.

"If you feed your cows well, the priceof milk is usually high enough to meetthe costs of production and make aprofit", he says. On the other hand,money is required in order to buildand m aintain the shed and manure p it;labour is also involved.

A farmer should be ready to cut andcarry the feed, and fetch water for theanimals. James Kamau is in a goodposition with respect to water: hepumps the water from a nearby riverup to his zero grazing shed in thehomestead.

Feeding is imp ortantA constant supp ly and sufficient quan-tities of good quality forage is a basicnecessity for increased milk produc-tion and keeping the animal healthy."Without good food, not a lot of milk isproduced", says Kamau. Forageincludes all plant materials used tofeed livestock. Leguminous forage isvery important. It improves soil fer-tility through its ability to fix nitro-gen, and the qu ality of feed is higherbecause it contains proteins. Some ofthe protein-rich forages include

lucerne, desmodium, calliandra,lablab or leucaena species. For anenergy feed, maize germ, bran andother cereal milling by-products aregood for the animals.

In organic farming, zero grazing is

allowed under the conditions set bythe organic standards of the KenyaBureau of Standards. Farmers shouldensure that the environment and thefacilities are adequate for the size andnumber of the animals, so as to pro-vide for the behavioural needs of theanimals. Some farmers keep their ani-mals in crowded sheds without ade-quate space for free movement. Weshould not forget one thing: If youstress the animals, their milk produc-tion drops.

Organic standard s demand that:

There should be sufficient freemovement and opportunity to expressnormal patterns of animal behaviour.All animals should have access to pas-

ture, an op en-air exercise area or run ,

whenever the physiological conditionof the animal, the weather and thestate of the ground p ermit. This meansthat landless zero grazing is notallowed. The farmer shou ld ensure sufficientfresh air, water, feed and natural d ay-light to m eet the needs of the animals;where animals require bedding, ade-quate natural materials must be pro-vided. Access to resting areas, shelter andprotection from sunlight, high or lowtemperatures, rain, mud and w ind are

ways to red uce animal stress. The animals social structures mustbe maintained by ensuring that herdanimals are not kept in isolation fromother animals of the same species.

Proper feeding and housing of dairy cows can increase their productiv ity (TOF)

Standards for organic animal hu sbandry

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

4/12

Reducing water wastage can helpfarmers grow crops all yearround.

By Pet er Kamau

All Kenyan farmers know th e impor-tance of water in agriculture; withoutit, no crop can grow. Indeed, if allfarmers had an adequate supply ofwater, we would not be talking offood shortages and the devastatingfamine that affects parts of the coun-try so often. But the questions weshould all ask ourselves are: Do wemake use of the available waterresources in the right way? Why is itthat so many farmers lack water tosustain agricultural pr odu ction?

One way in wh ich w e can solve thisproblem is to understand and adoptpractices that can help u s make m ax-imum use of the available water toimprove food production. In the lastissue ofThe Organic Farmer, we cov-ered the most effective way of wateruse - by drip irrigation. In the nextissue we will feature the differentmethods of water conservation thatfarmers can adopt in their farms.Here we will look at the importanceof water in sustainable agriculture.

Farmers in nearly thr ee-quarters ofthe country experience severe watershortages in their farming op erations.One reason for this is that they lacksimple water harvesting technologiesthat help conserve water for use d ur-ing the dry spells. The concentrationof rainfall in one season means thatfarmers have to use conservationmethods that enable them to storeand use the water when the needarises. This would ensure that theyget maximu m benefits from the avail-able water resources. Organic farm-

ing involves use of the available farmresources in a sustainable way. Activewater retention, water harvesting andstorage are therefore very importantto organic farmers. It is impor tant forfarmers to learn water conservationmethod s in ord er to increase prod uc-tion.

Water managemen t

Managing water involves practicesthat protect available supplies andwhich help redu ce losses. This can bedon e throug h conservation. The way

in w hich w ater from d ifferent sour cesis used for people, crops and animalsis a part of water management. Afarmer has to take th ese into account,because agricultural practices can

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 20064 The Organic Farmer

Conserve water to boost production

affect the water supply either posi-tively or negatively. The amount ofwater available in a farm d epend s on

factors affecting the sources of waterand also on the w ays the soil is man-aged. In rain-fed agriculture, forexample, a farmer can store water ina tank for use in the dry season. Inorganic agriculture, however, farm-ers are taught h ow to conserve waterthrough methods which preventwater loss, such as mu lching, pre-vention of soil erosion and correctsoil cultivation practices. The chal-lenge that faces farmers is thereforeto ensure that as little as possible ofthe available water is lost in order topromote plant growth and ensure thefarm has adequate water for otheruses.

Keeping water in the soil

In many farms today, farmers over-come water shortages by installingirrigation facilities. How ever, the firststep farmers should take to conservewater is to improve the water reten-tion and infiltration (penetration)capacity of the soil. During the dryseason, some soils can hold water forplant growth better than others. The

ability of a soil to absorb and storewater largely depends on its compo-

sition and the content of organic mat-ter. Soils rich in clay can store waterup to three times more than sandysoils. Soil organ ic matter acts just likea sponge for storage of water, andsoils rich in organic matter will pre-serve their moisture for a long time.To increase the content of organicmatter, farmers are advised to applyorganic manu res, compost, mulch orgreen m anure. A thin layer of mulchcan considerably red uce the evapora-tion of water from the soil. It protectsthe soil from d irect sunlight and pre-vents it from getting too warm . Whilepreparing land, the farmer shouldavoid digging too deep and disturb-ing the sub-soil, as it contains small

channels that help the water to rise tothe surface for the benefit of plants.(See our p revious issues on mu lchingand organic manures).

