Description of Challenge
Unsustainable farm land design and planning, unorganized farm lands, destruction of farmlands by fire, inorganic farming methods, inability of farmers to estimate their farm size, quantity of seeds or seedlings to plant and profitability of farmlands before beginning the farm. Environmental degradation resulting from farming, Food insecurity.Solution
This technology is Developed by Dr Noah Owusu-Takyi, a renowned permaculturist in Ghana who have from 30 years experience training young farmers in sustainable farming technologies, and developing solutions for improve African farming.
The technology uses various permaculture design principles to design farmlands to ensure the use of ecologically sustainable farming practices into the farm design to ensure profitability whiles protecting the environment.
Farm lands are resurveyed, the size determined, the dimensions measured.
Access roads are created on the farm and also on all the boundaries depending on the size of the land. For instance 5-10 feet access roads are created all round the farm. This access road around the farm serves as firebelts to protect the farmland from fire. It also helps the farmer to go around the farm without stepping on crops. Farm tractors are able to access the end of the farm to pick up crops and return to the storehouse.
The farm is demarcated into blocks. for example one acre blocks (210feet x 210feet) then an access road of 10feet is created in between each acre.
Each acre is then pegged depending on the type of crop to be cultivated on the plot. This helps in precision farming. Meaning, By this, the farmer is able to estimate the cost of inputs and expected profitability of the farm for each acre of land. For example, the farmer is able to calculate the quantity of seeds and inputs needed, how much it will cost, what type of crop to be cultivated on which acre depending on soil tyoe (whether rich, poor or waterlogged). The farmer is also able to identify where to put the farm house, fish ponds, fruit crops, vegetables, arable crops, all based on the design principles, soil type and farmland orientation.
The farmer is able to plant agroforestry trees on the boundaries of all the acres, these trees serve as live fence, pegs for future (when trees are planted in say 6 – 10 feet intervals). These agroforestry trees serves to enrich soil, provide leaves for composting as well as help increase soil fertility and provide leaves for feeding animals.
The farmer is able to plot this farmland designed on a sheet of paper or on his computer and able to use this design for planning, organizing of crop production, managing farm activities, organize irrigation as well as controlling.
There are many advantages to this kind of farm design. For further information contact: [email protected] GHANA