Learn: fertilizer, land and water

Picture lessons. Tap a picture to hear it.

Make compost

Why? Leftovers and manure become dark, strong fertilizer. Free.

Used in China, Korea and Japan for thousands of years

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Collect 3 baskets of dry grass or leaves and 1 basket of manure or green leftovers.

Make layers: dry, manure, a little soil. Repeat up to waist height.

Wet each layer. Damp like a squeezed cloth, not dripping.

Cover with grass or an old sack to keep it moist.

Turn the heap with a hoe every 2 weeks.

In 2 to 3 months it is dark and smells like earth. It is ready.

Fermented manure (bokashi)

Why? Ready in 3 weeks and feeds the life in the soil.

Bokashi: fermented manure from Japan and Korea

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Collect: 1 sack dry manure, 1 sack soil, 1 bucket maize bran, 1 bucket crushed charcoal.

Mix well on the ground with a hoe.

Add water with a little sugar, a bit at a time.

Hand test: squeeze. If it forms a ball and does not drip, it is right.

Heap it and cover with sacks. Turn once a day the first week (it gets hot).

In 2 to 3 weeks it is cool, dry and smells sweet. It is ready.

Liquid manure

Why? In 2 days you have liquid fertilizer to water your plants.

Jeevamrutha: liquid manure used by farmers in India

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In a 200-litre drum of water, put 10 kg of fresh cow dung.

Add 10 litres of cow urine, 2 kg of raw sugar and 2 kg of bean flour.

Add 1 handful of soil from your own field.

Leave in the shade 2 days. Stir with a stick twice a day.

Pour at the base of plants, mixed with irrigation water. Use within a week.

Planting pits with compost

Why? Fertilizer and water stay at the root. Less waste.

Fertilized pits: used across Asia and in Mozambique

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Dig a pit about a hand-and-a-half wide and deep.

Put in 2 handfuls of compost and mix with the soil.

Sow in the middle and cover with soil.

When it rains, water runs into the pit and stays at the root.

Cover the soil with straw

Why? The soil keeps water, stays cool and fewer weeds grow.

Rice straw on the soil: an old habit in Asia

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Bare soil: the sun dries the earth and water is lost.

Put dry grass or straw around the plants, as thick as a hand.

Leave a small gap around the stem.

Bucket drip irrigation

Why? Little water, straight to the root. Saves time and water.

Bucket drip: simple kits used by smallholders in India

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Put a bucket on a stand at chest height.

Connect a pipe to the bottom of the bucket, along the row of plants.

Make a small hole in the pipe next to each plant.

Fill the bucket in the morning and late afternoon.

Buried clay pot irrigation

Why? The pot releases water slowly, only when the soil is dry.

Buried pot: described in Chinese farming books over 2,000 years ago

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Use an unglazed clay pot. Bury it up to the neck.

Plant 4 plants around the pot, a hand-span away.

Fill the pot with water and cover it. Refill every 2 or 3 days.

Contour lines with an A-frame

Why? On slopes rain washes soil away. Level lines hold soil and water.

A-frame: used on hillsides in the Philippines and across Asia

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Make an A with 3 sticks. Hang a stone on a string from the top.

On the slope: when the string crosses the middle mark, both feet are level. Mark with a stick.

Along the line, build a ridge or plant grass (vetiver).

The rain stays in the field instead of carrying the soil away.

Manure safety

Why? Protect your family.

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Wash hands with soap after handling manure.

Never put fresh manure on leafy vegetables. Use finished compost.

Use only animal manure. Keep children away from the heap.

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