Let the w ater go into the soil

During h eavy rains, only a small per-centage of water penetrates the soil.A large part of the water flows awayas surface run-off. The run-off doesnot benefit the crops; instead , itmakes the situation worse, becausethe best soil on the surface is sweptaway. In order to harness this water

for crop production, the infiltrationof rainwater need s to be increased. Toachieve a high infiltration rate, afarmer has to m aintain a topsoil witha good soil structure. Earthworms,cover crops and mulch applicationcan also help to slow dow n the waterflow and allow more time for its infil-tration.

On steep slopes, the infiltration ofrainwater can be increased throughdigging of trenches along contourlines. If this done, running water isslowed down, allowing infiltrationinto th e soil. The tumbukiza method isused by man y Kenyan farmers. Thesesemi-circular bunds (plant pits) alsohelp to collect water flowing downthe slope and encourage its infiltra-tion near the root zone of the crop.The effect of these water trap s can beincreased if a layer of mulch is addedinto the pit.

Excess water can be used for irriga-tion in the dry season if it is wellstored. Generally, reduction of waterloss and wastage through proper

management can go a long way inincreasing farm productivity andincome. It is important that farmersuse this scarce resource in the rightway for their own benefit.

Bare soil loses water faster...

...than well covered soil. (Photos TOF)

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

5/12

Plant Extracts Special IThe Organic Farmer

Herbal cures safer than chemicals

Plants can act as a physical barrier to the movement of pests.Hedges hinder the movement of aphids into the garden. A hedgeof Tithonia, for instance, is a natural barrier against many insects.A row of pigeon peas (mbaazi, also called Congo peas) has beenused to protect tomato, potato and cabbage crops against red spi-der mites. Beans have been planted as decoys in rows aroundcabbages to protect this vegetable from spider mites. Beans are

an ideal decoy for it serves four functions: insect control (decoy),improvement of the soil (legume), food for livestock, material formulching or compost. Hedges are also habitats for many preda-tors. Here agro-forestry can play an important role.

Pests Pest Damage Solutions Diseases

Repellents: Africanmarigold, black jack,tephrosia, garlic, crotalaria,chilli and peppers, eucalyp-tus, tomato.

Insecticides: Africanmarigold, black jack,tephrosia, lantana, garlic,tea, papaya, pyrethrum,crotalaria.

Antibacterial: Africanmarigold, garlic, tea,tomato.

Antifungal: Africanmarigold, garlic, papaya,crotalaria, tithonia, sweetpotato, tomato, oleander,rhubarb.

Nematicide: Cassava, ole-ander, garlic, papaya.

Hedges are natural barriers

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006

Diamondback moth

Stemborer

Cutworm

Aphids Late blight

Tithonia Pigeon peas Beans

Mosaic virus

Maize Streak virus

Maize smut

All African farmers know about the damaging effects ofinsect pests. These are responsible for 2030 percent ofthe crop being destroyed. And all African farmers know thatmodern chemical pesticides are not only poisonous andharmful to human health but they destroy the environment.In most cases, chemical insecticides do not solve the prob-lem.

There are many safe, natural and simple methods of pro-tecting plants. On the following pages we give you someuseful advice for environmentally safe alternatives toreplace agro-chemicals.

But this is not enough. Farmers should observe natureclosely, then they will find the answers. First, they shouldreinstate the fertility of the soil; healthy plants are moreresistant against pests. Second, they should provide habi-

tats for predators; while the insect pests live directly on theplants, the predators which prey on these pests live inhedges and trees and do their work during day time. Thatmeans farmers should never spray during day-time, butearly in the morning or late in the afternoon, when thepredators have gone back to their habitats. Thirdly, farmersshould re-introduce plant diversity into cropping. This is thebest way to maintain the pest/predator balance.

Every farmer should be an observer and examine care-fully what is going on in their shambas. Every farmer alsohas to be a researcher: They have to know which method

can be used to restore the natural balance that restores thenatural balance. Plant extracts are slow in acting, they donot work like chemicals; this means that farmers have touse them several times a week to produce good results.

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

6/12

II Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006The Organic Farmer Plant Extracts SpecialAfrican marigold/ Mbangimwitu (Tagetes erecta)Inazuia: Bacteria, fungi, nematodes,Wadudu: Ants, beetles and many other insects.Kutayarisha:1. Ponda gramu 100-200 ya matawi, mizizi na maua; mwaga kwa lita moja ya maji

yaliyochemka; lowa kwa masaa ishirini na nne; ongeza lita moja ya maji baridi,nyunyiza kwa mimea au mchanga.

2. Panda mimea tofauti kila wakati ili kuzuia hawa wadudu.

Blackjack/ Kishonanguo (Bidens pilosa)Inazuia: InsectsWadudu: Repels aphids, ants, beetles, cabbage root fly, caterpillars, crickets, mites,termites and whitefly.Kutayarisha:1. Funika kikombe kilichojaa mbegu ambazo zimekomaa na maji; chemsha kwa dakika

kumi au lowa majini kwa masaa ishirini na manne, kisha upoeshe. Ongeza lita mojaya maji na kijiko kimoja kidogo cha sabuni; halafu unyunyizie mimea.

2. Mbegu zinaweza kutawanyishwa karibu na vichaka kuvutia mchwa. Mmea wawezakupondwa au kusuguliwa kisha maji yake yatumiwe kunyunyizia mimea.

Maelezo zaidi: Kiasi kingi cha dawa hii chaweya kuyadhuru baadhi ya maua ya mimea.

Cassava/ Muhogo (Manihot esculenta)Inazuia: Nematodes and aphids.

Kutayarisha:1. Toa maji ya matunda kwa kuponda mizizi; pima kiwango kimoja cha maji yamatunda sawa na maji ya kawaida (1:1). Nyunyiza haraka ukitumia lita nne kwamita moja mraba, inasemekana kuwa na athari kubwa. Ngoja siku ishirini kablakupanda.

2. Tumia maganda ya mihogo kuzuia nematodes.Maelezo zaidi: Mizizi ya muhogo iliyo chungu ina sumu, kwa hivyo lazima iondolewekabla kuliwa.

Castor oil plant/ Mbariki, Mbono (Ricinus communis)Inazuia: Panya, fuko na mchwa pamoja na magonjwa ya Ukungu (fungi)Kutayarisha:1. Kama kinyunyizo cha kawaida lowa mbegu ya kijani kibichi na matawi kwa maji

masaa ishirini na nne; chuchunga na unyunyize.2. Kausha mbegu za kijani kibichi na matawi na usage kuwa hali ya unga.

3. Kwa sota (cutworms), weka vikombe vinne vya maganda ya mbegu iliyopondwakwa lita mbili ya maji; chemsha kwa dakika kumi. Ongeza sabuni kiasi, changanyamaji kufikia lita kumi kisha unyunyizie haraka kwenye mchanga.

4. Weka mbegu za kijani kibichi kwa shimo ya fuko au njia za panya kuwa kamavizuizi.

5. Lima mbegu, matawi au oil cake, kwa mchanga ili izuie magonjwa ya ukungu (fun-gal diseases)

6. Majani yanayotiwa shinani mwa mimea ili kuhifadhi unyevunyevu hufukuzamchwa:

Maelezo zaidi: Matawi yenye shina nyekundu yana matokeo mazuri kuliko yaleyenye shina ya kijani kibichi.

Chilli and Sweet pepper/ Pilipili kichaa, pilipili hoho (Capsicum frutescens)Inazuia: Mchwa na wadudu wengineKutayarisha:

1. Nyunyizia kawaida; saga mikono miwili ya pilipili; lowa kwa maji lita moja siku nzima.Tingiza vizuri kwa dakika chache, chuchunga; ongeza lita tano ya maji na sabunikidogo.

2. Pilipili ya unga inaweza kupakwa kwa nguzo za mimea kuzuia ants, cutworms, slugsand snails na aina tofauti za wadudu mchangani.

3. Maji ya matunda kutokana na pilipili tamu, itazuia virusi vya mosaic na kukatazaueneaji wa virusi vinginevyo.

4. Pilipili hutumika sana kama kizuizi.Maelezo zaidi: Inazuia virusi aina ya mosaic na kukinga virusi vinginevyo.

Crotalaria/ Marejea (Crotalaria Juncea)Inazuia: Huzuia magonjwa ya Ukungu (fungal diseases)Wadudu: Huzuia wadudu aina nyingi.Kutayarisha:

1. Panda mmea mahali na wakati tofauti ili kuwafukuza nematodes na waduduwengine kutoka kwa mimea yako.2. Weka sehemu ya mmea uliopondwa ndani ya maji kuunda kinyunyizoOnyo: Ni sumu kwa ngombe kwa kiasi cha chini. Usiweke mbegu kwenye chumbaambacho watu wanamoishi.

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

7/12

The Organic Farmer Plant Extracts Special IIINr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006Garlic/ Kitunguu Saumu (Allium sativum)Inazuia: Bacteria pamoja na magonjwa ya ukungu.Wadudu: Ants, aphids, armyworms, caterpillars, moths, grubs, mice, mites andmosquitoes.Kutayarisha:1. Kinyunyizo cha kawaida, ponda kitunguu saumu; ongeza kwa lita moja ya maji

kisha changanya ndani ya sabuni kidogo, halafu uitumie haraka.2. Kitunguu chenyewe chaweza kukaushwa, kupondwa na kutumiwa kama poda.

Poda inaweza kugeuzwa kuwa kinyunyizo kinachopendekezwa kwa scab,mildew, bean rush na tomato blight.

3. Kitunguu saumu ambacho kimepandwa kuzunguka miti ya matunda na mimeamingine huzuia aphids, fruit tree borers, panya, fuko na mchwa.

4. Mchanganyiko ambao umeundwa kwa kufunika vipande vitatu vya saumu vilivyo-pondwa na kuwekwa ndani ya mtungi na nusu kikombe cha mafuta ya mboga;lowa na uongeze lita kumi ya maji ya sabuni yaliyo joto kadiri; inasemekana kuwainatengeneza kinyunyizio kinachoweza kuwauwa wadudu wa aina nyingi.

Maelezo zaidi: Usitumie kwenye mimea ya jamii ya kunde,inadumu kwa muda wamwezi mmoja,inaua wadudu wote.

Lantana/ Mwingajini (Lantana camara)Inazuia: Aina nyingi ya waduduKutayarisha:

1. Ponda mkono mmoja wa majani kwa lita moja ya maji; ongeza sabuni kidogo,halafu nyunyiza.

2. Panguza ukitumia jivu, kausha na usage iwe poda. Choma utanzu na umwagiliejivu kwenye wadudu kama beetle na leaf miner.

Onyo: Mmea ni sumu kwa mifugo

Oleander (Nerium indicum)Inazuia: Fungi, nematodes, rice brown leaf spotWadudu: Repels ants, flies, beetles, diamond back moth, rodents, and weevilsKutayarisha:1. Kata na ulowe matawi, ngozi na maua kwa maji kwa dakika thelathini halafu nyun-

yiza2. Kausha na usage sehemu ya mmea kuwa poda.Onyo: Majani huwa na sumu kali

Papaya/ Mpapai (Carica papaya)Inazuia: Fungi, nematodes, coffee rust, powdery mildew and rice brown leaf spot nawadudu aina kadha.Kutayarisha:1. Nyunyizia kawaida, ongeza kilo moja ya majani yaliyokatakatwa kwa vipande vidogo

vidogo kwa lita moja ya maji, tingiza kwa nguvu, ongeza lita nne za maji na uongezesabuni kidogo (20g or ml) halafu nyunyiza kwa mchanga kuzuia cutworms.

2. Toa maji ya matunda kutoka kwa mbegu ambazo hazijakomaa kuzuia mchwa.

Pyrethrum/ Pareto (Chrysanthemum cinerarifolium)Inazuia: Aina yote ya wadudu.Kutayarisha:1. Chuna maua siku ya joto, anika kwa kivuli; saga iwe unga, halafu umwagie

wadudu.2. Mwaga lita moja ya maji juu ya gramu hamsini ya unga wa pareto (au 20g poda);

lowa masaa kadhaa; ongeza sabuni kidogo, chuchunga na kinyunyiza.Maelezo zaidi: Nyunyizia jioni kabisa na uwe mwangalifu ili kuwalinda nyuki.

Rhurbarb (Rheumspp.)Inazuia: Magonjwa aina ya Ukungu.Wadudu: Aina ya wadudu walio na miili nyororo kama aphids, whitefly, caterpillars.1. Lowa gramu mia moja ya matawi mabichi kwa lita moja ya maji kwa masaa ishirini

na nne; ongeza sabuni kidogo, halafu nyunyiza.2. Kutoa nyunyizo lililo na nguvu zaidi, tumia hadi matawi tano.3. Mmea wa rhubarb uliopandwa karibu na kabeji huzuia ugonjwa wa club root.Maelezo zaidi: Majani ya mmea huu huliwa kama tunda.

Stinging nettle/Thabai

Inazuia: FungiKutayarisha:Chemsha kilo mbili za stinging nettle katika lita tano ya maji. Chuchunga na unyu-nyizie mimea. Mchanganyiko huu waweza kuzuia magonjwa ya ukungu kama mildew.

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

8/12

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006IV The Organic Farmer Plant Extracts SpecialSweet Potato/ Kiazi kitamu (Ipomea batatas)Inazuia: Rice brown leaf spot, rice blast and other fungi.Wadudu: AphidsKutayarisha:1. Ponda na ulowe majani kwa maji, nyunyiza2. Maji yanayo wanga mzito baada ya kupika yanaweza kunyunyizwa kwa wadudu

wadogo kama aphids.

Tea/ Chai (Cammelia sinensis)Inazuia: Magonjwa ya ukungu.Wadudu: Wooly aphid, squash bug, konokono na mchwa.Kutayarisha:1. Matawi ambayo yametumika yaweza kutawanywa karibu na mimea kufukuza

dudu makamasi (konokono).2. Maji baridi yaweza kunyunyiziwa kwa mimea.3. Matunda ambayo yamelowa kwa maji hutumiwa kufukuza mchwa.

Tomato/ Nyanya (Lycopersicon esculentum)Inazuia: Bacteria, fungiWadudu: Aphids, ants, asparagus beetle, cabbage, worms, diamondbackmoth,cockroaches,mites, nematodes, whitefly na magonjwa ya ukungu.Kutayarisha:

1. Chemsha kwa moto kiasi kilo moja ya matawi yaliyokatakatwa kwa maji, nyunyiza.2. Katakata mikono miwili ya matawi au matunda kwa lita mbili ya maji ndio maji ya

matunda ya kijani kibichi ikongolewe. Wacha kwa masaa matano, chuchunga nauongeze sabuni kidogo; nyunyiza kila baada ya siku mbili wakati vipepeo nawadudu wa kabeji wanapo pepea. Ni vizuri kutumia majani mabichi iwapo yatatu-miwa wakati huo huo.

3. Sehemu zilizokauka zaweza kupondwa kuwa poda na kuchanganywa na maji ilikupata kinyunyizo au kupakwa kama poda, lakini adhari yake haina nguvu kulikosehemu ya mmea ambao haujakauka.

4. Nyanya ambazo zimepandwa kuzunguka mimea mingine hukinga mimeakutokana na asparagus beetles.

5. Mmea mzima unaoninginia kwa shamba la matunda au ndani ya nyumba hukingamiti ya matunda kutokana na wadudu wengi wa nyumba kama mende.

Onyo: Matawi ni sumu kwa binadamu.

Ladybirds

Ladybirds arereally good bio-logical controlagents. Adultladybirds will preyon greenfly andblackfly andespecially onaphids.

LadybirdlarvaeLadybird larvaefeed mainly onaphids, but alsoon other bugs.

While it is in thelarval stage, oneladybird beetlecan eat nearly500 aphids.

LacewingThe green lace-wing is widelyused to controlmany differentpests. The lace-wing is alwayshungry; it is themost voraciousand will eat nearlyall pests.

Wasps

Wasps are goodbiological controlagents. Adultfemales lay eggs

in other insectsand the wasp lar-vae develop asparasites, killingthe host.

Spider

All spiders arepredatory oninsects. Theircatching systemvaries, and not allspiders use websas traps.

Centipedes

Centipedes arein generalground-based

predators, feed-ing on slugs,slug eggs andsoil-dwellinginsects.

Su Kahumbu, well known to the readers of The OrganicFarmer, calls beneficial insects ''good guys" (see photosbelow). There are indeed a lot of insects that are of bene-fit to farmers; they feed on insects which damage crops.

Farmers should take care of these predators. A farmer whois interested in natural order and balance should creategood living conditions for predators so that they can carryout their task of keeping all crop-eating insects in check.

Many insects are friends of the farmer

Photoscourtesy,

En

cyclopediaofOrganicGardening,

London2005.

Published by: The Organic Farmer, PO Box 14352, 00800 N airobi, Tel: 020 4450398, email: info@organickenya.com

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

9/12

Farmers can increase their maize yieldby 2530% in areas where stemborersare a big problem - by practising a veryclever method.

Anja Bengelst orff

Stemborers and striga weeds are themost powerful enemies of maize inAfrica. The moths can destroy up to80% of a harvest in a short period oftime; striga causes losses of 2080%.When both pests occur together, theentire crop can be lost.

Based on ages-old African practicesof mixed cropping, which help restorethe balance of nature, ICIPE togetherwith research partners and farmers,developed a strategy to limit yield

losses by stemborers and striga. Theso-called push-pull technology iseffective, cheap and easy to use. Theidea is to trap stemborers on highlysusceptible trap plants (the pull) anddrive them away from the maize cropusing repellant intercrops (the push).The most effective trap ("pull") planthas proved to be Napier grass (Sudangrass can also be used); its partner forthe push effect is the desmodiumlegume (silverleaf and greenleafdesmod ium). In the world of insects,

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006 The Organic Farmer 5

Fight maize's worst enemies with push-pull

Growing desmodium seed to meet

the high demand is a new income-generating activity for farmers. Sofar, only the Western Seed Companyin Kitale is producing desmodiumseed locally. Before, it had to beimported at high costs from Aus-tralia. Western Seed buys thedesmodium harvest from its 600smallscale contract farmers, pro-cesses it and sells most of it to ICIPEfor distribution to new project farm-ers. By the end of 2006, Dr. ZeyaurKhan estimates that desmodiumseed will be sold on the open m arket.

Seed can be multiplied and used onthe farm for more than 10 years,depending on the care with whichthe farmer manages the desmodium.

fragrances (smells) are very important.They are used for orientation, but alsoto push the insect away from one p lantand to pull it towards another. Thissecret of nature is applied in the p ush-pu ll strategy.

How push-pull works

Desmodium is planted in between therows of maize. It produces a smell orodour that stemborer moths do not

like. The smell "pushes" away thestemborers from the m aize crop.

Napier grass is planted around themaize field as a trap plant. Because ofits smell, the Napier grass is moreattractive to most of the stemborermoth s than the maize itself. It pulls themoths to lay their eggs on it and leavethe maize alone. But Napier grass doesnot allow stemborer larvae to d evelopon it. When the eggs hatch and thesmall larvae bore into the N apier grassstem, the plant p rodu ces a sticky sub-stance like glue w hich trap s them, andthey die. Very few stemborer larvaesurvive and maize is saved in the'push-pull' strategy: Pushed awayfrom the maize field by desmodium,pulled by Napier grass outside themaize field (see sketch). Push-pu ll alsoworks for sorghum and millet farmingsystems that are especially importantin dry areas.

This is by far not the only ad vantageof the approach. In addition, theground cover of desmod ium, which isinterplanted among the maize,

reduces the striga weed, whose rootspenetrate the maize roots and drawnutrients from the host, causing severestunting and yield loss. Nitrogen fixedby desmodium and chemicals pro-

duced by the roots of desmodium areresponsible for suppressing the strigaweed. (Once the striga emerges abovethe soil, much of the damage to themaize will already have been done.)Therefore, striga does not grow wheredesmodium is growing. Being alegume, desmodium also fixes nitro-gen in the soil and thus improves thesoil. Both Napier grass and desmod-

ium are useful protein-rich fodderplants.

Benefits of the p ush-pu ll strategy

When ad opting the pu sh-pull strategy,farmers enjoy the following gains: Increase in maize yield by 2530%

in areas where stemborers are theonly problem. Where both stembor-ers and striga occur, the maize yieldcan be doubled (100% increase inyield).

Increase in the supp ly of cattle feedfrom harvesting Napier grass anddesmodium. These can feed afarmer's own cattle or can be soldon the market.

Fixing nitrogen into the farm soil bydesmod ium, enhancing the soil fer-tility the organ ic way.

Soil protected from erosion, asdesmod ium acts as a cover crop.

Soil retains moisture, as desmod-ium acts as a mulch, too.

Money earned from the sale ofdesmodium seed at an attractiveprice of KShs 600 per kg.

More income from increased milk

production. Savings on farm labour (after initial

phase), as farmers don't have tomanually remove striga weed fromthe farm.

Desmodium planted between the maize rows covers the soil and repels the stembor-ers while the Napier grass att racts the pests and traps it. (Photos Dr. Z . Khan,ICIPE)

continued on page 7

Grow and selldesmodium

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

10/12

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 20066

Su Kahumbuanswers yourquestions

Write to

The Organic FarmerP.O. Box 1435200800 Nairobi KenyaTel: 020 445 03 98, 0721 541 590e-mail: info@organickenya .com

The Organic Farmer

I would like to p ractise organic farm-ing says Michael Karago of NgorikaOl-Kalou. I have 6 acres. How can Igo abou t it? 0724 245958.

"I want to know how to preparefoliar feed using Tithonia." MosesJuma, Box 37, Kwanza, Kitale.

Plants do better in rainwater or over-head irrigation than furrow irriga-tion. Can you show us the advan-tages and disadvantages of each?

can take 23 years to reach organiccertification status, however with ahistory of good d etailed records, thistime period can be reduced. This isadvice to all farmers and mu st not be

taken lightly. Alternatively and evenbetter, register with a certifier as soonas you start, and as you get the hangof it, you w ill be certified.

The main reason why the d iamond-back moth is such a bad pest is itsresistance to most insecticides. Thefarmer u ses a product without know-

ing the resistance status of the pest,and then the product often just killsthe beneficial insects, making theproblem worse. Diamondback mothparasitoids were released almost allover Kenya and are certainly in yourarea. Be patient with pesticide appli-cation. If you have to use a pesticide,use a Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt)-basedproduct, like Dipel, Javelin, Thuri-cide or Xentari. They kill the dia-mond back moth and do not harm thebeneficial insects. Aphid controlshould be by spot application to

affected plants only, then any con-ventional pesticide can be u sed w ith-out affecting n atural enemies.

Dr. Bernhard Loehr, ICIPE

ICIPEanswers

Many farmers ask: "Why do we stilllose so much of our cabbage to thediamondback moth"?

Great to hear you are consideringorgan ic farm ing, Michael. Wanting tostart now is the most important step,far better than having to do so afterdestroying your land with syntheticchemical inp uts.

Organic farming is all aboutimproving soil fertility. Therefore astarting point would be to learn asmuch as you can about how this canbe done.

If you are currently farming con-ventionally and depend financiallyon your farm products, it would be

advisable to start your organic pro-duction in stages. True organic pro-du ction can r esult in lower yields forabou t a year as your soil adapt s. If,however, you ar e comm itted to goingfull on organic, then your first step isto rid your stores of all syntheticinpu ts and empow er yourself with asmuch information on organic pro-duction as possible.

A copy of the Organic Stand ards isan indispensable tool and can be pur-chased from Mr Musa Njoka ofEnCert (PO Box 74510, 77200 Nairobi,Tel 0722 767 755). In the Standardsyou will learn the expectations oforganic produ ction an d will also findinformation on all of the bannedpractices and products. From there,detailed information on productioncan be found in The Organic Farmermagazine which has already pro-du ced 17 editions. You can o rd er it(address see page 2). They are excel-lent tools to guide you through yourconversion.

Record keep ing is important

If your intention is to prod uce com-mercially and you will be seekingcertification, it is extremely impor-tant that you start a record-keepingsystem as early as p ossible. A certifiermakes decisions based on records. It

Organic farm ing is a process

Different p lants require water in d if-ferent qu antities. Add ed to this, someplants do n ot do very well with over-head irrigation, as it encourages thespread of fungal d isease. Examplesof these are the Solanacea family:potatoes, tomatoes, peppers,aubergines, etc.

Some p lants are better suited to fur -row irrigation if managed well. Prob-lems occur when there is too much

Tithonia is excellentfor foliar feed

Choosing the rightirrigation system

This question is asked time and timeagain. Most of our botanical (plant-based) foliar feeds are mad e the sameway. Soft sappy material is taken fromthe plant, shredded or chopped u p andadded to water at a 1: 4 ratio. It is left tosteep for a few days, during whichtime the nu trients are released into thewater as the plant material breaksdown. After about 7 days the foliarfeed is ready for use, and is diluted1:10 with water. You can use more thanone type of plant. In fact, the morediversity, the more balanced a foliar

feed. We use a combination of tithon ia,comfrey and African marigold. To addto this, we also add EM 2 and somefarmyard manure. We have a 3000-litre tank and suspend a sack of eachproduct in the water. After 7 days wethen remove the sacks and use theircontents in the seed beds. The result-ing water is dilu ted 1:10.

The same d ay, the tank is refilled an dnew sacks filled and submerged in thewater. This way every week on thesame day w e are sure we have a liquidfeed available.

water, resulting in stagnation arou ndthe p lant roots. This encourages rootrot and diseases that u se the capillaryaction of the water as a route tospread between plants.

Rain-fed irrigation is erratic andunreliable; it limits our agriculturalproductivity. Both furrow and over-head irrigation can be very wasteful,especially where lack of fresh wateris a growing global concern as it istoday.

Knowing your cropswater require-

ment and investing in a system thatconserves water like dr ip irrigation isthe way forward this century. Itshould be a consideration for everymodern farmer.

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

11/12

continued from page 5

7

Dear Farmers,

If you have any questions orideas for articles, or if youwould like us to publishexperiences about your

shamba or within your farm-ers' group, please contact us(sms!). We shall get back to you !

Tuma maoni yako! Asante.

072154159

0

The Organic FarmerNr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006

We need paper for ourresource centreWe are a comm unity-based organiza-tion registered with the Department

of Culture and Social Services andworking in Keringet Division, Kure-soi Constituency with 57 other self-help groups. Our core objectives are:

1. livestock and agriculture-basedactivities for alleviation of povertyand hunger among community mem-bers;

2. promoting the use of informationand Telecommunications technologyin commun ity development;

3. participating and contributing toenvironmental natural resource man-

agement;4. contributing to edu cation and liter-acy efforts;

5. sanitation, housing and better shel-ter provision to community members.

We intend to establish an inform ationresource centre to serve the farmersand the Mau complex community,focusing on improving productivityfor poverty alleviation and sustain-able socio-economic development.We hereby request your support tobuilding th is resource, and su bscrip-tion to your pu blication.

Rono Suleiman, Baraka DevelopmentInitiat ive, P.O Box 124, Keringet

ush-pull...

Newspaper motivatingFirst and foremost I would like tocongratulate you for your tirelessefforts to make us knowledgeable inthe use of organic methods in farm-ing. Fortunately I came across yourissue N o.8 and after read ing it, I wasmotivated to try organic farming. Mymembers are organized smallscalefarmers in poultry, agro-forestry, treenurseries, bee keeping and horticul-ture. The group is registered by theDepartment of Social Services andhas 32 members. We will be grateful

if send us monthly copies of thenewspaper.Rulas Mosoh Barango, MuunganoYouth Group, P.O Box 319, NyamiraTel. 0735 913 319

Maize plants protected from fallingover in strong winds by Napierborder rows.

Even though the push-pull approachdemands a high labour input at thebeginning, the benefits are likely toincrease as time goes on. For examp le,

desmodium is labour-intensive toestablish, since the plot requires fre-quent and thorough weeding if theemerging seedlings are not to be over-come by weeds. However, once estab-lished, the desmodium can grow forup to 5 years, as it is a perennial.

According to Dr. Zeyaur Khan, whodeveloped push-pull for ICIPE, thereare currently 6,000 farmers in Kenyaand 300 in Uganda who use theapproach with great success. Apartfrom higher maize yields, many farm-

ers make a significant additionalincome from selling N apier grass anddesmodium as forage, investing thenew assets in buying dairy cows orusing it to m eet family needs.

Your ad vice workedI am member of a farming youthgroup . On behalf of fellow mem bers,we are extremely grateful for whatwe have just d iscovered from some ofyour magazines. They were reallyhelpful owing to the rising cost ofproduction and now the limitedfarming land. We have tried some ofyour id eas like the ones on pests, dis-ease control and land preparation.

We really appreciate the results andthis is wh y we regret the long p eriodwe have remained ignorant. Finally,we wou ld like to have past issues andalso to be retained in your mailinglist. We are still young and want tochange from the conventional toorganic. Farming is our only sourceof livelihood an d we like to improvethe way we d o it.

Dishon Odero Owuor, P.O Box 259,Rongo

Research helping usPlease continue sending more infor-mation on 'How to avoid u sing chemi-cals on our foods' and continue train-ing more trainers and supply them torural areas so that the community canbenefit from this important research.Our agro-forestry group has played agood role and th is has changed life inmost active groups here. Even thoughmost of them are only one year old, wecan see some improvements.James Munialo, Guyana Garden ofHope, P.O Box 461, Kitale

Newspaper helps usReceive many thanks and God's bless-ings. I am requesting you to supp ly uswith copies of The Organic Farmerthrough the above address. I am one ofthe founding members of the group. Ihave read some of your issue copiesand gathered a great urge to read fromthe copy No. 1. Please enclose some forme to update myself. The materials in

some of them will no doubt help us toadvance more in agriculture. Thank-ing you in advance.

David N Kimani, P.O Box 23195-00604, Lower KabeteTel.0720 884549/ 0722 633426

Farmers listen as Su Kahumbu explains a point on organic farming. The 25 farmers

were taking part in a tour organized by The Organic Farmer newspaper last month.

7/31/2019 1623.TOF sept 2006

12/12

Nr. 17 Septem ber/October 2006The Organic Farmer8

Mar ket place

Shop for organic products NaturesOrganics, run by Green Dreams Ltd,(belonging to Su Kahum bu) is open-ing an organic prod ucts shop in GigiriNairobi in September 2006. Farmerswishing to supply their commoditiesto the shop can contact her throughthe following add ress:Su Kahumbu, Tel. 0721 100 001;e-mail: info@organic.co.ke

Goats! Due tothe increaseddemand fordairy goatsamong thefarmers, wehave requested

those withdairy goats to provide us with theiraddresses. The Nakuru District Sheepand Dairy Goats Breeders Associationworks with 42 groups that breedquality dairy goats and sheep. It alsodeals with 6 groups that rear Dorpersheep. They have quality male andfemale goats, as well as sheep. Thegroup offers training to new goat andsheep owners. It also assists in theestablishment of goat breeding cen-tres and can assist farmers get high

quality breeding stock. Interestedfarmers can get in touch with theassociation. Any farmer w ho m ay beinterested to buy or get informationon dairy goats should get in touchwith the following farmers w ho havegiven us their addresses::

Joseph M uraya, The Marketing Coor-dinator, Nakuru District FarmersMarketing Federation, P.O.Box 2816,Nakuru, Tel. 0722 457 260.

Kubukubu Organic Farmers Grouphas four German Alpine male goats

for sale. They also have other goats.Call Jacob Rware, P.O.Box 453 Embu,Tel. 0733 273 240; 068 53 075Astone Nd ude Olutali, P.O.Box 1,Bukura, Kakam ega. Tel. 0723 938 649

Joseph Kimunge Macharia, P.O.Box36, Mukurweini, Nyeri, Tel. 0722506114.Samuel Njoroge, Technical man ager,P.O. Box 14748-20100, Nakuru,Tel. 0723 793 414.Samuel Thiongo, Ruthimitu OrganicGrou p, PO Box 489-00605, Uthiru , Tel:0722 565 642.Need potato beet? I have potato beetand other organic farm productswhich are ready for sale. Contact me!Doris Njuguna, Tel: 0723741 955

t ips and bit s

Need clean water? Try the SODIS method ...

Broad spectrum treatment for chickens

f r om f ar mer s, f or f ar mer s

Do you lack clean water? Are yourchildren getting sick because of

drinking untreated water? Then youshould try the SODIS-method toclean the water. SODIS stands forSolar Water Disinfection. Developedin Switzerland, it is a very easymethod to apply. All you need areempty transparent plastic bottles.You fill the bottle three-qu arters w ithwater from the well or the river,shake it 20 seconds, then fill the bot-tle completely. Then lay the bottle inthe sun. After 6 hours in the sun, allmicroorganisms which cause water-

borne diseases are destroyed. Thewater is safe to d rink.How does SODIS work? Sunlight

treats the contaminated waterthrou gh two m echanisms: Very pow -erful rays called the ultraviolet (UV)go throu gh th e plastic bottle and killthe microorganisms. The process isvery fast because the temperature inthe water bottle rises due to heatfrom the sun. If the water tempera-ture in the bottle is higher, the clean-ing p rocess is three tim es faster. Whydo you have to shake the bottle? The

reason is simple: The more air in thebottle, the faster the microorganismsget killed.

You m ay ask, "What can I do wh enit is cloudy"? Normally, the bottles

need to be exposed to the sun for 6hours if the sun is shining or 50%cloud y. If the sky is too cloudy, let thebottles renmain exposed to the sun

for two consecutive days. Duringdays of continuous rainfall, SODISmethod does not work w ell. Rainwa-ter harvesting is recommended dur-ing these days.If you take the water from a river, youmay d iscover some dirt in the w ater,since it is not clear. You shouldremove this dirt, because the cleaningprocess of dirty water will proceedmore slowly. In this case, you take apiece of cotton and sieve the waterthrough the cotton. Fill it in the bot-

tle, then shake it and lay it in the su n.You can then d rink the water w ithoutany fear of a stomachache!

Felix Mbitu Murimi, P.O.Box 1435200800 Nairobi

Organic farmers can make th eir ownnatural antibiotics for the control ofdiseases in chickens. Below is arecipe:Boil the bark ofErythrina abyssinica(also known as the ru bber stamp tree

or omurembe in Luhya) and the barkof Croton megalocarpus (mukinduri inKikuyu and musine in Luhya). Mix 1part of the solution with 3 parts ofwater and give to the chickens todrink for 3 days and repeat every 3

Erythrina abyssinica (TOF)

month s. It is advisable to adm inisterthis mixture before any outbreak.

David Osiako, Umoja Forest groupGroup, P.O.Box 49 Kesogon.

Myth: A good farmer is the onewhose field has been ploughed andcleared of everything. A farmer withcrop residues is lazy.Fact: A good farmer is the one whoconserves the soil with crop residueswhich provide organic matter andincreases yield .

Myth: Many farmers think theymu st plough to make th e soil soft sothat plant roots can penetrate easily.Fact: The opposite is true; ploughingdestroys the soil structure and cre-ates a hardp an.

Adapted from Conservation Agricultu re: A

Manual for Farmers, by the Institute ofRural Reconstruction, N airobi 2005.

Facts and myths